Searching for sustainable alternatives and socio-cultural innovation through participatory art and design

Abstract

Participatory arts and design belong to an area of knowledge characterized by transdisciplinarity. Based on this understanding, it is useful to look for influences in different social engagement practices with communities, namely the different methodologies and methods, and the appropriate means of expression for developing participatory actions and their communication with other audiences. This is the logic that runs through the initiatives that we have created and that we present here as case studies: More South, Catapult, and Shifting Ground projects. Before presenting the projects, an argument is woven based on the development of disciplinary knowledge and the existence of intersubjectivity between all areas of knowledge. In participatory visual arts and design, the empirical experience is also valued alongside the theoretical and/or practical domain of a particular area. Some artistic practices that demonstrate the paradigm in question are examples and features highlighting the holistic character and ethical dimension of participatory artistic practices. We highlight the tradition of disciplinary knowledge as a fundamental area for deepening artistic knowledge, but we argue that it should coexist with other information and understanding sources. Innovation in participatory art and design depends on the simultaneous development of both approaches; one more focused on the medium of expression and the respective discipline, and the other on the expansion to other domains and agents.