- Adam Smith (Scottish economist ) - 1777- ; 'there is a great deal of ruin in a nation ': he meant that societies can absorb a lot of disaster and yet recover.'
- 'What can we do to aid recovery ?'
- we need to have kept policies towards refugees and post conflict reconstruction.
- Recovery after a conflict is hard and conflict can still occur and society can be trapped before it can be resettled.
- South Sudan is an example of this.
Chapter 9 - Back to the future: - ' If politicians are not willing to defend what has actually happend , they face a choice. The default option is for them to hunker down and turn their attentions to somthing completely different... Out of sight , out of mind ... Inevitable mishandling of the next unanticipated crisis.'
- Current policy's have failed
- Rethink needed
- The book tried to formulate an alternative , using both our hearts and our heads.
- Drawing -' Drawing or illustration is no new concept when it comes to recording the news.'
- Reportage is just as valued and significant as photography.
- 'Free to interpret the element that inspire you.'
- Interpretation, experience, passing time, earning peoples trust, thought provoking.
- Experience - not creating a picture perfect image .
- Passing of time- you spend time in one place for a set period of time.
- Earning peoples trust- involving them , less threating.
- Photography - shoot , sharp , quick, move on.
- Drawing - non threating, involvement , trust, being there.
- ' Drawing on its own showed me what Syria was like.'
- ' For those of you that draw, please use your ability to tell us your stories.'
In this lecture George Butler (reportage illustrator) assesses the question of weather drawing still holds value when depicting the news and political , social issues. The main project that he talks about was his trip to Syria to draw civilian life there. Butler explains that going there and taking images using a camera is one thing. You capture the people but it is quick, sharp and the photographer is looking though a barrier , the lens. But when drawing you sit , take time and you look without the barrier. You are also in the place or moment longer and you are in touch more directly with the subject/s. When decied to tackle a subject that involves the issues people face so deeply , it is vital that you have some connection with them. Not just for the impact you intend for the drawing to have but for the individuals or group of people involved. It helps them to feel valued , heard and respected. Having connections and involving them in the process is vital on both sides , so the depiction can be show the experience , the trust , interpretation. And as a result can leave an impression on the viewer that is personal and thought provoking.
- A refugee regime for Cold War Europe.
- Legue of nations high commissioner for refugees (LNHCR.)- Nansen passports.
- WW2- refugee regimes which stand today.
- Two main elements - treating and organisation.
- The 1951 convention ( document.)
- Defines refugee as ' someone outside his or her country of origin , becuase of a 'well- founded fear of persecution' because of race, religion , nationality , membership of a social group, or political opinion.'
- Refugee rights:
- right not to be forcibly retuned to a country which there is a risk of serious harm.
- Key civil and political , economical and social , rights.
-'State imposed tempura limitations. UNHCR'S work was temporally limited: it was set to expire at the end of 1953.'
- Berlin Wall.
- Eurocentrism goes global - Eurocentrism-' European culture or history to the exclusion of a wider view of the world.'
- Soviet - ' Refugee warriors.'
- 'Cities like Beirut and Amman have become the most common alter- native to camp life. Reflecting a wider trend , urbanisation is shaping the lived reality of refugees- and large numbers liv in global metropolises ... Over half the world's refugees, including 75% of the Syrians live in urban areas in neighbouring countries.'
- ' The result is that too many refugees in cities find themselves without aid and facing destitution.'
CHAPTER 3 - The Pannic.
- Making the tinder box : Schengen - an area comprising of 26 European states that have officially abolished passports and all other border control with shared borders.
- The schengen area moved all border controls within a vast area of Europe ....' Border controls are not just symbols: they are practical measures.'
- ' An emotive political vision overrode the rather obvious practical requirements without which it exposed the entire area to potential dangers. Europe had made a tinder box.
- Schengen was created without agreement or common external border police.
- Border system broke down - ' waving through' refugees started without recording their details on the European database.
- 'The Spark - Arab Spring.
- Mohamed Bouazizi - 17th December 2010 - 'became the equivalent of the bullet fired by the assassin Gavrilo Princip which killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and triggered the first world war.'
- Bouazizi's act triggers mass protest.
- Mediterranean - people - smuggling to Europe.
- 'Mare Nostrum .'- Italian rescue operation - By towing a dinghy out to sea , packed with migrants and abandoning it, the smugglers could deliver people to Europe cheaply without the risk of persecution.
- Mare Nostrum- suspended 2014- April 2015, 700 people drowned in two days.
- However ' in practise the migrants could move anywhere in Schengen.'
- Due to working regulations and restrictions on migrants they needed to find unregulated work.
