In 2016 Community Arts Lab brought to Lublin 8 artists from different parts of the world, including countries such as Japan, Switzerland, Lebanon and Tunisia. They toured, got to know Lublin and its residents, examined the city from their perspectives and prepared engaging events for the locals. And now we can see a multimedia exhibition summarizing their work.
Date: 18 February 2017
The exhibition will be open only for one day, from 1 pm to 9 pm. The opening event will take place at 6 pm.
Venue: Labirynt Gallery, ul. Grodzka 3, Lublin
2016 Community Arts Lab residents:
Ryo Ikeshiro, Great Britain / Japan
Project: The Mental Health Noise Orchestra
The project was carried out with participants from the “Benjamin” Support Centre for People with Disabilities in Lublin. The artist founded a band performing experimental music and sounds. The participants used computers, analogue equipment and other objects as well as field recordings as instruments to create sounds. The performances of the Mental Health Noise Orchestra took place at Labirynt Gallery and Centre for Culture in Lublin. The aim of his project was to challenge public preconceptions concerning people with mental disabilities and health issues by demonstrating their potential for creativity and experimentation.
Yulia Lashchuk, Ukraine / Poland
Project: Bord(h)ers
The project involved 10 women of different ages and from different backgrounds living in Lublin: refugees, immigrants, women with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, young single mothers, prisoners, women with alcohol and drug problems, old ladies who survived WWII, women who lived in Lublin all their life. They are all different, but all of them have something in common, something deeply hidden – borders. Borders that have already been crossed or will never be crossed, borders real and mental, borders created by politics, religion, tradition, fear, social criticism, complexes, discrimination etc. Bord(h)ers is an interdisciplinary art and social project, which consists of interviews with women and their own visualisations of their stories about the borders made by them.
Victoria Khomenko, Ukraine
Project: A Bestiary
The artist invited children aged 8-11, members of the “Ciuchcia” dayroom in Lublin to make their own documentary films. The kids could choose to work on their own or in groups. The films were meant to talk about their dreams and issues important to them. The participants learned to use digital cameras and mobile phones to make movies and learned how a documentary film is made. In the end, we got three movies by Karolina, Jakub, Ola and Natalia. They were edited by Victoria.
Taisia Melnyk, Ukraine
Project: The Body of the Nation
Taisia Melnyk examined historical, interpersonal, cultural and ethical relations between Ukraine and Poland. Her project connects people and cities through creating a “body of the country” and promotes the understanding and unity of human spirit. The exhibition consists of photos and a video recording created during her performance at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Kyiv. During her residence she also presented a performance that summarised her the results of her search for traces of Polish-Ukrainian relations in Lublin.
Aron Rossman-Kiss, Switzerland/ Hungary
Project: Borderarchiving
The artist encouraged Lubliners to take part in a series of workshops that allowed them to become archivists, curators, artists and at the same time the subjects of the work. They talked about their relation to the city, experiences concerning movement around the city, their sense of city borders as well as stories about Lublin. During the meetings and exploration of the city he created an archive of stories and photos that he presented towards the end of his stay in Poland. The exhibition is still on display at the House of Words in Lublin.
Oleksyi Salmanov, Ukraine
Project: RV 3276
During his residence, Oleksii created 4 pieces at the intersection of two media: graffiti and performance art. As an element of subculture, graffiti does not refer to a wider audience, recipients of established art or the so-called “high art.” The community gathered around graffiti is rather a closed group of people using their own language and codes that are understood only by them. Performance is a means of expression used in “high art.” It speaks to everyone and tries to offer a clear message. Metaphorically speaking, graffiti and performance are like a sect and official religion. Oleksii decided to combine that what seems so vastly different and create a new medium.
Dina Kobrosly, Lebanon
Project: Living Dolls
Dina conducted a series of workshops focusing on theatre work and creating puppets for children and parents residing in Lubartowska Street. The artist showed the participants how to breathe life into the puppets and how to create narratives using them. The parents and children created scenes about integration, tolerance and human rights.
Radhouan Fiddini, Tunisia
Project: Inna Cultivation. Free Culture Zone
Radhouan Fiddini interviewed Lublin’s artisans, artists, animators and activists. He wanted to create a place where all these personalities could enjoy good music and cuisine, share their experiences and views, get inspired and undertake new joint projects. It worked! One Sunday afternoon at Królewska Street we had a fair where everyone could try regional, vegan, ecological and international cuisine, buy products made by Lublin artisans, and listen to music inspired by Sound System culture.
Community Arts Lab (CAL) is an international interdiciplinary project focusing on using public spaces as sites of participation and cooperation. The idea behind the project is a joint action of the artist and animator with the local community, and the reversal of the role of the artist – from a maker into a teacher and art guide, while the role of the residents changes from passive observers into active recipients and creators of culture.
For more information go to lssresidencies.wordpress.com
