Reflections on collaborative art-interactions

As readers of this blog will be aware, Artpologist collective is busy at work in the historic small town of Taraz, gathering material for their rapidly approaching public exhibition "City of Our Childhood' at the Central Exhibition Hall (5-13 August 2013).   In collecting a wide variety of materials for the exhibition --photographs both historic and contemporary, video, drawings and paintings, soundscapes, and narrative texts -- one of the main challenges of the project has been to gather these together in a collaborative way.  Indeed, creating points of interaction, conversation, and reflection is a primary purpose of Artpologist, rather than the assembly of art-effects to be displayed in the gallery space.

Artpologist, in all their projects and again this summer in Taraz, create an interruption in the regular flow of events, people, and conversation.  They create a break in the water, where waves ripple and can overflow.  Their recent Memory Exchange art action in the public children's park, where residents of Taraz regularly come to walk and spend time, was just such an example.   Giving people the opportunity to sample a new dessert, and asking only for a memory in return, created a small wave-pool of nervous laughter, shared glances, and common reflection, near one of the main entrances of the park.  I was honestly surprised, at the overwhelming positivity and success, of this small ephemeral action, and how quickly it seemed to go by -- after interacting with a number of different characters for several hours, sharing desserts and stories, our small table assembly was suddenly being broken down.  Didn't we just set it up?!

A video of these interactions will become part of the display at the Exhibition Hall soon, but I think for Artpologist (who spent many long hot nights in the kitchen, perfecting their churro recipe and creating chocolate and caramel dipping sauces) one major collaboration has happened successfully:  as their sign for the event noted iconically, dessert + memories = art.  Once we dissembled our table under the shade of tall leafy trees in the hot Taraz summer sun, that 'interruption' in the flow of people in the park came quietly to an end.  Now there is a video, a tangible art-effect;  but our hope in display is not to show some 'finished product,' but rather to create another little whirlpool, another excuse for conversation, criticism, smiles, and questions.  Another interruption, another interaction, another way of continuing the collaboration, in creating art-in-the-world.