SM2706 Critical Theory & Socially Engaged Practices
Sep-Dec 2017 / Dr. Cdric Maridet
Name: Tseng Chih-I (Elisa)
SID: 54479279
Weekly Reflection
Week/Lecture My Response and Reflection
What is critical thinking and socially engaged practice? The first lecture opens with free answer question asking us what we think about critical thinking. In my opinion, I think critical thinking is what you want to believe and the ability to judge clearly to think what to do. To be able to think critically, it must relate to different ideas, and evaluate into different arguments. However, in this course, we are connecting critical 01 thinking to socially engaged practice, which seek to critical reflection on the social practices, for example, anything related to the environment around you or the society. I think it is really interesting that it can relate to the participation of social action. For example the artwork Pad Thai (1990) at the Paula Allen Gallery in New York involves social engagement by inviting viewers to inhabit and active the artwork. What is Critical Theory? Critical theory could say to the extent that seeks to human emancipation from slavery, the acts as liberating influence, and the works to create a world that satisfies the needs and powers of human beings. Critical theory has emerged in connection with many social movements that varied with the 02 domination of human beings in modern societies. The question that raised in (No Class) class, Do you think that inequality exists even in democracies? I have thought a lot about this. At first, I didnt think that much and wouldnt expect that there is so much inequality I would be aware of in the world. For example those people wont have a choice even they have a chance to vote. When people are born in certain family, and the income inequality. Participation: Forum Theatre Todays class focused on the idea of theater should be encouraged with the participation with the audiences. To encourage audiences to think critically of the situations and character and get more involved to whats happening on the stage. In the end of the class, we are formed into big 03 groups of 10 people and to discuss a particular situation of oppression. Our group raised a situation of the oppression of language barriers for internationals while talking to a taxi driver. I think this exercise is interesting because it raises a question for us to think and we need to identify our own problems within the situations. Participation: Production of Space This week focused on the production of space and it is the inspiration for my first project. The representation of space is interesting to me, because art can give a space a new meaning and transform it to a new space, which are the relations of production. It is interesting to know the domination of space by one group over another group. For my project, my idea is to do busking street performance on public space. To occupy a space and assign a 04 new behavior to a certain location, so the audience will participate and think critically or questioning about the space, and what I am doing there. The topic this week is really interesting to me. I really agree about the modes of intervention for space. Especially to change assigned usage to fit the needs of a group. For my project, buskers create an open stage on the street to attract the tourist, so it fits the needs of entertaining the tourist as a local attraction to people traveling to Hong Kong. Fetishism Relational Aesthetics In this weeks lecture, I found it interesting to hear how data has become the medium that connects and separates human, and it might be the new form of commodity fetishism. Nowadays, only images are the products that are bought and sold to us, including those advertisements on media online or offline. As human, without knowing the real process of how those 05 commodities are made, we are not aware of the background of the products but only the final look of how it is like. This make me think critically of the change of society through decades due to the change in technology. In my opinion, people are lack in participating in everything, and the media is controlling us too much, especially by the data. What we see becoming what we want and what we peruse, but it isnt what we really want. This is what I have been thinking after this lecture. What defines socially engaged art? In this lecture, we studied the socially engaged art through several case studies, what gave me the most impression was Ai Weiweis Fairytale from 2007. This piece of artwork was huge in terms of participation and it engaged with people from both countries. I think this is an unique social engagement, as there are 1001 unique personal experiences. This artwork is 06 inspiring to me because Ai Weiwei changes the relation between audience and art. In this artwork, the audience and artwork affect each other from the exchange of culture, language, knowledge, and different lifestyle. Therefore, the artwork is not only about how it looks from the documentation, but the interaction during that time and how people feel was the most important thing. This artwork is a perfect example for me to understand what defines a socially engaged artwork.