Liturgies of creativity: A dialogue between secular music performance and Christian liturgical performance

This is a modified version of an essay originally submitted as an assignment (entitled: ‘Bodies together: Creativity, sensuality, discovery’) during my MA in public theology at the University of Chichester. Theological reflection on contemporary music performance created a dialogue between the ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ to explore the concept of ‘liturgy’ in contemporary theological discourse. Drawing from largely Protestant and Catholic sources, I argue that while Christian worship is unique in its theological orientation, it shares with non-Christian ‘liturgies’ participation in a creative process through the ways in which the human imagination is enacted and performed. This invites further dialogue between different liturgies of creativity for human flourishing.

Precarious, fragile and temporary interactions between the public sculpture collection of Santo Tirso and its non-specialized audience

The following article depicts ongoing research from the project Quiet Dialogues, part of a Ph.D. thesis in artistic education in the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto. Quiet Dialogues is a project that aims to map, explore and materialize the interactions that occur between the passer-by audience of the city and the International Museum of Contemporary Sculpture of Santo Tirso. The project’s resulting map will be in a public online archive showcasing all the interactions collected during the research. As the museum displays its artworks in the public space, this research explores three behavioural categories the audience may react towards the artwork. They are as follows: a mental relationship (a stand-off with the memory), a physical relationship (using the sculpture as shelter or support) and a playful interaction (using the sculpture as a game or in a ludic approach).

Free food in the gallery: Understanding Tiravanija

Artists interrupting or intervening in art museum displays with food as a medium or theme is a distinct strand of contemporary art practice. In this article, we travel through fragments of the history of food-art with a few examples of different genres and forms, demonstrating that art history can be explained in other ways than through the already recognized art genres. Based on my experience in-person with Untitled (Lunch Box), an interpretation of Tiravanija’s ephemeral work is provided using the model of communicative action theorized by Habermas, which was first applied to contemporary art by art scholar Grant Kester (2004). Tiravanija’s practice uses food to create situations for communicative actions to happen and is an approach to institutional critique. The last section provides a critical account against Bishop’s criticism of Tiravanija, arguing that Bishop’s understanding of art is based on instrumental rationality. On the other hand, Tiravanija’s approach is based on value rationality and is a more timely approach in the contemporary context of late-stage capitalism.

A calling into the wild

In this investigation to the author’s own artistic practice, cultural theory and ontology are applied to the notion of ‘wildness’ and ‘safari’ to establish a paradox between what we know and simultaneously will never know about the wild within dominant Western paradigms of thinking. Through her analysis of these contemporary philosophies, the foundation of Halsted’s artwork is explained as a culmination of both performative controlled movements and uncontrolled action. This is achieved through the medium of watercolour that allows for the pigment and representative objects of the non-Western wild to break through oppressive borders and colonial gazes. With the help of the wind, the scent of prey carries across the savannah. As it reaches the predator’s senses, deep feelings in the form of instincts create sudden and necessary action and the hunt begins. Although instincts are embedded within a predator, it has taken much time to develop the skills needed to ensure a successful hunt and there is still no guarantee for victory. Triumph is determined by constant trial and error, a never-ending journey of learning and the lesson always in motion. But who or what is the predator and who or what is the prey? Perhaps this behaviour is literal and confined to the animal hunt; or perhaps extends to human relations and power over others, whether it be other humans, non-humans and environment; perhaps it is about control and freedom; perhaps it can expand to how I feel about myself as being both the victim and perpetrator; or perhaps it is about all I have mentioned. As a Western assumption, the notion of wildness is acknowledged through ongoing interpretation, as a critical concept that points to the limit of our understanding by reminding us that there is something other. That is to say, knowing wildness suggests that there is an unknowing that is wild.