(1) Tina Lenz
(1) With focus on design anthropology Tina Lenz loves to invite people into an artistic process based on culture sensitive approach. She is a design researcher, reflective writer, curator and conducts participatory action research using regenerative and anthropological methods with residents, students and stakeholders. Rituals, routines, emotions are collectively mapped and radical reimagined to create alternative futures.
Tina holds a master’s degree in Design (1999) at Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam and a master’s degree in Art Education (2017) at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. In 2009 she participated in a pre-master Anthropology at the Free University Amsterdam, followed by an Erasmus exchange master of Social and Cultural Anthropology at KU Leuven. She teaches Design Anthropology at Design Academy Eindhoven and gives guest lectures at art schools in the Netherlands and abroad.
Image: Collective imagination of Fatima hands as bread amulet to protect against the evil eye. Baked on International Women’s Day March 8.
‘Artists, like gardeners digging their fingers into the earth, plant seeds in the soil of society, from which new landscapes emerge. People grow along with these landscapes, embodying change arising from shared imagination. From this embodiment flows the collective expression of new structures and perspectives. Meanwhile, we keep our eyes fixed on how we ideally want to see and experience the world.’
Radical imagination is the ability to see the world not as it is, but as it can be. The art of this imagination can call into question undisputed truths, encouraging us to wonder. The VriendenLoterij Fund supports new thinkers who unfold these new perspectives, making them visible for the collective. As free thinkers, artists, designers, and cultural institutions can play an important role in initiating social innovation and allowing the experience of new worlds. Everyone has imagination. However, it is bringing everyone's imagination together into a collective imagination that requires a radical approach.
Experiencing resonance
As a design anthropologist, I am fascinated by the way we shape our own lives. Particularly in dealing with each other, in which artifacts, environments, and the context of everyone's past shape personal visions about the future. All over the world, we humans are involved in daily routines and rituals. When, during my artistic research, I invite participants to develop an intervention together, they usually act surprised. People who would never go to a museum or visit the theatre are quick to define art as something that 'is not their thing'. However, it is these people who could find themselves touched. They might feel more involved by chatting about a common denominator such as the news of the day, food, family, or children. From these conversations, in addition to the exchange of stories, their imagination also unfolds. Whether we are introverted or extroverted, at our core, we are social beings who need interaction and enjoy sharing experiences. Based on the assumption that everyone has an imagination but does not always create space for it to unfold, social artists offer an important role in the democratization of art and culture. Art is still often regarded as something that finds its way into the mechanisms of biennials, galleries, museums, and fairs and that is critically related to reality. Social art practices, on the other hand, mainly seek imagination in everyday life and see ‘art’ circulating everywhere. Especially if it doesn’t have a frame or a podium.
To trigger imagination more widely, art needs to be moved out of its cultural temples and presented to the people much more. The social practices in this almanac show a new way of working and are an example of how imagination can be used democratically, persistently, and reflectively. The focus of this qualitative research is not on the instrumental measurement of impact but rather on giving an insight into the participants’ experiences of resonance. Sociologist Rosa (2016) emphasizes that we only experience resonance when we are open to it and willing to enter into a relationship. He claims that we still focus too much on economic growth and personal improvement. Resonance creates space for collective experiences, a real connection with ourselves, the other, and our environment. Instead of idolizing quantity and speed, we shift our focus on enhancing authenticity. It is only then that we can set something in motion and inspire a transition. The word ‘radical', stemming from the Latin ‘radix’, which means roots, aims to expose the roots through imagination. The Iceberg Model of Culture shows that the underlying thinking patterns and values of our internal culture are shaped by the constellation in which we grew up. It is this implicit knowledge that is often difficult to change. This Almanac for Radical Imagination demonstrates how social art practices give meaning to this deeper connections under the surface.
