Arts Council England: Learning Ecology

The experimental space; a practice-based workshop for the visual arts and academic sectors to galvanize the Learning Ecology in Yorkshire and the Humber. Turning Points is Arts Council England's 10 year strategy for strengthening the visual arts in England. Report and draft strategy to be released in Spring 2010.

Keynote Speaker, Venu Dhupa, Creative Consultant, Venu will be sharing her views on the environment in which we must retain the capacity for risk and experiment. She will use two case studes, one from the Creative Innovation Unit at the Southbank Centre which will look at an organisational structure to promote innovation and the other showing specific application to an artists work. Venu will welcome questions from the audience after her presentation. The remainder of the afternoon will be undertaken in workshops to share and discuss casestudies and models of teaching and learning within the visual arts, its allied fields and academic partners that underpin sustainable experimentation and innovation. There will also be consultative questions asked of delegates that will support the Turning Point strategy development.

Perfection.

"Many people demand perfection of themselves and others. But we exist in an imperfect reality in which, ironically, the only perfection that can be found is in it's imperfection." - Robert Fritz
Just finished one of the best books I've ever read, Robert Fritz's 'The Path of Least Resistance'. In the last few pages the creative process is summed up in four steps:


1. See the reality of what you have.
2. Know what you want.
3. State clearly what you want.
4. Move on and forget about it.
It's really a beautiful book, these steps here can't really explain anything, you should definitely read it. It's been really timely for me and I feel I've been subtly following the whole process as I've been reading it, but more and more thinking that I must get in touch with what he's doing now and the finding out if there are any courses in the UK.
Also.. now a member at Shapeshifters (a wonderful idea of a private online network for creatives) - if you'd like an invite let me know ...and Likemind (apply to host group meetings at a coffee shop near you!). We'll see how useful these can be, but really thinking about how to incorporate the power of the internet into the vision for Enable. Just had a good meeting with Mark Purcell, head of Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam and a few useful meetings coming up; an afternoon in York at the Turning Point Learning Ecology conference, one with SYFAB to discuss charitable objectives for Bloc, and another with Ted Kennedy at Art Forms

Certainty

"Postmodernism is allergic to the idea of certainty, and makes a great deal of theoretical fuss over this rather modest everyday notion. As such, it is in some ways the flip side of fundamentalism . . . Some postmodern thought suspects that all certainty is authoritarian. It is nervous of people who sound passionately committed to what they say. In this, it represents among other things an excessive reaction to fascism and Stalinism. The totalitarian politics of the twentieth century did not only launch an assault on truth in their own time; they also helped to undermine the idea of truth for future generations." Dr. Terry Eagleton

This view echoes the writing by Geoff Haselhurst on his excellent site Space and Motion which I found while writing my university report for Bloc Education. So check out the link below for some profound stuff which goes way, way beyond what I can manage to write about and weave into the education research this year in any case! In fact if I'm starting to sound a bit mad don't worry..! On Dr.Milo Wolff's discovery of the Wave Structure of Matter, Haselhurst states "Despite several thousand years of failure to correctly understand physical reality (hence the current postmodern view that this is impossible) it is actually very simple to work out how matter exists and moves about in Space." Fantastic debunking of our fragmentised view of the world (speaking for myself...: ) is crucial to the understanding of a holistic learning environment. I think Ive gone some way to prove that, in the words of a Sufi master, 'officiality coming; sincerity going' really is the case, as over-administration of govt policy with no room for intuition and risk (how could it?!), therefore creativity can be scientifically based loosely on the Unified Field Theory. "A Theory of Everything is closely related to unified field theory, but differs by not requiring the basis of nature to be fields, and also attempts to explain all physical constants of nature." Ok, maybe going a little too far into fractals of thought (hence the post-dissertation madness!) but constancy and certainty of (eternal) nature is the important factor and to me moves into the purely spiritual, hence a system with no belief at it's heart is incapable of being truly creative... If you disagree, please let me know!
Educator Clive Beck at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education offers a clarification of how this fits with our dangerous and precarious educational situation;

“…students of education, like school students, should be helped to see that knowledge is value dependent, culture dependent and changeable — that we are not searching for a fixed, universal philosophy of life and education. At the same time, however, they should be helped to identify continuities and commonalities that give some stability and direction to their lives and to the practice of teaching.”
In my Bloc Gallery Education report I have gone some way to clarify that gallery education, with flexible learning methods is a person-centred approach where all parties are learning at same time, including myself. Here's a brief synopsis of my (5000 words) report. This research is opening up some really serious areas of thought. If you'd like to read the report please leave a comment or email me. Thanks.

