GLOSSARY

The terms "Arte Útil" (O’Gorman, 1933 and Bruguera 2011), "Arte Utile" (Poggi, 1965), and "Usable Art" (Costa, 1969) have been coined by various artists throughout history to emphasise the practical use of art. These definitions assert that art can be transformed into tools or devices that alter our actions and behaviour in society. Art is viewed as a strategy that can be utilised to bring about tangible change in fields such as politics, law, urban development, and so on.

In 2014, the Asociación de Arte Útil was established by Tania Bruguera in partnership with curators, scholars, and independent researchers internationally. The organization's goal is to promote the use of art in daily life and to initiate and support new projects that meet the criteria of Arte Útil.

At the core of the Asociación is the Arte Útil archive, a growing database of almost 300 case studies that imagine, create and implement beneficial outcomes by producing tactics that change how we act in society.

References

Bruguera, T. (2017) Arte Útil. 'Glossary' [online]. Available at: www.taniabruguera.com

Costa, E. (1969) Useful Art Works [online]. Available at: www.arte-util.org/projects/useful-art-works/

Guzmán Urbiola, X. (2020)

Juan O’Gorman el arte y la belleza de lo útil. 'La Jornada' [online]. Available at: tinyurl.com/y593jhvs

Poggi, P. (1965) Manifesto Arte Utile 1 [online]. Available at: www.arte-utile.net/manifestos/

Constituencies are dynamic and constantly evolving groups of people that exist in a state of change, relying on their relationships with each other. They are never fixed, but always require negotiation and struggle to define. Constituencies provide the means for self-creation and self-understanding, as well as the potential for change, transformation, and new interpretations. They cannot be reduced to either "publics" or "participants," and instead should be recognised as the flexible and dynamic foundation for a self-governed democracy.

In the context of art, constituencies offer the possibility for museums, galleries, and other public institutions to reconsider their roles and positions in the creation of new forms of citizenship. While it is widely agreed that these institutions must shift away from hierarchical and top-down methods of knowledge dissemination, the question remains of how they can become constituencies themselves.

The notion of a constituency is important in the arts because it helps to establish the network of relationships and connections that exist between different individuals and organizations, and it provides a way to understand the impact and effectiveness of a project.

References

AA.VV. (2014) Glossary of Common Knowledge, L'internationale Online. Available at: https://www.internationaleonline.org/glossary/constituencies

Byrne, J. Morgan, E. Paynter, N eds. (2018) The Constituent Museum Constellations of Knowledge, Politics and Mediation: A Generator of Social Change. Amsterdam: Valiz

The "curriculum-as-toolkit" is a set of tools and resources that can be used by teachers, students, and constituencies in educational settings (such as schools, museums and galleries) to achieve specific learning goals. This approach emphasizes the practical, hands-on nature of the curriculum and the importance of giving access to the tools needed to engage in active learning experiences. According to this perspective, a curriculum is not just a set of prescribed topics to be covered but rather a flexible and adaptable set of resources that can be used to support a range of learning goals. 

The "curriculum-as-toolkit" approach views the curriculum as a way of equipping students and teachers - whoever they would be - to engage in transformative learning experiences rather than just as a set of facts and knowledge to be transmitted.

When we consider practices that operate on a 1:1 scale, they exist in two distinct forms: they are what they are (such as a drinks company for example), and they also contain an artistic proposition (such as art that takes the form of a drinks company). The double ontology of 1:1 scale practices is not always immediately noticeable, but it is what defines them as such. 

The fact that one can understand the double ontology of these practices does not detract from their function, whether in the art world or in other areas of activity.

References

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

Embedded arts practice refers to a form of art making that is situated within specific social, cultural, or political contexts, and is intended to engage with and reflect on the communities, issues, and challenges present within those contexts. 

The concept refers to a subfield within socially engaged art or social practice and seeks to actively involve and collaborate with constituencies, and to use artistic techniques and processes to address specific needs within those constituencies. 

It emphasizes the importance of context and place-specificity, utilizing long-term research methods that may involve collaboration and co-production between artists, community members, and other stakeholders, and is often used as a tool for community development, social engagement, and activism. 

The goal is to seamlessly integrate the practice into the everyday fabric of society, creating tangible outcomes and impacts within the communities in which it is situated.

References

Abbott, A. (2023) UNIDEE 2020 – 2022. Aspects of Embedded Arts Practice. Unpublished 

When art moves into another field, such as law, environment, or economics, it leaves the territory of the self-referential art world behind. The void created by art then becomes available for other forms and social practices to utilize, creating a reciprocal relationship. This allows these practices to use the space previously occupied by art, such as a gallery, for their own purposes. This extraterritorial reciprocity requires collaboration and negotiation between the two seemingly unrelated spaces, which can be seen as relationships between previously unconnected meanings.

References

Rancière. J (2010) Dissensus On Politics and Aesthetics. London: Continuum

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

Feminist engaged pedagogy is an educational approach that aims to challenge and transform patriarchal norms and values in the classroom. 

It seeks to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment that prioritizes the experiences, perspectives, and voices of marginalized and oppressed groups. This pedagogical approach incorporates critical and self-reflection, active learning practices (identified as learning by doing), and views the classroom as a site for social change and activism. 

