The participants were prepared during two video conferences where they worked on developing collective and individual stories that would become starting points for one or more art objects.
Milestones
Participatory art project in the village of Barsikow, Germany
With its seven milestones, the village of Barsikow has a unique asset and potential visitor attraction. The village Association Barsikow e.V. had the idea to develop the ”milestone theme” artistically and invited everybody in the village to participate in an art project with the following goals.
Milestones – not only an exciting topic in a historical or modern time to measure distances, but also in a figurative sense. What were the milestones in the past and what will they be in the future for our village, my family, at work, in activities and personal life?
The main focus was on outdoor sculptures that would enrich the village for a shorter or longer time, but also on other art forms such as painting, building objects, photography and other ideas. Almost all kind of materials can be used: wood, plastic, old iron, leftover concrete, clothes, shoes, rubbish, books, branches, etc. The best would be if as little new material as possible would be used and instead as much of old scraps things would be reused.
The entire process was led by artist Giovanna Aguirre & Lars Jonnson. The participants were prepared during two video conferences where they worked on developing collective and individual stories that would become the starting points for one or more art objects.
Building bridges
Our task is to inspire and motivate the participants creatively. We all collaborate through the exchange of suggestions and ideas to create the artworks together. This makes us catalysts or bridge builders in social systems. We promote encounters with art through joint participation projects and motivate people to get involved locally.
Using art as an expression, we initiate artistic and creative processes so that the participants recognize their contribution, identify with the result and experience a positive change in attitude.
The participants engaged intensively in the topic. They rummaged through their barns and junk at home and brought with them a variety of things that had the potential to become part of a work of art. In addition to asking what the highlights of the village were, various stories from the time when Barsikow was in the GDR were recalled and told.
Having potlucks together during the creative process in the workshop often led to spontaneous conversations, shared ideas and friendships.
We believe that creative methods can bring people together and help appreciate the diversity of others. We also believe that art can be used as a key to open doors, understand and respect our surroundings from different perspectives.
A&J
