Community Art » theory

Theory, we believe, needs to emerge from meticulously documented practice and, in turn, should sharpen our thinking about community art and improve the practice. In this category, we will present relevant writings that we come across in our worldwide explorations and theoretical comments from our international research partners who respond directly to material on this site.

Between Past and Future: Re-imagining ‘our times’ in theatre today

In this presentation Rustom Bharucha reflects critically on the gap between past and future, he begins by asking a question - ‘where are we at this point of time?’ - posited at a juncture in time (the start of the ‘new millennium’), a moment of restructuring for Lift and a point of review and revaluation for himself. He evokes a journey with different paths taken, unpredictable and serendipitous; with divergence but also convergence.
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Grant Kester and the aesthetics of community art

The crux of Kester’s argument is that the emphasis in community art is on the interaction between professional artist and participant and that its essence can, therefore, not be grasped by conventional art critics.
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Rustom Bharucha on ethics in community art

In the most recent issue of Performance Paradigm (number three, February 2007), Rustom Bharucha answered a series of questions on ethics in cultural practice.
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What kind of community art research do we need?

Rustom Bharucha: “My overall suggestion would be to work against the grain of liberal thinking and modes of patronage. I sense a total erasure of the spirit of political dissidence in this ‘community art research’ project.”
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Between Past and Future: Re-imagining ‘our times’ in theatre today

Grant Kester and the aesthetics of community art

Rustom Bharucha on ethics in community art

What kind of community art research do we need?

The Community Art Lab