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by Karen D’Amico
I first came across the Travellers
Secret Box project in early 2005, when I discovered Danish artist
Lars Vilhelmsen and his "How Scandinavian of Me" project
on the web. Lars’ work interested me because it dealt with issues
concerning identity, stereotype, and the notion of "when is something
art ?" Lars then introduced me to his Travellers Secret
Box project
and asked if I’d like to co-ordinate a UK-based segment. It had resonances
with my own art practice, so I agreed to get involved. In addition
to making my own work in connection with this project, my role also
became curatorial in that I was responsible for choosing a number
of UK-based artists to participate.
About TSB
Originated and conceived by Lars, the project was first set in motion in May
of 2004. His ongoing investigation of "the synthesis of life and art"
(when does an object become a piece of art? What criteria is used to define
it
as such and so on…) together with an interest in notions surrounding identity
and a desire to collaborate with other artists combined to create a project
which has since developed a unique platform for borderless collaboration.
The project currently involves artists from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany,
the UK, and the USA; each with their own way questioning and responding to
the invisible divisions which persist between art and the existent, cultural
identity and location, cultural practices and custom, and notions of travel.
The project structure involves the giving of an object (the "box") to an artist
for a period of time, asking them to consider it, interacting with it on
some level, and making a response, both visually and textually. The artist
is asked
to think of the box as a mediating object in terms of a tangible coherence
between the everyday, "existent" and "art" (things that are not normally
perceived as art, but for their context can be seen as such). They are also
encouraged to utilize the box as a trajectory for thinking about issues concerning,
but not limited to, identity, boundary, migration, and travel. The resulting
work is uploaded onto the Travellers Secret Box website, with the
idea being that a new piece of work is added each month.
TSB in the UK
As co-ordinator for the UK, I approached a number of artists whose interests
I felt connected with the ideas that Lars was exploring. Currently, there
are a group of 12 artists from England and Scotland, some of whom I had known
personally,
while others I knew only via seeing their work. There is certainly a degree
of blind faith involved, both in terms of Lars’ faith in me and my faith
in those I send the box to. It’s been illuminating for me because we are
all so spread out geographically. I have yet to actually meet Lars and some
of the artists here, yet we have all come together in this sort of "cyber
non-space," creating a cohesive body of work; a truly borderless collaboration.
What began as a fairly straightforward exercise in terms of choosing artists to contribute work to an existing web-based initiative has blossomed into something more concrete in the UK. We have decided to create an additional, UK-based website. We are actively seeking venues for exhibitions and we would like to turn it in to a touring exhibition in the UK, hopefully getting funding from the Arts Council at some point in the process. Creating the UK website was a way of putting forth something that was more directly related to those goals, as well as sending out a proposal to various arts centers.
A bit about the experience
It’s been fantastic to have the autonomy to choose those to be involved in the
UK as well as connect with and get to know so many different artists, both cross-regionally
and internationally. The experience has enriched my own art practice via the
curatorial process, which was previously uncharted territory for me. It has also
provided scope for future opportunities in the UK and abroad. One of the things
I’m
hoping to do, in fact, is go to Denmark and work with Lars "in real time" both
in connection with this project and others.
One of the more complicated aspects
of the project, it has to be said, has been the experience of
collaborating with someone whose native language is different
from my own. The language barrier brings up issues that, whilst
they aren’t insurmountable, certainly can present a challenge.
I don’t speak any Danish and although Lars speaks English, there
are times when things are impossible to translate satisfactorily
for either of us. It’s been challenging, humourous, and sometimes
frustrating, but in the end, it’s the connection and intuitive
understanding we both seem to have about each others’ work that’s
been the "glue." That process has taught me how valuable
it is when someone "gets" your work as it is, on a purely
visual or intuitive level, without it having to be explained.
The work that’s been made so far for the
box has been very diverse. It’s eye opening and stimulating to
see how artists from other countries have interacted with and responded
to this strange little object. As an ongoing, international initiative,
the project continues, seeking to explore, locate, identify, and
perhaps dissolve some of the seemingly undetectable territories
existent in terms of art and culture, social inclusion, and the
ever-shifting locality of identity and notions of home. Changing
perceptions of boundaries coupled with an ever - increasing collapsing
of distance through travel and mass communication have been illuminated
through the very existence of the project itself, and I’m looking
forward to seeing how it all continues to evolve.
More information on the Travellers
Secret Box can be found at
www.travellers-secret-box.co.uk
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