PLACEMENT REPORT - BLOC GALLERY, SHEFFIELD
September - November 2009

What is the Role of Gallery Education Within Mainstream Education in Terms of Fostering Creativity?

JONATHAN DRURY
Contemporary Fine Art BA (Hons) Advanced Study Module L6

SYNOPSIS

Bloc Space is an artist-led complex in the centre of Sheffield housing around 70 studios and a gallery. From September 2009 the pilot education project was launched by the committee ‘Bloc Education’, consisting of three Bloc directors and myself as manager.

We researched, planned and organised six educational days based in the gallery and offered to various groups the following programme: an introductory talk which included aspects of setting up an arts organisation; examples of shows; basic definition of contemporary art and most importantly, a fully interactive workshop (which will all culminate in an exhibition) with a professional artist-educator.

This report forms part of an ongoing evaluation as only two out of the six day-long events planned have so far taken place, the remaining four workshops will take place in December after which I will make a formal evaluation for the committee and Bloc itself. Two groups of children from the Sheffield Home Educators Network participated in the two days respectively and a brief analysis of facilitation is included here, in the form of reference to the artist’s particular methodology. Mainstream school students are scheduled for the December events.

In studying the role and benefits of the education programme we devised, I first had to define creativity within the limitations of the contexts of mainstream and gallery education. As the benefits of the gallery are my primary concern, I first unearthed aspects of mainstream education which seem to limit creativity and require supplementation. A more flexible approach is provided by the artistic setting of a gallery because the gallery environment is already a pro-creative environment. Whilst I saw that mainstream policy making is continually adapting itself to implement creativity across the curriculum, I feel there are disadvantages in attempting to standardise and even monopolise. The independence and flexibility of the art world can essentially provide the necessary creative juices which mainstream education falls short of through excessive administration.

As this is a pilot educational project, we are learning as we facilitate learning, but more importantly, holistic, experiential learning is shown to be a crucial element of alternative educational models themselves. In the light of this I have discussed application of ‘Intuition and Risk’ being at the heart of the artistic practice and it is in the facilitation of resulting creative forces where not just school students but participants from across our community will hopefully be nurtured.

Traditional / Sacred Culture

"The word tradition has its root in the sacred or the Divine and traditional art is an extension of that presence into a unified world where the sacred and the profane, science, fine arts and crafts all merge. Beauty of form, pattern and colour as manifested in the various branches of the great traditional arts are not simply aesthetically pleasing or demonstrations of good design but are representatives of 'a much more profound order." - Rene Guenon.

"Tradition is not a childish and outmoded mythology but a science." - Frithjof Schuon

"Art is not a matter of taste, but involves the whole man. Whether in intellect, morals, knowledge, memory, and every other human capacity, all focused in a flash on a single point. Aesthetic man is a concept making or perceiving a work of art, we bring to bear on it feeling,as false and dehumanizing as economic man. The greatest artists and schools of art have believed it their duty to impart vital truths, not only about the facts of vision, but about religion and the conduct of life. Great art is the expression of epochs where people are united by a common faith and a common purpose, accept their laws, believe in their leaders, and take a serious view of human destiny." - John Ruskin

I had a great conversation with my good friend Matthew Burgess yesterday which seems our interests over a 20 year friendship are becoming more parallel and complementary. Quite uncanny really how, after all this time I'm finally starting to absorb and understand the benefits of what he calls his 'rants' about society, culture and education. We've both separately come to the same conclusion about building communities and needing to set up a social enterprise' but with our own individual slants and knowledge. While he's currently throwing bangers through my letterbox in the form of Gattos' intense exposure of the American schooling system Matthew reports on the essential nature of giving workshop participants something to do that they genuinely (can) believe in; in turn empowering people (over the current fraudulent values based entirely on materialism and consumerism..) and this, he says, lies at the heart of the problem of our society. My own vision for Enable has been based largely on the vision of a building; symbolically this is helping me understand and encapsulate the vision and further benefits are obvious. Matthew has also been envisioning a building. Pictured is the 'low impact woodland home' built in SW Wales by Simon Dale who Matthew hopes to work with in these parts. Discussing the potential of combining our visions over plenty of tea is part of my new vision....

