Abstract
We are always crashing in the same car; the dilemma of artists working in or near academia has been well explored in many contexts and across many timespans. Of particular relevance is the legacy of Variant and Leigh French, a sorely missed presence and gadfly to complacency of artist and institution alike.
Invoking the concepts of ‘feral scholarship’ and of ‘boundary objects’, this talk explored the (occasional) recognition by academia of its limitations, artists research projects which deliberately stand outside academic structures, and ways in which the tyranny of ‘the research question’ and ‘the timely’ structure interactions between local intrinsic knowledge and ‘expertise.’
Wisdom is already inherent in contexts and communities: the point however is in enabling that knowledge to gain traction through adequate and longterm support. Does academia function as a sticking plaster and an avoidance mechanism, in the same way as ‘community arts’ used to be in terms of centre/periphery thinking?
The organising principle of the performance presentation is that of a series of question/dialogues with the audience, framed through the overarching metaphor of the rebirth of "The Party for Moderate Progress Within the Bounds of the Law." Founded by jaroslav hasek in the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this ludic satirical organisation conducted inquiries and made absurdist social policy suggestions.
1use obsolescence
2listen don’t preach
3embrace feral scholarship.
4Use real language.
5Academia is all too aware of its fragility; the academic publishing racket is ripe for destruction. Real distribution of ideas, not journal articles.
The event took place as part of the Revelator 'Wild Research" conference, in association with the Journal of Media Practice and Education. Publication in a special issue is under discussion.
Other event contributors included David Sherry, Steven Skrynka, Renata Pekowska, Núria Araüna Baró and David Archibald, Kirsten Adkins, and many more. In addition to the event and publication above, I have been invited to contribute elements of this project to a new publication honouring the legacy and achievements of VARIANT magazine and its irreplaceable editor Leigh French. This will come out this summer, bridging academia, radical creative arts, and feral scholarship.
Invoking the concepts of ‘feral scholarship’ and of ‘boundary objects’, this talk explored the (occasional) recognition by academia of its limitations, artists research projects which deliberately stand outside academic structures, and ways in which the tyranny of ‘the research question’ and ‘the timely’ structure interactions between local intrinsic knowledge and ‘expertise.’
Wisdom is already inherent in contexts and communities: the point however is in enabling that knowledge to gain traction through adequate and longterm support. Does academia function as a sticking plaster and an avoidance mechanism, in the same way as ‘community arts’ used to be in terms of centre/periphery thinking?
The organising principle of the performance presentation is that of a series of question/dialogues with the audience, framed through the overarching metaphor of the rebirth of "The Party for Moderate Progress Within the Bounds of the Law." Founded by jaroslav hasek in the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this ludic satirical organisation conducted inquiries and made absurdist social policy suggestions.
1use obsolescence
2listen don’t preach
3embrace feral scholarship.
4Use real language.
5Academia is all too aware of its fragility; the academic publishing racket is ripe for destruction. Real distribution of ideas, not journal articles.
The event took place as part of the Revelator 'Wild Research" conference, in association with the Journal of Media Practice and Education. Publication in a special issue is under discussion.
Other event contributors included David Sherry, Steven Skrynka, Renata Pekowska, Núria Araüna Baró and David Archibald, Kirsten Adkins, and many more. In addition to the event and publication above, I have been invited to contribute elements of this project to a new publication honouring the legacy and achievements of VARIANT magazine and its irreplaceable editor Leigh French. This will come out this summer, bridging academia, radical creative arts, and feral scholarship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | performance research lecture |
| Media of output | voice, text, presence |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Sept 2024 |