-Britain - lightly regulated- no national ID cards.
- But the English Channel needed to be crossed hence - people smugglers used lorries to get people across.
- Assad regime - lack of western intervention compared to Iraq. But even without western intervention the regime lost control over some territories.
- Lots of different groups fighting each other.
- Israel ' no Syrian refugees' policy.
- 'The European policies that have shaped the Syrian refugee disaster have lurched between the headless heart and the heartless head.'
- Even though the issue became priority for Europe , its content was all about Europe rather then about refugees.
-Which counties should accept refugees and which should not.
- Which politicians should make the decisions.
-Refugee crisi directly contributing to Brexit: The 'leave' campaines had two main messages- 'Poster depicting the exodus across south- eastern Europe and ' Breaking point.' Other slogans where ' Take back control .'
- These messages shifted the opinion polls.
- Terror attacks - France , Germany , Belgium , UK - ' the attacks are not being perpetrated by refugees.' But widespread public perception has emerged that terrorism is connected to europe's immigration crisis.
- Merkel, Still welcomes refugees' It was the right thing to do.'
ETHICS : The Duty of rescue. - principle of both heart and head. - Nature of our moral duty towards refugees.
- 'The objective of the duty of rescue is not to improve the quality of life relative to the preflight solution , but to restore it as hear to pre- flight normality as is possible.'
- ' The need of refugees will differ for example. children will need schooling, young people need work , elderly care.
- 'But for those who have fled their country (still legal) means that the duty falls on 7 billion people group into over 200 counties .' solution suggested ... - HEAD - Rescue should be done through partnership. - HEART - Solidarity.
- 'During the Syrian crisis no of this happened. Instead , it was an ethical train crash. As millions of desperate refugees flee across borders to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, the international response was utterly inadequate.'
2015
- Merkel called for directive for burden - sharing of the resulting influx.
- David Camaron, King of Jordan and the world bank- meeting to be held in February 2016 in London, to share financial burden , in order to help create jobs of refugees.
- Merkel public support depleted.
-Syrian refugees confined to camps.
- Britain voted to leave the EU. David Cameron resigned.
- The book claims that all this is down to two failures - 1- International coordination . 2- Headless heart - Merkel's ' well - intentioned intervention has led to both practical disaster and ethical dilemmas which were entirely avoidable.'
- Illustration landscape is changing due to media and budgets,' Financial uncertainty' is effecting the different sectors the exsist in the creative industry. bit it still refers back to it ' core values, skills and objectives.'
- In fine art - there have been a number of arms and practises discussed about the topic of social engagement and collaboration. ' New genre of public art.' (Suzanne Lacy.) ' dialogical aesthetics ` (Grant Kester) ' engaging with communities in order to improve peoples lives in a meaningful ways while taking into account complex social , political and environmental challenge.'
- 'Taking responsibility for generating content through outward- facing engagement while also having a stake in the methods of ...'
- Illustration is having to adopt to meet the increasing demand for digital and social media platforms.
- Fine art methodologies can be associated with illustration and design practise.
- 'What desing can do ' - Amsterdam
- ' Design to improve life.'- Copenhagen
- 'Design thinking.' , ' Social design.' 'Participatory design.'
- Expanding individuals practise by doing self initiated briefs, exhibitions and sales makes up for the lack of commissions e.g. Pick me up - Somerset house ' graphic arts.' Criticised by Lawrence Zeegen , 2012 , creative review magazine asks 'weather the work is anything more than 'eye candy' and 'mere nothingness.' 'Unable to peer over the fence at a world outside it's own garden.' ( Zeegen 2017)
- One conclusion can be that pick me up and similar events , are sales outlets, that there is willingness to create by not having commissions.' But could this energy not be channelled into other directions too ?"
- Reportage illustration. Social engagement practise. Content generated through dialogue and involvement with communities or individuals.
- Rikrit Tiravanija - fine art- constructs hybrid instillations aims to distinguish the difference between institution and social , as well as artist and viewer.
- Food acts as a 'social lubricant.' - Rikrit Tiravanija.
- Tomorrow is another day - Germany.
- Suzanna Lacy, performance artist , created the term ' new genre public art.' Feminist practise as a healing process.
- She mainly tried to tackle social questions . Often relating to women's movements. Breakes the bounderies between activism, art, pedagogical practise and curation.
- The Crystal Quilt 1985-1987- 3yrs worked with a group of 400-500 volunteers- women over the age of 55.
- ' ...Working in a manner that resembles political and social activity but is distinguished by it's aesthetic sensibility ... This kind of art , that communicates with a broad and diversified audience abut issues directly relevant to their lives , is based on engagement .' Lacy - 1995.
