ARTISTS TALKING

# 6 [1 September 2007]

What do you know about collaborative creativity as a driving force in the marketplace?

Is it possible that an art movement based on purpose could have a positive effect on the future unfolding?

This series is defined by the personal growth that has to accompany any true societal transformation. It is art that defines the tool kit based on concepts explored at the comfusion.pbwiki site.

If organizations are to be understood as social networks, whether online or in world, who is positioned to capture the up and coming innovators from across sectors (passions) to reflect the level of diversity required to craft a unified conceptual foundation that can be flexibly applied? It seems that most online networks have not found a way to overcome the limitation of most traditional organizations...the organizational culture.

Considering how many companies now have buzzing community boards, why aren't more customer led innovations emerging to maximize ROI for users and owners?

Interactive forums are reflections of the same communications problems one finds as a hinderence at the community level that ensure that nothing other than the status quo can take root. I suppose it is only reasonable to accept that one can't know what you don't know.

There have been many experts talking/writing about market disruption as force that will shape the economy as it moves through this transition period. However, I'm not hearing much in terms of insight about the disruptive factors bubbling up right now in the States. Why?
Because it is happening among what seem to be the mostly agreed upon “invisible people”.

In The Tipping Point Gladwell underscores the importance of “stickiness” with an example where including a map to a place that the readers were already familiar with made the difference, the status quo of using fear to manipulate behavior failed. This made me question how many people were also wondering about what will deliver the “stickiness” to keep attention on the part we play in the solutions we have to develop as a society and as individuals?

Now before I explain what prompted this post…

Consider what a radically new social landscape we create when we can engage all levels of society based on this idea….

Develop systems and operating frameworks that turn users into producers and consumers into creators as an approach to offsetting the demand on community human services AND support development of globalization models that address a significant current problems of economic development across Africa and CSR program short falls that will have a negative impact on corporation profits (declining social capital).

Corporations especially are invited to open dialogues to help harness the talent and passion of the individuals within their organization. Consider the social capital value you lose when your business does not support your employees with a passion for social innovation that can be your key to connecting with market/customer/end user inspired innovations.

Often social enterprises are built with one large customer, without a growth in market share the endeavors are not sustainable, but that is an issue for another time.

At the end of this post there is a link to a talk that I’d like you view and consider those questions.

Lessons from Freakonomics…there have been no shortage of reports about the anticipated crisis in certain sectors of the financial market. However little attention has gone to the very human side of that scenario, that could also mean an increase in demand on an already under supported human services sector.

Recently I was having a conversation with a close friend of mine who works in peri/prenatal outreach. She sighed as she said, “I am now where you were a couple of years ago…now I understand what you meant.” We had a dialogue where I indicated that if nothing change that exactly what is now happening would happen…hitting hardest the people we had been working with.

One person with full time employment providing shelter and varying degrees of support for two other single parents under the age of 21, having that one person (head of household) become displaced because of a big increase in their mortgage interest rate actually impacts at least two other families. If they are barely surviving now what will that mean? Is this reality something to factor into economic policy? How do you visualize/develop solutions for a problem that has been denied proper attention?

In the past I’ve written articles and proposals citing the various homeless statistics from county to county and I have learned that statistics do not tell the story that is the truth that many people live each day. One lesson: Life is more than numbers and you are more than your bank account.

Take for example a state reporting a decline in numbers entering homeless shelters, therefore concluding they have had an impact on the problem by achieving this benchmark of x decline in homeless count. Perhaps there are fewer people going to shelters but is that really because they are no longer “homeless” in the sense that they do not have their own permanent home? My experience and that of the many people I know or have known that work in the human services sector serving those in need…our experience is that people are staying away from shelters for a whole range of reasons from social stigma to fear of their safety. Some shelters for example will not allow a son that is older that 14 to stay with his mother and many women would sleep in their car with their children rather than have them separated.

Some shelters have policies that may deter many most in need of their services and that gets into core issues such as some people believing that certain people (active substance abusers) do not deserve the right to access of emergency shelters. The reality is that many of the women on the streets are also mothers and so this leads to occupancy in abandon or otherwise unfit/dangerous housing. Fear of prosecution on behalf of these women presents another challenge for the women charged with helping them and their children. Often this then leads to issues effecting the senior population living in challenging conditions that take on responsibility to care for their grandchildren rather than see them go into the foster care system.

