Participatory Approach to Urban Development and Local Democracy
Community Arts as Sociocultural Method

by Jouni Pikkari, Turku Polytechnic, Academy of Arts, Finland

Aims and objectives

• Develop and explore community art, especially community theatre methodology to face the challenges of marginalisation
• Encourage cross-disciplinary action research of above mentioned polytechnic areas
• Develop models for work/context based learning of participatory forms of community arts
• Explore the ways art can be used as a tool for research - research BY art
• Explore non-cultural sector/ non-conventional funding possibilities for community arts
• Explore the use of new media (interactive tv) in participatory cultural work
• Raising the teachers cross-disciplinary capacity through work based learning and cooperation

Rationale
Art can also be a tool for research. The exprerience in Europe has proved that the challenges of modern times in social sector cannot be untangled only though the conventional approach of social work. Understanding cultural aspect of development has become ever more important in the modern multicultural society. Cultural forms of expression have also become an important tool for consciousness raising and participation of marginalized groups in the larger society. Therefore, art is finding more applications in the modern communication situations.

Partners

Inside AMK:
Social Sector, Kaarina: 4tth year students
Theatre department, 2nd year students
Arts Mangement, 2nd year students
Visual Art department

Other partners
City of Turku, East Turku Project in Varissuo
Citizens participation project (Ministry of Domestic Affairs)
Turku TV
Various communities and organisations in Varissuo (see below)
University College Chester, UK (visiting lecturer in drama for special groups)
Dartington School of Arts, UK (exchange students)

Planned steps and timing

The steps would be as follows (a suggestion)

1. Negotiation / brainstorm about contents, aims, funding
2. Applications for funding
3. Contacts to Varissuo, and city of Turku
4. Introduction to Community Arts course + field pre-research (methodology, visitors from abroad etc.
5. Processing of project proposals (in small groups specializing in different approaches)
6. Community Art projects in Varissuo
7. Evaluation, project reports, results, follow-up? (Seminar)

Suggested sub-projects

• "main stream"/text based theatre productions about the womens life in Varisuo (based on interviews)
• emancipatory drama projects with the senior citizens in institutions
• pedagogical drama processes were children and senior citizens come together to share their childhood experiences
• local democracy / awareness raising though participatory drama in link with the "osallisuushanke"
• local democracy and interactive tv (Turku tv!) experiment
• a mid winter festival / carnival - upside down day -
• a show case festival of ALL individual projects
• musical / dance story telling evening with the multicultural groups
• youth projects on themes like substance abuse, bullying in schools
• art oriented projects

Interesting here would be that, each team would consist of an Arts. Management, Theatre and social work student (s).

Results and outcomes
Project consist thus of several simultaneous processes lead by the cross disciplinary student groups. Each process is a mini-research in itself that will be reported in a form of portfolio, exhibition, interactive performance, newspaper article, radio programme, internet discussions etc.
The fourth year social work students specializing in sociocultural work will make their final theses in this project (including the written research project)
Some of the subprojects with more participatory approach (:e.g. local democracy and interactive tv experiments) will produce research material on social impacts of community arts. Some of the impacts will be studied through questionnaires etc.

Under Pressure 6, April 2001