PLAY>URBAN<\/b><\/p>\n
A (VERY) BRIEF INTRODUCTION [2012]
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Play>Urban is a collaborative<\/b> project initiated in 2011 by two art schools, Haute Ecole des Arts Du Rhin (Strasbourg, France) and the Wits School of Arts (Johannesburg), in collaboration with the Acad\u00e9mie des Beaux Arts de Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). Participants are students and faculty from all three schools, as well as invited artists and researchers. Together, they aim to investigate and, where possible, to bridge the gap between creative practice<\/b> and research<\/b> in the elaboration of knowledge about cities.<\/p>\n
Play>Urban est un projet collaboratif initi\u00e9 en 2011 par deux \u00e9coles d\u2019art, la Haute Ecole des Arts Du Rhin (Strasbourg, France) et la Wits School of Arts (Johannesburg), en collaboration avec l\u2019Acad\u00e9mie des Beaux Arts de Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). Les participants sont des \u00e9tudiants et enseignants des trois \u00e9coles, ainsi que des artistes et chercheurs invit\u00e9s. Ensemble, ils tentent d\u2019investiguer et quand c\u2019est possible de construire des ponts entre creative practice et recherche, dans l\u2019\u00e9laboration de connaissances au sujet des villes.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In its initial phase (2011-2013), the project is structured around a series of residencies taking place in France and South Africa: moments of joint endeavour that facilitate exchanges between students, pedagogues, artists, researchers and cultural activists. The first residency (August 23-September 23, 2012) is underway as this publication goes to press.<\/p>\n Dans sa phase initiale (2011-2013), le projet est structur\u00e9 autour d\u2019une s\u00e9rie de r\u00e9sidences en France et en Afrique du Sud\u00a0: moments d\u2019efforts en commun qui facilitent les \u00e9changes entre \u00e9tudiants, enseignants, artistes, chercheurs et activistes culturels.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The focus of the 2012 residency, and of Play>Urban as a whole, is neither urban planning nor architecture. It is the types of environments that city-dwellers construct through their daily interactions<\/b>. Via experiments with time-based media<\/b>, site-specific interventions<\/b>, performances<\/b> and, more generally, a reflection process articulated around collective action, the residency seeks to elaborate responses to \u2013 and an understanding of \u2013 the ways in which such environments function.<\/p>\n Le focus de la r\u00e9sidence 2012, et de Play>Urban dans son ensemble, n\u2019est pas l\u2019urbanisme ou l\u2019architecture. C\u2019est le type d\u2019environnements que les habitants des villes construisent \u00e0 travers leurs interactions quotidiennes. A travers des exp\u00e9rimentations via les arts du temps, des interventions in situ, des performances et, plus g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement, un processus de r\u00e9flexion articul\u00e9 autour d\u2019actions collectives, la r\u00e9sidence tente d\u2019\u00e9laborer des r\u00e9ponses \u00e0 \u2013 et une compr\u00e9hension de \u2013 la mani\u00e8re dont de tels environnements fonctionnent.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The residency takes place outside the physical purview of the academy and, wherever possible, beyond the realm of what is generally referred to as the built environment. Its primary staging ground is the street. An open-ended series of hypotheses and questions shapes the process<\/b>. Core queries centre around: the notion of play; that of the city as a theatre of operations; the concept of people as infrastructure; the role of body politics in the making of city life; the nature of audiences in the production and reception of art in the city.<\/p>\n La r\u00e9sidence a lieu hors du cadre physique de l\u2019\u00e9cole et, l\u00e0 o\u00f9 c\u2019est possible, au del\u00e0 du domaine de ce qu\u2019on nomme g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement l\u2019environnement b\u00e2ti. Son premier espace d\u2019intervention est la rue. Un ensemble d\u2019hypoth\u00e8ses et de questions encadre le processus. Autour de\u00a0: la notion de jeu\u00a0; la ville comme th\u00e9\u00e2tre d\u2019op\u00e9rations\u00a0; le concept de people as infrastructure\u00a0; le r\u00f4le du body politics dans la fabrication de la ville\u00a0; la nature des publics en mati\u00e8re de production et de r\u00e9ception de l\u2019art dans la ville.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below is a brief outline of some of the ideas we seek to explore.<\/p>\n Ci apr\u00e8s une br\u00e8ve description de certaines des id\u00e9es que nous explorons.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE CITY: A LOCUS OF PLAY<\/span><\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n LA VILLE : UN LIEU DE JEU ?