Pilot Education Project at Bloc

Here are some pictures from the first pilot education project at Bloc which I am managing.
Sarah Jane-Palmer was the lead artist and they took place on Oct 18th & 19th. Sarah is a specialist of the Regio Emilia approach to creative learning. Pictured is co-director of the project, Lesley Guy with some of the children in the gallery, talking about the current exhibition by Michal Tkachecnko. You can see the final billboard piece being put up by the children who are all from the Sheffield Home Educators Network
The next workshop days are in December and we are currently working on developing the Bloc Education Programme into next year.
I am completing my final dissertation for university What is the Role of Gallery Education Within Mainstream Education in Terms of Fostering Creativity? I will post the final writing here.
Enable is still taking shape while I am developing experience, networking and various skills working at Bloc.

The Sanctity of Process

"It is best to allow processes to form organically within the vision of the result. It is unwise to limit the way a result can happen by any given process. At the time you conceive the result you want, the actual way you will bring it about is always unknown to you, even if you have a hunch about it." -Robert Fritz in The Path of Least Resistance

Enable is still in the embryonic stages and the key to a happy, safe birth is plenty of rest, reflection and nutrients. The key to a fantastic meal is setting out the right ingredients and methodically following the recipe... Of course, improvisation and experimentation are important, and every baby, meal and piece of artwork or music is unique, but the fine balance of attention/release, contraction/expansion is the Way forwards for the creative nature of the universe. The universe is essentially desirous; it desires its intrinsic creative impulse to propagate and grow itself and we, as co-creators need to be in harmony with these supreme forces for anything we do or intend to do, to realise its full potential and coming to Being.

The early business stages of Enable are a vitally important and enjoyable part of the process and while they are being formed I can only learn to submit to and enjoy its natural Tao, flow, or Way. I am currently receiving some excellent coaching from Andy Leigh and I highly recommend his services; with great personable skill he is helping me toward the 'fleshing out' of my own realistic vision. Thank you for joining me, dear reader.
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In the dark shadow of recently announced tightening of so-called child protection laws by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), which will require anyone coming into regular contact with children (twice a month or more) to have to pay to be legally vetted, I'd like to offer some relatively uplifting news on the new government initiative; the Community Interest Company (CIC)
What is a community interest company (CIC)? A CIC is a new type of company, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good. CICs will be easy to set up, with all the flexibility and certainty of the company form, but with some special features to ensure they are working for the benefit of the community.
What is a Social Enterprise? "A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners. Social enterprises tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues and operate in all parts of the economy. By using business solutions to achieve public good, the Government believes that social enterprises have a distinct and valuable role to play in helping create a strong, sustainable and socially inclusive economy. Social enterprises are diverse. They include local community enterprises, social firms, mutual organisations such as co-operatives, and large-scale organisations operating nationally or internationally. There is no single legal model for social enterprise. They include companies limited by guarantee, industrial and provident societies, and companies limited by shares; some organisations are unincorporated and others are registered charities." from the BERR publication ' Social Enterprise - a strategy for success'.
Why were community interest companies needed? Social enterprises are an exciting and fast-growing sector. Yet some of the legal forms were originally designed for completely different types of organisation. The Government wants to support the sector by creating a modern and appropriate legal vehicle and to help raise their profile.
What will a community interest company do? CICs will be organisations pursuing social objectives, such as environmental improvement, community transport, fair trade etc. Social enterprises are playing an increasing role in regenerating disadvantaged areas, empowering local communities and delivering new, innovative services at local level. CIC Website

Becoming and Creativity

In Matt Segal’s great article ‘Evolution and the Within of Things’ he makes at least one small but important error.“It was not until the 20th century that our species began to gain the level of self-reflection necessary to truly begin a study of the psyche.” Hmm. This demonstrates the limitations of modern empiricism and positivism which I want to look at a bit here, as well as the outer reaches of evolving Western science and philosophy. It’s possible that Segal, in an ironic reflection of his own subject matter; that of trying to grasp the unknowable through scientific methods of analysis, has slipped nicely through a black hole in his own Western mindset…Segal’s 20^th century will have to answer to aeons of great prophets, saints, mystics and whole civilisations on their ‘level of self-reflection’ and ‘study of the psyche’.