Polyphony
Concerns about climate change, the disintegration of postcolonial structures, the handling and control of viruses, and the far-reaching consequences of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia illustrate, geopolitically, how connected and vulnerable we are. Together: The Rituals, Pleasures, and Politics of Cooperation, sociologist Sennett (2012) warns us that in order to meet the challenges of our time, we must re-learn to cooperate in our tribal, competitive, and selfish cultures. According to Sennett, being a good listener, acting tactfully, empathizing, and dealing with disagreements are vital social skills to have at this time. Art and theatre scholar Wynants (2020) finds it no coincidence that Sennett bases this view on the performing arts, as listening and dialogue are vitally important in any rehearsal of art, may it be music, theatre, or dance. Jan Raes, director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, sees musical polyphony as a metaphor for a stratified society. There is a necessity for a healthy tension between the individual and the collective, between individuality and shared identity.
Artistic attitude
As a social artist, you physically place yourself in the context you are studying. And, since other actors are involved in the creative process, you co-determine the outcome, meaning you have to let go of any fixed result (Salter, 2015). An artistic attitude that, according to anthropologist Ingold, is reserved for ‘the better anthropologists’. During a lecture in Groningen, Ingold discussed the four qualities that create the basis for this attitude (Coumans, 2017): [1] The first quality is generosity. A person is generous to the world around him when he understands that we exist because of what others have given us, when he can receive what is offered to him with a grateful attitude, and when he returns what is not his. [2] The second quality is the ability to work open-ended rather than result oriented. We need to find ways that are inclusive both now and in the future. [3] Anthropological art is comparative, meaning that the artist recognizes that no one approach is the only possible one. The artist asks not only how his approach relates to that of others but also what the added value of other approaches is. [4] Finally, and this perspective is critical, the artist is not satisfied with the world as it is now.
Art practices are distinguished by: contemporary art, in which authorship and direction rest with the artists, possibly with a participatory element; community art, in which one or more art professionals work together with amateurs to create art in semi-public spaces around a social issue; participatory art, where artistic research occurs between art and everyday life encouraging collective imagination. Artists work long-term with non-art professionals. They strive for equal participation in the creative process and use art as a tool for change. Those who initiate always participate and only let go when their presence becomes superfluous. Cultural sociologist Trienekes (2020) places ’purist art’, in which the artist relates his work of art to the public as a spectator, opposite ‘democratic art’, where the work is seen as an ongoing project without a clear beginning or end and with participants as co-producers. Participatory (social) artists look for ways to involve people who are ‘off the beaten track’ in the process. The different forms of participation are:
Normal Participation; Participants are passive spectators;
Directive participation; Participants complete a simple task led by the artist.
Creative participation; Participants provide content for social art practices;
Collaborative participation; Participants share responsibility for the creative process.
Relational activism
Artist and activist Gysel calls it relational activism: art with a different urgency that is used as a tool for change. According to her, it is about relationships among people, between people and things, and between people and nature. Relationships that have fallen apart due to Western desacralization, objectification, and colonization must also be restored (2021). These are the practices that distinguish themselves through contemporary art and social engagement, which move us and are open to collaboration and dialogue. It is the artists who show attention, dare to express experiences and emotions, work on building meaningful connections, and make room for collective imagination and dissension. Social practices democratize art through an inclusive approach, non-hierarchical learning, and the way they open up a discussion about societal malpractices. In addition to the participants, they must also relate to subsidy providers, stakeholders, governments, and other parties. It is critical that they do not become entangled in empty gestures of symbolic politics - changeless change.
Research question
At the start of the study, no specific account was taken of the male-female ratio or of generational and ethnic diversity. During the year, many contacts were established in a natural way, automatically leading to diverse participation in the exploratory study. In each chapter, the participants, the creators, the experts, and occasionally the audience all have their say.
[A] The extent to which radical imagination resonates in thirty participants was investigated. The participants responded to the question: 'What impression has participating in social art practices left on you?’
[B] The fifteen experts wrote a plea based on the question: 'How do we achieve more ownership and control over ourselves and our environment through radical imagination?’
[C] The mapped perceptions are not seen in this almanac as an instrumental result but as an extensive visual overview and time document of the seven social art practices. To prevent the content from being influenced by one researcher, the question of what form radical imagination takes is also left to the reader.