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n To play is to interact and, in the process, to elaborate new relations and identities. This is true of the most innocent games and the most elaborate theatrical productions alike. In the context of a residency and project such as ours, can play be deployed as a methodology \u2013 a way of thinking about and interacting with the city \u2013 that allows us to look at the city through new eyes? Can we invent rules and roles for ourselves, akin to rules in a game or parts in a play, which bring us to engage with the city in ways that we would not have otherwise? In the process, can we impact our practice as artists in lasting and relevant ways? What are the political and the ethical stakes involved in such an experiment? What is the risk that we will succumb to superficial readings and encounters \u2013 a skating on the surface of the city? Might such surface encounters prove productive? Is our position that of voyeurs and, if so, is this problematic? With whom are we playing? Is this a game among ourselves or does it involve others? If others are involved, how are they chosen and to what extent are they given a choice as to their participation? How do we define who is \u201cus\u201d and who \u201cthey\u201d?\u00a0 Do we have a right to make such distinctions? Are the categories that result from the making of such distinctions flexible? Are they reversible? Might they be done away with altogether? If so, what happens to the state of play? Randomness<\/b> and chance<\/b> are two key aspects of play: without them, there can be no play(ing); if the city is (at least in part) a space of play, how do randomness and chance shape the quotidian experiences of those who live in and travel through the city? What are their (differing) impacts on individuals and groups or, more broadly, communities? How, in such a setting, does one define community?<\/p>\n Jouer (to play) c\u2019est faire ensemble et, ainsi, \u00e9laborer de nouvelles relations et identit\u00e9s. Ceci est vrai des jeux les plus innocents aussi bien que des productions th\u00e9\u00e2trales les plus \u00e9labor\u00e9es. Dans le contexte d\u2019une r\u00e9sidence et d\u2019un projet tel que le n\u00f4tre, le jeu peut-il \u00eatre d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 comme une m\u00e9thodologie \u2013 une mani\u00e8re de penser et d\u2019interagir avec la ville\u00a0\u2013 qui nous am\u00e8ne \u00e0 regarder la ville avec un \u0153il neuf\u00a0? Pouvons-nous nous inventer des r\u00e8gles et des r\u00f4les \u2013 \u00a0r\u00e8gles qui s\u2019apparenteraient \u00e0 celles d\u2019un jeu (de soci\u00e9t\u00e9\u00a0?), r\u00f4les pareils \u00e0 ceux que nous jouerions dans une pi\u00e8ce \u2013 qui nous permettent d\u2019\u00e9laborer des relations \u00e0 la ville qui soient r\u00e9ellement nouvelles\u00a0? Ce genre de processus peut-il avoir un impact durable et pertinent sur notre pratique en tant qu\u2019artistes\u00a0? Quels en sont les enjeux politiques et \u00e9thiques\u00a0? Quels sont les risques de succomber \u00e0 une lecture et \u00e0 des rencontres superficielles\u00a0\u2013 de glisser sur la surface de la ville\u00a0? Ces rencontres de surface peuvent elles se r\u00e9v\u00e9ler productives\u00a0? Notre position est-elle celle de voyeurs, et dans ce cas est-ce un probl\u00e8me\u00a0? Avec qui jouons nous\u00a0? Est-ce un jeu entre nous ou bien implique-t-il d\u2019autres personnes\u00a0? Si d\u2019autres sont impliqu\u00e9s, comment sont-ils choisis et dans quelle mesure leur est-il laiss\u00e9 le choix de leur participation\u00a0? Comment d\u00e9finissons-nous ce qui constitue \u00ab\u00a0nous\u00a0\u00bb et ce qui constitue \u00ab\u00a0eux\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0? Avons nous le droit de faire de telles distinctions\u00a0? Est-ce que les cat\u00e9gories qui r\u00e9sultent de ces distinctions sont flexibles\u00a0? Sont elles r\u00e9versibles\u00a0? Peut-on en faire fi\u00a0? Si tel est le cas, qu\u2019advient il de l\u2019\u00e9tat de jeu\u00a0? Hasard et chance sont deux aspects cruciaux du jeu\u00a0; si la ville est (au moins pour partie) un espace de jeu, comment le hasard et la chance (en)cadrent-ils les exp\u00e9riences quotidiennes de ceux qui y vivent et qui transitent par la ville\u00a0? Quels sont leurs impacts \u2013 variables, faits de contingences \u2013 sur les individus et les groupes, ou plus largement, sur les communaut\u00e9s\u00a0? Comment, dans un tel contexte, d\u00e9finit-on une communaut\u00e9\u00a0?<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n THE CITY: A THEATRE OF OPERATIONS<\/span><\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n LA VILLE : UN THEATRE D\u2019OPERATIONS ?