Against both state control and increasingly corporate private ownership, ‘the commons’ is a space for access and inclusion. It represents that which is not owned but made available for use by all, or at the least for use by those who have had a hand in its production and maintenance.
art in public | participation by michael dirisio
posters prints representation reclamation participation
Reconstructing the commons Mary Tremonte
courtesy Mary Tremonte
Historically the commons has been considered in terms of space. It now addresses both material and immaterial dimensions, with the discussion ranging from common water, land and air, to the virtual commons of the internet. 1 The recent work of Toronto-based artist Mary Tremonte, who is a member of the politically-active printmaking collective Justseeds , calls for a reconstruction of the commons. Her participatory printmaking attempts to reclaim the public space that she so often works within. For a consideration of this work we must ask how we define a public and how this definition effects our conception of public space. Tremonte, informed by the writing of feminist activist and writer Silvia Federici, asks that we consider more deeply the significance of the feminist perspective on collective work. In doing so we expand our definition of the public while developing a more nuanced view of public space, one that might account for a more varied and diverse public. Any reconstruction of the commons must account for this diversity and be developed in relation to it. This is demonstrated in a recent print (above) of Tremonte’s that was exhibited at Civic Space for Windsor’s 2013 MayWorks Festival. For a Feminist Reconstruction of the Commons depicts a quilt with the text of the title sewn into it. Hands are shown reaching in from the edge of the paper, continuing their work on the quilt. For this work Tremonte was inspired by quilting bees, where groups assemble to collaboratively stitch a quilt, emblematic of ‘a space where women come together and work collectively, and where they build community through that collective work’. 1
Collective work, especially that which values the often overlooked domestic or reproductive labour that a quilting bee represents, can contribute to this reconstruction of the commons by creating a shared space to meet the needs of everyday life. Though the location of this space may vary, what is important is that the work is done communally. The significance of the everyday should not be overlooked. Federici, whose writing Tremonte refers to as inspiration for this print, argues that in our current discussion of the commons we often under-value the importance of the reproduction of everyday life. This includes domestic work, from cooking and cleaning to mending and home maintenance. Federici states that this work must be recomposed collectively, with tasks being shared, spaces opened and possessions circulated. 2 Although a community centre or housing cooperative is not in itself a commons, it certainly moves us in the right direction, and is one way that the feminist perspective can contribute to a reconstruction of the commons. Another contribution, Federici argues, is a greater focus on the collectivity necessary for any commons to exist. The many hands working on the quilt embody this collective work. In depicting hands alone Tremonte shows not only the collective, but also an inclusive pluralism, beyond a closed representation of a single individual where gender and race are often clearly demarcated. By using only hands, which historically represent action and work, she leaves the figures open, while still depicting the collective nature of this work. Calling for a feminist reconstruction of the commons overtly in the text of the work, she simultaneously demonstrates other, central issues in the realisation of the commons.
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