CONFERENCE/MEETING @ Iaspis/Konstnärsnämnden, Maria skolgata83 (28th May, Friday, 16:30)
In recent years the very ideas of material production and work as creation
of value have undergone changes that have influenced the boundary between
work and the sphere of language and creativity. Social, affective and
cognitive skills are constantly put to work, thus placing creative and
cultural workers in a priviledged field within the process of production
and transforming the figure of the consumer into a more productive and
creative role. Lately, cultural, artistic and creative labor are often
identified as elements leading the transition towards an “innovative”
economy. Western economies are now reorganizing in an attempt to escape
the current economic crisis by developing new ways to appropriate the
value of diffuse creativity and intellectual property.
This means that anyone participating in the circulation of ideas, the innovation of styles and the experimentation of language is at the center of a new productive
paradigm, one which is rapidly replacing the Fordist model of production that has
characterized most of the history of modern capitalism. As the role of
creativity has expanded, we have also witnessed a transition from the mass
worker to the individual freelance model of working.
Paradoxically this scenario has not brought about an improvement in the working conditions of those engaged in creative and artistic practices. Creative work is often
precarious, individualized and poorly remunerated. Income now becomes
multi-sourced, leaving creatives coping with two or three jobs at once.
Here we speak of a mass of individuals who are unrepresented, unorganised,
and highly mobile, engaged in work ranging from art, music, film and
writing, to acting, fashion and graphic design. Each of these individuals
invests significant time and energy cultivating social contacts and
networking to avoid being left ”out of the loop”, and to ensure that no job
opportunities are missed. This situation results in a deterioration of the
conditions in which creativity is developed and reproduced. Where culture and art have
traditionally been open spaces for thinking and reflection, today’s
collaborations are often fast-paced, and research is confined to the
requirements of isolated, short-term projects.
In this seminar we would like to explore the landscape of concepts, words,
histories and ways of thinking that explain the present situation for
creatives and art workers. Together we would like to reflect on where we
stand today and where we would like to be in relation to the new
“creative” economy. How can our voices be heard? How can our positions be
strengthened as freelance workers, designers, musicians, writers, poets,
dancers and artists in relation to the multitude of employers and
contractors who can often be identified as our friends, and sometimes even
ourselves?What does creativity mean, where is it employed and by whom in
contemporary modes of production? Can creativity be isolated to individual
subjects, or is it a collective process by nature? Finally, why is the
legal, political and economic structure of creativity organized as it is?
Adam Arvidsson, sociologist
Francesca Bria, researcher
Sinziana Ravini, writer, curator
Måns Wrange, artist, rector Mejan
will discuss with us
A representative of konstnärsnämnden will introduce the meeting
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