The biggest disaster of 2011

After summing up last year I realised that the biggest disaster in 2011 was a project I really enjoyed. It got no funding, no formal recognition, no accolades yet it still went ahead and I learned a lot from doing it. Why - because that's a choice artists make "do I do this work or not?" Why was it a disaster? I got paid a nominal amount, I did not to realise my artistic vision and got a limited response from the community, I had hoped for more.
I could n't help doing the experiment - the landscape called out to me and I had no choice but to respond. The happen stance went unnoticed by most and yet, I hear associates refer to it as they introduce me to people. What was a rather bad experiment in my opinion others were impressed by it ...I must ask them why?
The landscape intervention at The Gap on Annagh Mountain was designed to raise a question mark on the landscape, a question around land use, transitional space and a community without a central village.
What it raised for me was a question mark about performance art in non theatrical spaces, dramatic statements and being attached to preconceived ideas before venturing out onto a geographical space to work with a community.
It taught me what I already knew. It reinforced my knowledge that to work with and in communities of place to get the level of engagement the artist wants, to get the depth I want - I need to build trust. That level of engagement and participation I want with communities worked really well in the 'a stitch in time' commission. That was an urban project with a central building location. In a rural setting the project framework for engagement needs to be established differently a slow process of getting to know people - talk to them, relate, communicate and then go about building an engaged project. Otherwise community work becomes an artist led statement. That's okay too it has its place. But is that how I want to work?
What 2011 taught me more then anything was that my creativity has a voice people respond too. The response does not always have to be positive...
The questions I ask now as we move into January 2012 are

• which hill will I choose to climb? 
• who will accompany me? 
• what space shall we be creating?
• why do we want the dialogue?
• when shall we start?
• how will we share our learning?

I continue my practice of questions looking to how creativity plus the arts can build and support change providing a tangible impact for people in communities and enterprise.