In his article he writes,” Pierre Teilhard invented the term Omega Point as representing, “the momentary summit of an anthropogenesis which is itself the crown of a cosmogenesis” The human being, rather than an anomaly, represents the pinnacle and purpose of evolution itself. This realisation is a radical shift away from the “science of man as marginal to the universe”, where “the scientist himself stands apart from the objects of science”
In 1971, John David Garcia explained the constant increase of ethics is essential for humankind to reach the Omega Point. He applied the term creativity to the combination of intelligence and ethics and announced that increasing creativity is the correct and proper goal of human life.

Ok, Teilhard and Garcia are onto something. But the futility of trying to prove the unknowable is clear.

"Don't try and see through the distances, that's not for human beings” - Jalalludin Rumi

'Trying' in the sense of methodically analysing 'the distances', is the way of the positivist-scientist-philosopher who 'stands apart from the objects of his science' though again, 20^th century Scientists such as Jung experienced a type of evolutionary becoming: “At times I feel as if I am spread out over the landscape and inside things, and am myself living in every tree, in the splashing of the waves, in the clouds and the animals that come and go, in the procession of the seasons”. (Memories, Dreams, Reflections).

Conversely, 'trying' in the case of conscious effort incorporating a 'synthesised' view of the universe (eg. with the inner, human conviction of sound belief and the best available methodology) is applied in Sufism in order to instigate the full evolutionary process of becoming and Being; 'human beings' become Being. Inner knowledge dimensions within Rumi's phrases are there to be uncovered and revealed.

Back on the topic of creativity I think the sufi ‘An’ moment is extremely interesting:

“I have also come to believe that the creative moment in scientists, founders of religions, artists and original thinkers, all appear when the intellect has exhausted itself… In such a state and suddenly at a moment when the psyche has regained its total harmony and is free from internal conflict, then instantly an original vision appears. That moment is An” – A Reza Arasteh in Growth to Selfhood; the Sufi Contribution. Arasteh also explains that the sufi view of the human psyche is that it is an ocean that contains all beings and things – the moment of An is akin to a fish appearing on the surface then disappearing again. Carl Rogers called this is-ness. It is also the same as step 3 in Wallas’ The Art of Thought'.

Is science exhausted and about to enter a collective moment of An? For example, we see the desperate situation of Postmodernist philosophy

“Post-modernism is arguably the most depressing philosophy ever to spring from the western mind. It is difficult to talk about post-modernism because nobody really understands it. It’s allusive to the point of being impossible to articulate. But what this philosophy basically says is that we’ve reached an endpoint in human history. That the modernist tradition of progress and ceaseless extension of the frontiers of innovation are now dead. Originality is dead. The avant-garde artistic tradition is dead. All religions and utopian visions are dead and resistance to the status quo is impossible because revolution too is now dead. Like it or not, we humans are stuck in a permanent crisis of meaning, a dark room from which we can never escape”. – Kalle Lasn

More bites from Segal’s essay -

Teilhard points out how in “breaking down synthesis after synthesis… science leaves us “confronted with a pile of dismantled machinery and evanescent particles” and invites us “to discover the universal hidden beneath the exceptional”. By this he means that human consciousness, rather than a fluke, is actually the leading edge of a billion year process rushing toward its final consummation…. This is a view of humanity as “the key of the universe” Jung writes that the Self “cannot be distinguished empirically from a God-image” Teilhard is here trying to show us the significance of the current moment of evolution, as human beings begin to become conscious of evolution’s trajectory. This process of waking up—of coming to see—represents the moment when the within and the without cross paths to produce a point of infinite radiance. Once we have come to see the “inner face of the world” by feeling the “presence of the Absolute (the Self),” the synchronistic Omega Point is upon us.
“In that event the subjective viewpoint coincides with the way things are distributed objectively, and perception reaches its apogee. The landscape lights up and yields its secrets. [We] see.”

Does Matt Segal need help in ‘seeing through the distances’? I do.