For this term I wanted to understand how the dialogues captured in the publication from earlier in the unit could prompt further discussion and action amongst an audience.
My enquiry : how can dialogue help us make sense of the current state of creative labour and production in context of an economy in crisis under digital capitalism and prompt us to take control of our own futures as we cope with these conditions?
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To do this, I decided to conduct a workshop with a group of students at CSM MAGCD. I decided to keep this initial workshop small as it is an initial test. Therefore it made sense to initially set a boundary of common discipline and similar experience.
However, I see this expanding beyond these boundaries as the idea of The Common Room grows; the eventual aim is to unify creative labour across disciplines and levels of experience.
Since the MAGCD cohort brings people with varying practices and backgrounds – this still maintains the broader definition of creative work.
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The Workshop Invite
The Common Room
Reflective Workshop, Conversation and Free Snacks!
The Condition
Capitalism has encroached into every facet of our lives. Our ecologies are collapsing. Wealth and power are held at the hands of a few. Wages are stagnant. Social safety nets are non-existent. The idea of community has been destroyed. We. Must. Be. Productive. Every minute must be monetised. If it is not commercially viable it must be sacrificed. Studio space is expensive. Rent is due. We’re all burnt out. And apparently we’ve all got to worry about AI taking over?!
Give us a break.
It feels as if we’re stuck in a condition that we cannot escape. Doesn’t it?
How do we cope with this condition?
What does it mean to pursue a life in the creative industry at this moment in time?
Are you anxious about the future that awaits us?
Where do we find supportive creative communities?
The Workshop
I know I’ve painted a bit of a bleak picture of the world. But there is good news. Whatever the condition is that we find ourselves within; we are not alone. We’re lucky to find ourselves at university, amongst each other, experiencing these anxieties together. But we only have a short while before we’re all out in the real world.
So, if you find that you share some of these anxieties, I would love to have you join The Common Room. The Common Room is a refuge; it will be an introspective workshop that allows us to take some time to think about our creative practice in relation to the world. With some free snacks, sweet treats and conversation, you will be encouraged to reflect on your practice, connect with others, exchange perspectives and come up with ways to cope with the future.
The workshop will feed into the construction of a Manifesto for Creative Work that will make up part of my final project and I would be extremely grateful for your participation and input!
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The Workshop Structure, Prep & Materials
I created a 4 part workshop structure to guide participants’ reflections, dialogues, positioning and future projections. I also created worksheets for each part of the workshop, and slides that include an introduction to the workshop and instructions for each part.
Task 1 : Plot Your Practice
Participants will be asked to reflect on their practice and plot their positions in relation to FULFILMENT & DEPLETION + EXCITEMENT & STABILITY according to where the see themselves in the PRESENT, FUTURE [HOPE] & FUTURE [FEARS].
A few participants will be chosen to share their plot. And open up dialogue between people that have similar or even differing views.
Task 2 : Read, Reflect, Discuss
Participants are given an excerpt from my publication ‘A Condition We Cannot Escape: Dialogues on the State of Creative Labour Under Capitalism.’ They will read the excerpt. Reflect. And in groups of two exchange what they have read and their reflections with one another.
There will then be a wider group discussion on the various topics discussed.
Task 3 : Manifesto | A Framework for the Future of Your Practice
Based on the discussion and reflections so far on conditions of creative work, participants will be given the chance to develop a manifesto for the future of their own creative practices with the help of a worksheet that provides certain lenses and frames to think within.
The workshop also provides a list of existing manifestos to use as a starting point to build and collage a new one of their own.
Task 4 : A Message to Your Future Self | Time Capsule
To close off the workshop. Participants will be given a postcard to place in a time capsule. They will be asked to write a message to their future selves a year from now. This helps participants to start a conversation with themselves in the future. These cards will be sent to each participant via email/mail in a year’s time.
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The Workshop Outcome
Below are scans of all the participant’s responses and worksheets and photographs from the workshop.
Task 1 : Plot Your Practice : Responses
Task 2 : Read, Reflect, Discuss : Responses
Task 3 : Manifesto : Responses
Task 4 : A Message to Your Future Self : Responses