My point is not to list all the people in need because obviously that is far from a complete list. The intention is to give you the context of the understanding shared between my friend and me. When I was focused on the grassroots level in a different capacity my driving mission was to help strengthen community services to be ready for what I hope would not happen because it represented what I then saw as a worse case scenario. Considering the downsizing of the mental health system I have wondered why no one is discussing how to develop intervention strategies for child and senior abuse victims. Without this it is likely we will have stories of deaths instead of rescues.

So when people wonder why I am so focused on the value of “art as philosophy” to develop solutions to increasingly complex social situations…I ask you to think about this.

The opportunity is that in times of great change is that there are opportunities as well as risks. And that is why I want you to be inspired by this post. I hope to share with you a bit of what inspires me to stick with Cultural Fusion...I believe that the right sponsors exist to develop ideas such as these...or at least spa

# 5 [25 August 2007]

How did we get to this moment….this place that will become the history of humankind?

For me, Cultural Fusion “art as philosophy” is very much about a way of being. Rather than looking at the world crisis with apathy it calls for us to engage with art as a mirror and solution. If you are one committed to making a difference what you see will be considerably different than if you are one who is not. My feeling is that art can serve a much greater purpose...a higher purpose. What if art can be the vehicle for facilitating posivite changes if not inspiring them directly?

When those who were alive during previous Genocide we look back, amazed at what humans do to each other while others stand by silently to reap the “benefits” of what is done.

For example, could the institutionalized African slave trade/enslavement have lasted hundreds of years if consumers had joined forces with abolitionists and been unwilling to purchase products produced under such conditions? When people hype buying green how many pay attention to the conditions in which those goods are produced? In many places slave labor is still an accepted norm so I wonder who is paying attention to how crops for biofuel are produced? See Ending Slavery Today

That is not to point fingers of blame, but to confront the reality of how these atrocities continue to happen. It happens because of the general tolerance of that which is unacceptable. How do we address the multiple crisis-es facing the global community? By seeing our individual parts in it….by coming to terms with the fact that this world is a reflection of us. If you don't like what you see, then look first to yourself.

In this blog post i share with you a bit of a dialogue i had recently about how Cultural Fusion shines a compassionate, and yet unflinching light on this line of insight and how it may lead us toward solutions.

They know through research that pictures of crying babies and people dying are losing their impact on the public, who are becoming increasingly apathetic towards giving (translated : crying babies may no longer engage and maintain people's attention and convert that attention into giving).

From the perspective of this project as an art series this “reality” speaks to a concept addressed in one of the projects…the immortal egos. In fact, Kerry Santo and i had a dialogue that is posted there speaks specifically to our creations as a reaction to that…Rather than developing marketing that caters to that the position made via “Sadistic Ophelia” is that those people then need to be willing to confront that reality and truth of who they have chosen to be. The Immortal Egos as Kerry's brainchild on which we collaborate and she has agreed to have her Scarybirds site be a solar system in our galaxy. (They will have a pub/club in Hotel Infinity.)

When history looks back at the multiple Genocide happening in our lifetime i think people need to be able to face that they are the ones who would have this happen again AND my art series aspires to document those who would not, with a special interest on those businesses that stand for making a differences. This is why the “what-is-peace?” project engages the oral history community to ensure that this is documented for future generations to learn from. See Oral Tradition Integration

As it stands it is the worse businesses that are immortalized in “protest art” i am presenting an alternative to protest art- “art as philosophy” as a vehicle/framework for meaningful marketing. So rather than going for a “mass consumption” approach i'm more interested in the “boutique markets”. People who are making conscious choices about who they will be and doing so for the better of humanity.

As in any art, it isn't meant to appeal to everyone.

….it is a radical inclusion of protest art in terms of defining the Art:Work as WebAntiphon:Clear_CRM_Strategy. It is about affirming the positive through the exploration in this idea:

“The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind ahead even more than teamwork.”
Igor Sikorsky

# 4 [24 August 2007]

After increasing interest in the business concepts that have helped to shape Cultural Fusion i have decided i have no interest in writing a business plan. As we build our team we will attract someone who has a joy and talent for that, but that is not me.

Since this project is at its core defined by passion and personal development it makes sense to apply that insight here. Rather than attempting to refine the 3 page business plan concept overview i have now...i will instead write an allegory that represents the business concepts in the context of Cultural Fusion "art as philosophy". 