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n As the questions outlined above suggest, play is not a matter of (simple) amusement. Indeed, it commonly proves deeply fraught. As such, it offers a useful entry point into a second set of issues that stand at the heart of the Johannesburg residency. Conflict<\/b> is an integral part of city life and, in this setting, we would posit, theatricality<\/b> \u2013 quite literally the making of play \u2013 has a significant role. It structures confrontations between and cohabitation among competing interest and points of view. What does this mean concretely for urban artists whose practice (as is the case with many of us) bears close links to the theatre: scenographers, choreographers, dancers, performance and installation artists? How, by engaging with practices of theatricality, do we move beyond production that reflects given, conflictual states of affair to production that impacts on these states of affair? Is it productive and\/or legitimate to seek such impact and what responsibilities does this entail? Is it legitimate not <\/i>to seek such impact and, once again, what are the responsibilities involved? Are we (or do we seek to be) activists? If so (or if not), what exactly does the term mean? Is it possible to create art that simultaneously interrogates and draws upon urban practices of theatricality without upstaging the very practices that drive this creative process? One approach is to privilege context-driven modes of artistic production: processes and outcomes that exist only insofar as they are in dialogue with the urban environments within which they are staged. Such a strategy \u2013 or, more properly a tactic<\/b> \u2013 demands that one be open to producing work that morphs: work that, because is mirrors the city to which it seeks to speak, is forever unstable, whether in form, meaning or both. What are the practical and the theoretical implications of this?<\/p>\n Comme les questions soulign\u00e9es ci dessus le sugg\u00e8rent, le jeu n\u2019est pas simplement une question d\u2019amusement. Souvent, il s\u2019av\u00e8re affaire de tension(s). En ce sens il offre une entr\u00e9e utile vers une deuxi\u00e8me s\u00e9rie de questions qui se logent au c\u0153ur de la r\u00e9sidence de Johannesburg. Le conflit fait partie int\u00e9grante de la vie des villes et, cela \u00e9tant, nous voudrions poser la th\u00e9\u00e2tralit\u00e9 \u2013 le jouer au sens propre du terme \u2013 comme objet significatif. Elle structure confrontations et cohabitations entre int\u00e9r\u00eats et points de vue divergents. Qu\u2019est ce que cela implique concr\u00e8tement pour des artistes urbains dont la pratique (comme c\u2019est le cas pour nombre d\u2019entre nous) d\u00e9veloppe des liens proches avec le th\u00e9\u00e2tre\u00a0: sc\u00e9nographes, chor\u00e9graphes, danseurs, performers et cr\u00e9ateurs d\u2019installations\u00a0? Nous est-il possible, via un engagement avec des pratiques de th\u00e9\u00e2tralit\u00e9, non seulement de nommer, mais aussi d\u2019infl\u00e9chir des \u00e9tats de fait\u00a0? Est-il productif ou l\u00e9gitime de souhaiter \u00e0 avoir un tel impact et quelles responsabilit\u00e9s cela engage t\u2019il\u00a0? Est-il l\u00e9gitime de ne pas le souhaiter et (une fois encore) quelles sont les responsabilit\u00e9s impliqu\u00e9es\u00a0? Sommes nous (ou souhaitons nous \u00eatre) des activistes\u00a0? Si tel est le cas (ou pas) que veut pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment dire ce terme\u00a0? Est il possible de cr\u00e9er un art qui simultan\u00e9ment interroge et puise \u00e0 des pratiques urbaines de th\u00e9\u00e2tralit\u00e9 sans \u00e9vincer les pratiques m\u00eames qui structurent un tel processus de cr\u00e9ation\u00a0? Une approche est de privil\u00e9gier des pratiques artistiques guid\u00e9es par le contexte\u00a0: des processus et visibilit\u00e9s qui existent seulement dans la mesure o\u00f9 ils sont en dialogue avec les environnements urbains dans lesquels ils sont inscrits. Une telle strat\u00e9gie \u2013 ou, plus exactement une tactique \u2013 demande que chacun soit ouvert \u00e0 la production de travaux toujours en devenir\u00a0: travaux qui, parce qu\u2019ils renvoient une image \u00e0 la ville \u00e0 laquelle ils s\u2019adressent, sont constamment par d\u00e9finition instables, soit dans la forme, soit dans le contenu, ou bien dans les deux. Quelles sont les implications th\u00e9oriques et pratiques de cela\u00a0?\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE CITY: AN INFRASTRUCTURE OF PEOPLE<\/span><\/b>?<\/b><\/p>\n LA VILLE : UNE INFRASTRUCTURE DE GENS ?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Implicit in what precedes is a rejection of canonical representations of the city. Mainstream urbanism commonly presents cities in the global South as dysfunctional on the grounds that they lack viable infrastructure: bridges, sewage systems, highways and the like, which (should) structure the economic, social and political activities of their residents. A \u201cproper\u201d city, the argument goes, is predictable and therefore stable. Alternative models for understanding cities of the global South (and, increasingly, cities in Eastern Europe) look to infrastructure as an infinitely more complex concept and privilege both instability<\/b> and unpredictability<\/b> as an integral part of what makes cities work. Thus, AbdouMaliq Simone, who, in a seminal text, writes the following on Johannesburg\u2019s inner city core:<\/p>\n [The city is] characterized by incessantly flexible, mobile and provisional intersections of residents \u2026 These intersections \u2026 depend on the ability of residents to engage complex combinations of objects, spaces, persons and practices. These conjunctions become an infrastructure \u2013 a platform providing for and reproducing life in the city.<\/p>\n