Crafting the Commons

这个网络将创造性地探讨当代公共概念和“破坏性”工艺倡议之间的交叉点——以社区为导向的活动，从根本上挑战工业生产和消费文化的结构——以交叉滋养设计和公共学术，并影响未来的实践活动。它建立在最近的工作基础上，将公地理论扩展到与土地相关的背景之外，以涵盖各种有形和无形的集体共享资源。尽管这两个领域之间有许多共鸣，但手工艺（在这里被理解为扩展的术语，包括各种制作、修理和分享实践）还没有通过一个共同的视角来审视。该网络将为手工艺空间的大型巡回展览提供信息，手工艺空间是一个艺术委员会资助的组织，致力于展示手工艺在民间社会中的进步作用。该展览将于2020年9月在伯明翰的米德兰兹艺术中心（MAC）举行，展览将包括12位制作者的作品，这些作品探索了公共概念和叙事，其中包括与社区团体合作开发的三个项目，以便将更广泛的声音纳入辩论。展览将激发不同的制作社区从公共视角重新思考他们的实践，并突出公共思维对文化组织的变革潜力。进一步的传播活动，包括博客、播客系列、展览目录、传单和期刊文章，将使学术和非专业读者可以获得该网络的调查结果。在工艺/设计和公共领域具有专业知识的学者将与展览的策展人和受委托的制造商一起参与该网络。两位国际学者和两位国际创客将参与其中，带来不同的文化视角。参与者将共同探索关于公共领域的思想、故事和政治的新兴学术研究，以检查现有的以社区为基础的工艺倡议和原型实验工艺作为公共实践。总之，将调查三个研究问题：-通过工艺，制作和修复可以创造或激活什么形式的公共资源？-这些做法的政治层面是什么？它们的变革潜力是什么？-在这些“工艺公地”的创造中借鉴了哪些神话和叙事，这些又是如何转化为社会和物质实践的？网络成员将通过一系列活动和研究活动聚集在一起：活动一是在阿姆斯特丹进行的密集理论静修，包括两次情境设置访问，将产生“共同故事”来启动活动。活动2是诺丁汉新艺术交流中心的一个工作坊，将介绍公共空间的关键概念，并与破坏性的工艺实践建立初步联系。-学者将实地考察五个以社区为导向的制作、维修和分享计划，包括一个创客空间和一个工具库。-一对对学者将参观为展览委托的社会参与社区项目，而四次Skype会议将学者与制作个人委托的制造商联系起来；在任何情况下，学者都将扮演资源和观察者的角色。活动3，在都柏林的自治社交中心Jigsaw举办的工作坊，将提供空间讨论迄今为止的研究活动，并通过社交设计堵塞为“工艺共享”提供原型实验想法。活动4，在伯明翰的MAC，将包括最后的反思研讨会和分享日，有80个可预订的位置，与展览的启动相一致。演讲将分享来自网络的故事，而讨论将考虑从这项工作中产生的问题，以及与会者在自己的实践中应用公共思想的方式。

This network will creatively interrogate intersections between contemporary concepts of the commons and 'disruptive' craft initiatives - community-oriented activities which radically challenge the structures of industrial production and consumer culture - in order to cross-fertilise design and commons scholarship and influence future practical activity. It builds on recent work to extend theories of the commons beyond land-related contexts to embrace a diverse array of tangible and intangible collectively shared resources. Despite many resonances between the two fields, craft (understood here in expanded terms to encompass diverse making, repair and sharing practices) has yet to be examined through a commons lens.The network will inform the development of a major touring exhibition by Craftspace, an Arts Council-funded organisation which works to demonstrate the progressive role of craft in civil society. The exhibition, which will launch at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham in September 2020, will comprise work by twelve makers that explores commons concepts and narratives, including three projects developed in collaboration with community groups in order to incorporate a broader range of voices into the debates. The exhibition will inspire diverse making communities to rethink their practices from a commons perspective and highlight the transformative potential of commons thinking to cultural organisations. Further dissemination activities including a blog, podcast series, exhibition catalogue, leaflet and journal articles will make the network's findings available to academic and lay audiences.Academics with expertise in craft/design and commons will participate in the network alongside the exhibition's curators and commissioned makers. Two international academics and two international makers will take part, bringing alternative cultural perspectives. Together, the participants will explore emergent academic research on the ideas, stories and politics of the commons to examine existing community-based craft initiatives and prototype experimental craft-as-commons practices. In summary, three research questions will be investigated:- What forms of commons can be created or animated through craft, making and repair?- What are the political dimensions of these practices, and what is their transformative potential?- What mythologies and narratives are drawn on in the creation of these 'craft commons', and how are these translated into social and material practice? Network members will come together through a series of events and research activities:- Event 1, an intensive theory retreat in Amsterdam incorporating two context-setting visits, will generate 'commons stories' to kickstart activity.- Event 2, a workshop at New Art Exchange in Nottingham, will introduce key concepts of the commons and make initial connections to disruptive craft practices.- Academics will undertake field visits to five community-oriented making, repair and sharing initiatives including a makerspace and a tool library.- Pairs of academics will visit the socially engaged community projects commissioned for the exhibition, while four Skype meetings will connect academics with the makers producing individual commissions; in all cases, the academics will act as both resource and observer.- Event 3, a workshop at Jigsaw, an autonomous social centre in Dublin, will provide space to discuss the research activities to date and to prototype experimental ideas for 'craft commons' via a social design jam. - Event 4, at MAC in Birmingham, will incorporate a final reflective workshop and a sharing day with 80 bookable places, coinciding with the launch of the exhibition. Presentations will share stories from the network, while discussions will consider the issues arising from this work and the ways in which attendees could apply commons ideas within their own practices.