- Grant Kester- writer - ' these projects share a concern with the facilitation of dialogue and exchange ... In these projects conversation becomes and integral part of the work itself...'
- Do you prioritise ethical over aesthetic criteria? Is a piece automatically laudable for it's particular political position or intention? Lacy - 1995.
- Is an art project successful if it works on the level of social intervention even though it flounders on the level of art? ( Bishop 2006)
- Bishop criticises artist that form around traditional political activism.' respect for the other , recognition of difference , and an inflexible mode of political correctness.; 2004.
-Ethical and social values over ' aesthetic criteria.'
- Fine art principles cross over with design disaplins:
An awareness of the audience and their socio- political background.
Considerations as to how and under what circumstances people will actively engage with the work.
Collaborative models of production as opposed to single authorship.
Intentionally - the overt desire to achieve a specific aim.
-What can design do - Amsterdam.
' The conference is about the impact of design .... How design can bring that world further ... how design can help people... what almost all speakers have in common was a genuine really interest in people , in their needs and demands.' ( Van Der Haken - 2012).
- In order to create work that actually helps to improve people's lives you have to spend time with them and understand them. This enables trust to be built , so built and trust and empathy. Not sympathy.
- Luise Vormittag - two projects plus colleges Nicola Carter and Patrica Niven.
- Thrown caution to the wind- (2011-2012) brief - to engage elderly patients in the orthopaedic ward in Royal London Hospital and the chemotherapy ward at St Bartholomew's Hospital.
- They spent 30-60 mins talking to each patient and recorded their conversations. End product was a small booklet that contained there stories and illustrations. After a period of time and involvement of new patients, they had a chosen selection of stories that they turned into 3D illustrations, Exhibited at Royal London Hospital Building.
- 2 projects - ' The most powerful cabinet in Whitechapel.' 2012 - A series of activities with staff and patients that concluded in a permanent piece at Royal London Hospital Whitechapel. The brief was to engage people in the hospitals waiting areas.
Project Proposal –
Project name – T h e P a p e
rB i r d.
The aim of
this project will be to help the refugees and asylum seekers
build and promote a community. It is a project that would suit all ages
enabling everyone to participate, but I aim also for the project to raise
awareness of the crisis and eliminate the negative stigmas that are associated
by some in society towards refugees and asylum seekers. The project should be fun and joyful for all involved
and together they will produce several pieces of work as a collective that
hopefully will make them proud and solidify friendships.
The final piece
will revolve around the concept of the bird. The bird will symbolise freedom and
the congregation of a community. The paper birds, once patterns are designed,
printed and made, will hang in an instillation incorporating everyone’s bird. Patterns
with two colours will all be decided by the participants so the bird can be distinct
to the individual. However, colour choice may be slightly restricted due to the
printing process of the birds, but colour swatches will be provided including a
range of colours, so they can pick their favourite. In addition, the swatches
will give them an idea of how the colours will look when printed. As well as
the birds, there will be two-large scale screen prints that will involve
drawings that the refugees have done in relation to a theme.
Each session will be dedicated to a specific task, each
session is a hour long.
First session – Designing the patterns. Each person will
be given two sheets of paper one for each side of the bird and several
materials of their choice to draw with and create their patterns. The result
session- they will have finished their designs, these will be scanned on digitally,
transfer to printing screens and printed in the chosen colour in my time at
college.
Second session – The bird patterns will have been
printed and ready to fold. The younger members of the group may need more
support with this but should be very easy to achieve in a session, maybe less. If
the birds have been finished early, then I will set them the next task of
writing a note of a dream or goal they should attach to their bird and attach
to the instillation.
Third session – This will be the session when they do
the drawings associated with the theme of their past to their aspiration. I
will then edit them together digitally and print. Once printed I can bring it
into you when finished.
For the short animation that I plan to make, it will be
based around the birds and the individuals who made them. For this I would
really like to speak to some of the participants and ask them about their
stories and how they find living in the UK. The animation then will be passed
onto you to apply to any websites or social media platforms you wish and I
shall be posting it on a blog that I have to document the work for my degree.
The college do
have ethics guidelines that I will be following ensuring that the individuals
involved will be treated with respect, dignity and complete confidentially if
wished for. I will also address any policies and guidelines you have as an
organisation. I will be meeting with tutors beforehand to ensure that the guidelines
are being met and to gain ethical approval. As a result, aspects, may have to
be adapted depending on the feedback given.
Any changes or ideas that you would like to add to this project
are more than welcome as I would love for this project to be a collaboration between
the participants, you and me. Especially when it comes to the design of the instillation.