This, obviously, is a something i can get considerably more excited about and already i have had offers from colleagues to share the story via their blogs! 

It has also been suggested to me that i make use of the concept paper i had started last year. Actually, i wrote and submitted it to a contest i didn't win and i had plans to rewrite it but none of those efforts have yielded a document i'm any happier with. My original thinking had been that lack of a case study as a conclusion was the problem, but now i've decided to leave it open ended. I want to use some of the text for installation components. For example, a scrolling walkway with text displayed....i have become very interested in moving text lately so i have several ideas that revolve around that. It started with the text portions of Fusion Installatie Genesis. Now i'm working out an idea for travelling art that can be exhibited in real world context like in a traffic jam. 

Another artist i've been talking with about this idea has developed trailer thing that can be hitched to a truck that would work for such an exhibition and he's very keen to explore how we can do this. I'd like to integrate some of this old text revisited with the new works.

After i complete the allegory for Cultural Fusion i plan to explore visual interpretations, including getting other artist to share their understanding of the story. Ideally, i will write a longer story after the 3 page project is completed to give me the foundation. If not a complete novel then a novella...a film and then a game.  Fun stuff!!

# 3 [16 August 2007]

Pondering the themes that introduced via questions as part of my Source Artist process....Freedom was one that led to some interesting explorations. The definition of freedom that resonnates with me is "to be free from external cause". From this perspective how many of us really know freedom? I have been exploring the idea of degrees of freedom and the relationship between freedom and responsibility.

As part of the "what-is-peace?" project i started out knowing that the journey would be a challenge, i think gut wrenching was the way i described it. Of course, there is also joy in the process as the process IS my joy. 

What i wrote in the "what-is-peace?" page in our pbwiki site is this:

Yvette_Dubel writes:

It is my hope for the world. My question has led me to see that peace is only possible in the world when we have it within ourselves. In my journey this started with making peace with my past because not doing so is what seems to create conflict or Resistance and this is the clearly marked path to War. An observation i want to communicate in "what-is-peace?" is the process, that can get uncomfortable and sticky - if not just downright gut wrenching, on the path to peace. The reward is found in moving through the awkwardness, not by denying it, but honoring its message...a request for Space and Attention.

Later on that page i introduce the performance piece i'm developing to be performed by storyteller/actress/dancer Lorraine Stone:

Demonstrating why historical preservation that includes multiple perspectives and experiences is vital to understanding the path followed to reach the present...and consideration of how it can honestly and progressively inform the future.

This piece will introduce the ICT system to create an online cultural repository within the envisioned 3D environment (as well as a more static form-based on the Phase1 site, for those with low speed connections). The result is intended to create a kind of online cultural museum and research center that is both a public service and a collaborative work of art. Why ICT? Beyond the regional issues of historical preservation i've noticed that information that should be a matter of public record is channeled to restrict/limit access in subtle ways. Is this intentional? For example, try finding a list of the South Carolina state representatives of African decent during Reconstruction.

Idea for exploration in the development of this project is the difference between heritage and culture.

Black history, as well as that of other minority groups like the Catawba tribe, has not been included in the Historical Museum or recognized by the Historical Society in Fairfield County prior to the initiative of a one volunteer historian, my Aunt Yvette, who has provided me with the historical research needed for this part of the project. In support of her Historical Preservation Initiative working to right this, this Event will seek to assist with Funding support that is needed to replace support compromised by what some see as this contraversial inclusion.

This is one of the post i added while i was on vacation researching and working (started the mixed media painting "Survival" while i was there) on this project.

While visiting the Brattonsville Plantation (York County, S.C.) we learned some interesting facts, that though known by some locals and historians, was not included in written history accounts. One example of how valuable oral histories are in preserving honest personal histories of the region.

During the tour as we walked out of the woodshop the slaves used my Aunt Yvette shared with us a story handed down by my Grandma Lottie who was told by Caleb Craig, a former neighbor born into slavery who was also the son of the plantation owner. He was a slave in Fairfield County, S.C. and although he is included in the collected slave narratives, the story about to be shared was not included.