Feminist engaged pedagogy also acknowledges the interdependence with 'the other', and recognizes that the pursuit of social justice and equality is an ongoing process that requires constant critical examination, adaptation, and transformation.

Hacking is about creating a difference, as stated by Wark in 2004. According to A Hacking Manifesto, hacking provides an opportunity to create a new system from information and data that is shared with the world. The aim of hacking is to free this knowledge from a limited access economy and make it available to everyone. This results in a culture of free information exchange and learning through a peer-to-peer network. 

"When knowledge is freed from scarcity, the free production of knowledge becomes the knowledge of free producers."

References

Wark, M. (2004) A Hacking Manifesto. Boston: Harvard University Press

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

The concept of piggybacking can be thought of as a form of usership, where it relies on another entity for sustenance, similar to the epiphyte plant. This idea can be seen in the multitude of projects that were carried out through free online services like Zoom, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Skype, etc. during the COVID-19 pandemic. These projects serve as an example of piggybacking, where a mutually beneficial relationship is established between the project and the hosting platform.

References

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

In education, the "undercommons" refers to a collection of networks that are rebellious, radical, and tend to operate outside the authority of the university. These individuals, such as teachers, use their positions within the university to challenge and subvert its power structures. The process of "undercommoning" involves a combination of conscious and unconscious efforts to create a radical social group. The conspirators work within the boundaries of the university with the intention of undermining its mission, and to be present but not fully part of it. Their goal is not to solve inequalities, but rather to dismantle the system that creates those inequalities. Therefore universities become testing grounds where to elaborate ‘modes of being with and for others, within and against any plot’ (Desideri and Harney, 2013)

References

Harney, S. and Moten, F. (2013), The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study. London: Minor Compositions

Desideri, V. and Harney, S. (2013) ‘A Conspiracy without a Plot’ in: The Curatorial, A Philosophy of Curating, eds Martinon; Jean-Paul, Bloomsbury, London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney

The term "usership" refers to an alternative form of engagement in the arts. It challenges the traditional ideas of being a spectator, owner, or expert, and can sometimes raise controversy due to the potential for misuse and abuse.

Usership involves utilizing what is already available, but through their use, users can change the terms of engagement and enjoyment. For example, social media platforms like Instagram gain value as more people use them. However, the question remains as to whether communities of users will continue to produce value without being compensated for it.

Usership is not a performance, but rather it represents the current state of affairs, as users are aware that they are not owners. Despite this, usership is a powerful tool as it allows for repurposing and transformation, giving new meaning to something. For example, when a mailbox becomes a bird's nest (Ahmed, 2019), its value changes, but it remains useful and meaningful in a different way.

References

Ahmed, S. (2019) What’s the Use? On the Uses of Use. Durham and London: Duke University Press

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

The "usological turn" referred to by Stephen Wright (2013, p. 65) highlights an increase in practices that embrace the use, reuse and repurpose of works of art, challenging traditional notions of authorship and spectatorship. 

This shift towards usership has been embraced by various groups, artists, organizations, institutions, and individuals who utilise art as a tool and tap into its potential to challenge existing concepts of art and the role of cultural institutions. 

The usological turn emphasizes the collective production of knowledge as a source of value.

References

Yıldız, Onur, and Naz Kocadere. 2018. The Usological Turn: An Interview with Stephen Wright. Available online: https://blog.saltonline.org/post/173507131854/the-usological-turn-an-interview-with-stephen

Wright, Stephen. 2013. Toward a Lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

Art on a 1:1 scale rejects the use of any representation or device to depict itself. Imagine the most accurate map ever made: according to the book "Sylvie and Bruno Concluded" by Lewis Carroll, farmers attempted to create a map that was the same size as the land it represented so as to be the most precise representation possible. However, the map became a hindrance, obstructing the view of the actual land.

Similarly, 1:1 scale art practices don't utilise any surrogates, representations, or objects to place themselves within the (art) world. Whether it's a coffee company, a laundromat, or a restaurant, these art forms are both what they are and their proposals at the same time. They are the work in real life.

References

Myvillages (2019) The Rural. London: Whitechapel

Wright, S. (2013) Toward a lexicon of Usership. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum

The 8 criteria are principles that define what an Arte Útil project should be in order to be recognised as such. To be included in the Arte Útil archive, a project should:

1) Propose new uses for art within society

2) Use artistic thinking to challenge the field within which it operates

3) Respond to current urgencies

4) Operate on a 1:1 scale

5) Replace authors with initiators and spectators with users

6) Have practical, beneficial outcomes for its users

7) Pursue sustainability

8) Re-establish aesthetics as a system of transformation

Defining a set of principles was critical in establishing a common understanding of what "Arte Útil" represents and to facilitate the sharing of that idea with a wider audience, including curators, artists, students, and users. The criteria were crucial in determining which case studies to include in the Arte Útil archive and in demonstrating how they could serve as guidelines for other organizations interested in engaging with it. Additionally, the criteria helped make the selection process as transparent as possible for those involved in the initial phase of the project. 

Refereces

www.arte-util.org