TAKE A SEAT
By Billy Lingwood (any pronouns)
Socially engaged art acts as a facility to disrupt this narrative, creating space for transformation and transcendence. This practice stretches beyond the utopian ideal that art is confined to pristine galleries or exclusive cultural spaces, accessible only to those with the knowledge or means to enter. It is about dialogue, interaction and transformation. In socially engaged art, the trained artist and arts worker become practitioners working with communities, not simply creating for them. Artists have long been at the forefront of social change. In times of conflict, oppression or uncertainty they use their practice to challenge the status quo. From the murals of Belfast and massive quilts memorialising victims of the AIDS pandemic to the “die-in” performances at anti-genocide protests, social artists create works that speak to society’s most pressing issues, inviting participation and dialogue. Social art is a space in time for communication and the sharing of ideas. Its power lies in being lateral, not hierarchical. It’s not just about one person imparting knowledge; it’s about dialogue - an exchange between artist and audience, creator and community. Yet, in the current economic system, art is often seen as an afterthought, a small item on the budget, a “window dressing” to cover up deeper anxieties. The arts are frequently treated as a luxury, a frivolity… but in truth, the economic system itself is an act of artistry. The pursuit of profit, power and endless growth is an invention, a storytelling narrative. We have never lived at a time of greater abundance of resources specific to human requirement yet the illusion of scarcity carefully fostered by the very powerful keeps entire populations in a state of fear-fuelled ignorance . In an era that prioritises efficiency over empathy, socially engaged art offers a vital alternative. It calls us to slow down, to listen and to understand. Through creative practice, it nurtures connections and challenges us to see beyond the surface. Artists continue to work with and for communities, providing a crucial counterpoint to the commercial machinery of our world by making visible the invisible, giving voice to the
silenced and tackling the uncomfortable or unspoken topics others would rather ignore. THIS RESILIENCE FLOWS FROM AN OLDER WELL: A CULTURAL INSTINCT TO GATHER, CREATE AND ENDURE. Culture thrives wherever people communicate. It’s a living force, evolving through interactions, exchanges and moments of shared creativity. Art allows us to question, to disrupt, to see beyond the surface. Socially engaged artists, by working directly with communities, use their practice to transform these moments into opportunities for change. My granny’s playful disruption of the butterfly bun, an act so simple yet so meaningful, created laughter and connection. It was an act of socially engaged artistry. She used an everyday moment to create a shared experience, a symbol of affection that soothed painful memories of hardship and brought us closer together. In this quiet disruption, there was more than just a mistake. There was intentionality, a choice to engage and stir something in us. Just as socially engaged artists challenge norms, spark conversations and provoke thought, granny’s baking became a medium of communication and an expression of the playful, irreverent spirit that makes life richer. By embracing art as a tool for engagement, we allow it to serve its most vital purpose: not simply to reflect the world, but to transform it.
It’s 1995, we’re at my grandparents’ farm and my granny has just finished adding the final flourish to a batch of butterfly buns. She doles them out to siblings, cousins and grandad. “Oops,” says grandad, “you’ve done it again!” He’s in absolute stitches now, showing us all that his bun has two paper casings instead of one. GRANNY LOOKS AT ME WITH A MISCHIEVOUS TWINKLE IN HER EYE. She did this intentionally, every time. It’s something that made him laugh once, many decades before, and became part of their household culture. Both were born in 1921, civil war was brewing, scarcity and further rationing on the way in their early adulthood meant they were no strangers to hardship. The idea of wasting something, anything, was both absurd and hilarious to them. These deliberate acts of playful disruption exist in every couple, family and community and scale up to national, even planetary, levels. That’s what culture is for. It develops organically as a means to communicate wherever life decides to exist. It speaks through our food, dress, craft and movement. What could be suffering, a clash, a struggle, a war, is soothed by the balm of culture. Culture has the power to absorb an infinite amount of energy, creating a space where ideas can be debated, hostility transformed and joy nurtured. Socially engaged art is a relatively new term for an age-old practice: deliberately using culture in a collaborative and participatory way, engaging communities to transform social, cultural and political dynamics. The future builds on the past, so the past controls the future.
SOCIALS: Website: billylingwood.com
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