Communication, Sociability and Actvism in Brazilian Art Groups

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relational dynamics involving practice, activism and uses of media technology in space in the context of groups in Brazil. It discusses how what seems to be the renewal of forms of engagement and of political action and of the role of in the context of the blur the boundaries between and life today.It particularly focuses on the actions of Contra File, one of the so-called collective of artists”, groups which operate in public spaces producing performative that mix and activism in a quite different fashion comparing to those of the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Based on the connectionist logics of the networks (Granjon, 2001; Antoun 2004), these actions can be considered a social practice with interesting communicative aspects since they connect in a unusual ways spaces, media technology, social actors and artistic forms. These actions are often categorized as urban interventions or site specific art (Pallamin, 1998). However they use to escape all definitions as they problematize the very concepts of and activism in order to discuss participation, social rules and control.