Visual Arts and Theatre Collaboration - new models for art practices in post-conflict situations

一个由艺术家、戏剧从业人员、策展人、作家、制片人和学者组成的网络将利用实践方法研究视觉艺术和戏剧合作的潜力，以促进冲突后局势的新实践模式。我们的研究将设在南部高加索地区事实上的阿布哈兹，这是格鲁吉亚和俄罗斯之间的一个有争议的领土，自1992/93年格鲁吉亚-阿布哈兹战争以来一直处于地缘政治孤立状态。该网络将分析阿布哈兹发生的许多由非政府组织资助的创意活动在艺术卓越以及“功效”方面的情况。我们将把我们的分析放在对冲突后局势中的艺术倡议的更广泛的审查中，无论是当代的还是历史的。阿布哈兹拥有强大但传统的戏剧场景，以及不发达但刚刚起步的当代视觉艺术基础设施，因此才有了将它们结合在一起的倡议。这个网络的构思是为了利用两者的优势，以及深化该领域的学术研究。这个网络将问，我们可以从彼此身上学到什么，以便在冲突后局势中更好地制定有益的和心理上相关的创造性艺术做法的战略，同时这些做法在艺术上也是优秀和创新的？阿布哈兹是我们的外地站点，建立在国际和平协会现有关系和研究的基础上。我们的目标不是创建关于冲突后艺术、艺术-剧院合作或社会参与实践的概括性声明，而是针对特定的冲突后局势，在特定地点建立一种定位的方法。该网络建立在PI、SAM陪审团2017年至2020年与阿布哈兹文化中心Sklad合作在阿布哈兹进行的以实践为导向的研究的基础上。该网络力求解决在这一进程中显露出来的知识差距，即往往涉及冲突创伤等更广泛问题的外部议程与阿布哈兹的复杂现实之间的错位，在阿布哈兹，对苏联时代历史的较长远看法和最近的战争造成了人口坐标的丧失。这个研究网络回应了阿布哈兹境内艺术专业人员的实地需求，并以他们的条件为基础。重点是新的艺术形式，以更好地接触近代历史和另类、包容的未来，避免民族主义的有问题的分裂。它发展了PI和Co-I现有的研究兴趣和专业知识。该网络由驻英国的专业人士和阿布哈兹的专业人士组成。阿布哈兹特遣队包括一名戏剧专业人员和一名馆长，他们还将把核心网络与当地作家和表演者联系起来。总部设在英国的核心网络成员是视觉艺术家，他们在实践引领的研究和伦理参与方面拥有学术专长。该网络的方法的结构是通过知识交流确定最佳做法的领域，然后举办研讨会，共同创作剧本和为多平台表演设计的作品。其目的是通过协作过程发现新的方法和语言。一个由应用和社会剧场、后苏联艺术理论、策展实践和一个在冲突局势中具有艺术经验的非政府组织成员组成的咨询小组将提供与该网络活动的更广泛背景有关的专业知识。

A network of artists, theatre practitioners, curators, writers, producers and scholars will research, using practice methods, the potential of visual art and theatre collaboration to foster new models of practice for post-conflict situations. Our research will be located in the de facto state of Abkhazia in the Southern Caucuses, a disputed territory between Georgia and Russia, which has been in geopolitical isolation since the Georgian-Abkhaz War of 1992/93. The network will analyse the many NGO-funded creative initiatives that have occurred in Abkhazia in terms of artistic excellence, as well as 'efficacy'. We will situate our analysis within a broader review of arts initiatives in post-conflict situations, both contemporary and historical.Abkhazia has a strong but traditional theatre scene and an under-developed but nascent infrastructure for contemporary visual art, hence this initiative of bringing them together. This network is conceived in order to harness the strengths of both, as well as deepening scholarship in the field. This network will ask, what can we learn from each other to better enable strategies for beneficial and psychologically relevant creative arts practices in post-conflict situations that are also artistically excellent and innovative? Abkhazia is our field site and builds on existing relationships and research of the PI. Our aim is not to create a generalized statement about post-conflict art, art-theatre collaboration or socially engaged practice, but instead to have a located approach, grounded in a specific location, in response to a specific post-conflict situation.The network builds on practice-led research in Abkhazia undertaken by the PI, Sam Jury, between 2017 and 2020, working in partnership with the Abkhaz cultural centre SKLAD. The network seeks to address gaps in knowledge that became apparent during the process, that is, the misalignment between external agendas that tend to address more generalized issues, such as conflict trauma, and the complex reality in Abkhazia, where the longer view of Soviet era history and the recent war has created a loss of coordinates for the population. This research network responds to an on-the-ground need emanating from arts professionals within Abkhazia and is grounded on their terms. The emphasis is new art forms to better enable engagement with recent history and an alternative, inclusive future, avoiding problematic divisiveness of nationalism. It develops existing research interest and expertise of the PI and Co-I. The network is structured equally between UK based and Abkhaz professionals. The Abkhaz contingent comprise a theatre professional and a curator, who will also connect the core network to local writers and performers. The UK based core network members are visual artists with expertise in practice-led research and scholarship on ethical engagement. The network's method is structured to identify areas of best practice through knowledge exchange, followed by workshops to co-create scripts and production designed for multi-platform performances. The aim is to discover new approaches and languages through the collaborative process. An advisory panel of scholars from Applied and Social Theatre, Post-Soviet art theory, curatorial practice and a member of an NGO with experience in art in conflict situations, will input expertise in relation to the wider context of the network's activities.