‘The Swiss Army Knife of Contemporary Art: The Artist as Facilitator’
The ‘Facilitator’ is curious new breed of artist. Highly skilled, these creatures are known for mixing artistic mediums, breaking from the institution, and constantly faring the question ‘Is it art?’ due to their lack of “concrete” outcomes and visibility to the general public. A social animal, the ‘Artist as Facilitator’ is easily identifiable for their conceptual stealth, logistical prowess and fierce concern for their community.
The second in a series of lectures that aim to challenge public perceptions of art in public space, The Swiss Army Knife of Contemporary Art: The Artist as Facilitator unpacks the concept of ‘The Artist as Facilitator’ through a collection of case studies and informal discussion with artist Zoe Scoglio.
Zoe Scoglio:
In her practice, Zoe unites performance, video, sound and installation to create interdisciplinary, site-specific and participatory work. Playing with notions of time, origin, sentience and morphology, her work engages the varied cultural, political and personal narratives we create about this rock we call home.
Interested in the idea that all forms, both human and non-human, are sites of transformation, Zoe’s practice explores how the narratives we create about our idea of humanness impact the way we commodify, consume, and value the natural world and its resources.
Creating work that draws upon her training in media arts, voice and body-centric practice, Zoe develops participatory projects that explore possibilities for collective engagement, ceremonial encounters and enlivened installations. She takes a non-hierarchical approach to the mediums, subjects and objects I work with, often combining both animate and inanimate bodies in a relational choreography.
Image credit: Francis Alÿs in collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega, When Faith Moves Mountains (Cuando la fe mueve montañas), Lima, 2002, Private collection © Francis Alÿs Photo: Video still.
