Creating participatory encounters in your work

How to design and create participatory encounters in your work

This course explores participatory art and its transformative impact on contemporary practices. We will examine participation as a core element of creative expression and community engagement through critical analysis, historical context, and hands-on exercises. Key topics include activation, authorship, and community, alongside the evolution of participatory art from early pioneers to contemporary movements. The course introduces theoretical frameworks, practical approaches, and Kaija Kaitavuori’s categories of participation, including ‘user’, ‘target’, ‘material’, ‘co-creation’ (supported by artist examples). We will address ethical responsibilities, risk assessments, and participant agency while developing their own participatory artworks, with feedback and collaborative exercises to refine their ideas.
 

Students will gain the tools and knowledge to foster meaningful connections through participatory art practice. 

The following topics will be discussed: 

Participation in Contemporary Art

• Motivations: Activation, Authorship and Community
• (Brief) Art history of participatory art
• Theory and Methodology of Participation: The dialogue between life and
  art.

The Categories of Participation*
*As defined by Kaija Kaitavuori

• User
• Target
• Materia
• Co-Creator
  • Including Artists examples for each category

Creating Participatory Artworks

• Responsibility of the Artist
• Risk, safety and accessibility assessment
• Agency of the participator
• Effects of participation
• Exercises using the categories of participation and applying it to participants' ideas or previous work
• Feedback and Discussion