Making decisions in a participative art project

In this workshop the artists Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen will discuss some of the participatory methods they have developed within their artistic practice, focussing on the duo’s current project keskustelupuisto.fi – A Public Space Game, an artistic alternative to citizen participation in urban development. The project invites 36 citizens of a small town in Finland to design a public park during a two year process.

The workshop will consider how many small decisions can dramatically affect the forms of participation that a project will enable. Such decisions include the role the artist defines for herself, how participants are found, what can the participants influence and what not, how decisions are made and whether the process or the outcome have priority. One has to consider also the pitfalls of involving people; e.g. there is the chance of instrumentalising participants for one’s own agenda, or perhaps stigmatize a group of people. Another problem is that of ostensible participation; when a project invites people to take part but their choices, discussions and suggestions don’t affect anything at all.

Workshop facilitator: Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen