The politics of radical interdependence in critical pedagogies: A non-alternative context for CAMPUS at Nottingham Contemporary

Abstract

The past fifteen years have seen a rich debate situating the curatorial in the expanded field of exhibition-making, towards dialogical and discursive formats. Under the umbrella term the ‘educational turn’, pedagogical programmes have explored classroom aesthetics and the emancipatory potentials of pedagogy in the arts and curating – within and outside arts institutions. This article investigates the relevance of such pedagogical programmes in the cultural sector that aim to generate an open resource for long-term critical debates and collective thinking. The article reflects on the role of cultural institutions in wider discussions around the neo-liberalization of formal education and the political potentials of new pedagogical initiatives. It draws on decolonial problem-posing pedagogy to counter the increasing cultures of anti-intellectualism and anti-complexity in the United Kingdom (UK). The text reflects upon the experience of the CAMPUS Independent Study Programme, I curated in 2019–20 at Nottingham Contemporary, a contemporary art centre in the United Kingdom. Contrary to the popular claim for alterity and outsideness, this article demonstrates the political role of embeddedness and radical interdependence in critical pedagogical initiatives in contemporary art institutions.