Conclusion
Converting imagination into change requires constructive radicality. Writer Dyab Abou Jahjah (2016) argues for a more fundamental questioning of the foundations of our society to enable change effectively. He makes a distinction between destructive radicalism and constructive radicalism, in which he convincingly opts for the latter form. Art historian and writer Rovers believes that there is a lack of democratic imagination: 'We must realize that civic power is not only needed for support but also for knowledge, creativity, and ideas' (2022). This research demonstrates constructive forms of radical imagination by mapping perceptions obtained through seven social art practices. The contributions of the experts also argue in favour of the quality and working methods of these social practices. The creators have all received a subsidy to develop plans in a process-oriented manner. Their approach requires a larger investment. Within the established circuit, these creators have proven themselves to be relevant across a broader repertoire. When a (new) platform is developed for the collective use of radical imagination, it is necessary to: [1] create sufficient time and space for continuous iterations with participants and be transparant. [2] As valuable experiments, the iterations are often not immediately visible, but in the long term, they can influence the existing structure within society and bring about change from below. [3] The experiments of social practices should be evaluated performatively and perceived as lessons-learned by socio-culturally sensitive researchers. [4] Sustainable development reinforces long-term projects if participatory artists and, depending on the context, participants are financially supported on a structural basis by funds and stakeholders. [5] Funders should take risks and offer opportunities for open-ended, genesis-oriented research without judging quantitative output such as forecasts of audience reach. [6] Social practices should not function as problem solvers but provide relational activism with room for dissension. [7] Finally, this will ensure broader support for democratic art.
List of references
Coumans, A., & Schuffelers, I. (2017). The significance of artistic research. ScienceGuide. On 12 July 2024, it was published at https://www.scienceguide.nl/2017/06/de-relevantie-van-artistiek-onderzoek/.
Gysel, J. (2021). Relational Activism. Metropolis M, 42(3), 62.
Ingold, Tim. (2017). Art, Science, and the Meaning of Research. Keynote lecture, Groningen.
Jahjah, D. A. (2016). Preparation for radicalization. De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam.
Rosa, H. (2016). Resonance: A Sociology of World Relationships. Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag.
Salter, C. (2015). Alien Agency: Experimental Encounters with Art in the Making. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Sennett, R. (2012). Together: The rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Trienekes, S. (2020). Participatory art, or simply art in difficult circumstances. Rotterdam: Publisher V2.
Wynants, N. (2020). Conversatie, participatie, and co-creatie in the arts. Forum+, 27(1), 2.
Comment 1
Your paper was a stimulating analysis of the impact that new forms of thinking and socially oriented art practices have on society as well as their role in catalysing systemic change. Your standpoint and beliefs at the core of the essay are evident and guide the reader through a thought-provoking read.
The opening quote is a compelling way to effectively set the framework in which you argue your thesis, and the overall structure of the text is clear and effective. A little more detail in a few passages could help strengthen your point and allow for better understanding.
Here are a few suggestions.
The opening section clearly states the role of art and imagination in shaping change. To outline a richer context, I suggest expanding on the role and importance of the VriendenLotarij Fund in fostering radical imagination and social innovation. Some more detail on how to bring about collective imagination might help the reader navigate the rest of your essay by providing more solid theoretical bases.
Your personal experience in the “Experiencing resonance” paragraph is a valuable introduction that offers first-hand evidence on the impact of social art practices. To add depth to the case, you might consider citing some literature in support of your statements, so as to show that theory reflects in practice and vice versa. As a necessary premise for the almanac, this paragraph might benefit from a clearer definition of the concept of resonance.
Overall, you take the reader on a fascinating journey to explore various forms of social art and practices to foster collective participation. This study benefits from a well-posed research question and qualitative research. However, while the choice to leave room for the reader to find their own answer is commendable, the almanac could turn into a more effective and shareable tool for change if integrated with the mapping you conducted. Empirical evidence would add depth to the study and help the reader to further understand the implications and results of collective practices. It could be useful to anticipate – or at least mention – this section in the introduction. Additionally, I suggest giving some more information on the methodology – especially expanding on who the participants, creators, experts, and audience are as well as their role and ratio in the study. This would equip readers with a clearer idea of the framework in which the study was conducted, thus allowing for better understanding.
Finally, I suggest adding direct examples of collective practices either from your personal artistic experience or from literature. This would enhance the strength of your arguments with concrete evidence from real life cases.
Comment 2