Aunt Yvette shared this after i had inquired about what this trough structure outside the door would have been used for. Although she couldn's say for that specific one (later found out from "Kitty" that it was used for soaking wood) she went on to explain the role of similar troughs in feeding slaves. Mr. Craig was a "house slave" and one of his jobs was to feed his mother and siblings (along with other slaves) by dumping scraps in the same way that pigs are "slopped". The horror of this brought tears to my eyes.

When i asked our tour guide "Kitty" she stumbled backwards as tears came to her eyes and she continued to explain how such containers had been found outside of kitchen windows. Scraps dumped, the bell rang to summon slaves from the fields and they were fed like animals. We all had a long pause as this reality sank in.

What did being treated this way do to a person's soul? And what effect did it have on the perpetrators and beneficiaries of such demeaning cruelty? Perhaps the answers explain the determination of some to romantize this period today by focusing on the superfical aspects of the antebellum south and the history of intitutionalized racism and descrimination.

We walked along to another building and "Kitty" told us of a descendent of a slave (a woman visiting from California) that had lived at the Brattonsville place who had taken the tour during or following a reunion. She had inquired about the whether the "dungeon" was still there. She went on to tell "Kitty" about how in her family stories about this place used to punish slaves, had been handed down in her family. "Kitty" gestured toward the bars of a basement structure. We peered down inside, my children snapping pictures, as she went on to expalain how she had asked a local historian about the "dungeon". He confirmed that such a place did exist for that purpose but no one explained why this was excluded from the "offical historical accounts". Many books hav

# 2 [14 August 2007]

I've been exploring the work and writings of Friedensreich Hundertwasser (December 15, 1928 – February 19, 2000) lately. Why? Because i see some similarities and i'm intrigued by what can be learned not just from what he did, but we didn't do.

My interest in other artists of late is in those that sought to utilize art as part of larger social contexts and the degree to which they manage to do this by engaging others to ACT not just think about social challenges. Of course , Thinking does need to proceed action so makes me feel that we all have our roles to play.

Planning to read David Kam's Thinkism Manifesto this evening. 

I have been working on a concept paper for over a year now and have begun to consider just what it's destiny is.....beyond the idea i have to use parts of it as scrolling text on a series of moving walkways.

But until now i had been stuck with it....only now i come back to the realization that it dealt too much with the capitalist framework and perhaps i needed worry less about "making my case" and more about the point of my art and the applied philosophy it is leading the way in revealing/creating.

Initially, i had planned to write the paper first but the project ideas come fast and furious so when the work calls the artist must heed before the moment is lost.

The play goes reasonably well....pulled it back out today and so after adding the three scenes to the begining, i have the first 26pages. My friend Uma (a writer in India) has stepped forward eager to contribute so she has become my writing partner for that project. The title may change but is presently called "In Your Own Backyard". 

Made some progress on Hotel Infinity, but was primarily of a conceptual nature....am also exploring the possibility of collaborating with a company that has been developing a social enterprise platform. Fingers still crossed waiting to hear back from the company considering sponsoring the hotel bank. And i remain on the lookout for help re-doing the lobby for the opening flash segment or possibly a more indepth revamp.

And that's the way it was on this day in August 2007.

# 1 [13 August 2007]

Cultural Fusion "art as philosophy" needs those with a heart and mind to make a difference for the better in the world...those who know that art and artist have a signficant contribution to make in building a better society.

Because this is a project that endeavors to explore the path to peace it is also a collaborative series. Artist to whom this project sounds interesting are encouraged to connect with me so we can see what happens next.

Presently I am looking for help to take the first steps in realizing the vision for Hotel Infinity

I have some sketches i will be uploading of the floorplan layout for the lobby in relation to other spaces....and a concept for help desk (pod) inspired by the same piece (Anita's egg bowl) that inspired Fusion Installatie Genesis

If morality shows the way we would like the world to work, then economics shows the reality of how the world works

–from Freakonomics

Cultural Fusion invites you to join us in discovering how to build a culture of peace where poverty is a memory of the past. Each project engages in a different away around related issues, consistently using art as the framework for development.

Over the years i have done more than one blog post or email mailing about the Genocide in Darfur. In my quest to understand how this continues i have had to turn inwards to ask myself,what-is-peace? because i understand that it is a journey that begins with self. That is the journey that our project endeavors to offer to everyone.

Sound interesting? Contact me after you....

Watch The Shift & One video
and then visit this link to add YOUR Voice to those who know there is a better way.

see Poverty