Grasslands (eng)

Paradoxically, this emancipatory aspect did not really resonate with the general
public. They reacted, for the most part, with indignation and scorn to the
avant-garde artists’ provocations and vocal manifestations, even though this
was the group the artists were trying to enlighten. Therefore, the ideas of the
avant-garde were primarily discussed in the shuttered spaces of the elite. Nevertheless,
that the avant-garde movements have, down through the years, provided
concepts, which have influenced our understanding of the individual, the development
of society, and the use of power, is indisputable. Nor that the avant-garde
has paved the way for those artists exploring the possibilities for actively influencing
society, today.
Feminism and Relational Aesthetics
At the end of the 20 th century, an unexpected resurgence in the desire to embark
on socially engaged practices emerged on art scenes around the world. This happened
in fields where feminism and equality played a central role, among others.
In 1998, French philosopher Nicolas Bourriaud published his book »Relational
Aesthetics« describing and giving name to an art that engaged with the world
around it. In it, Bourriaud set about re-actualising contemporary art, which in the
1990’s had been the subject of heavy-handed and often misjudged criticisms for
being ‘blindly political correct’ and ‘too conceptual’. The book had an enormous
impact on the art world in Denmark, where it was received as a sort of contemporary
theoretical manifesto, as it gave expression to an engagement with the world
that was well under way and which has expanded in contemporary art ever since.
Establishing possible meetings
According to Bourriaud: »Each particular artwork is a proposal to live in a shared
world«. He downplays the idea of the artwork as an individual and abstract focal
point, in favour of experimentation with the work’s relationships in a given social
field. He also argues that socially engaged art should involve the establishing of
possible meetings. The meetings must occur voluntarily. They must be reciprocal,
ideally as power free, transparent spaces of edification and platforms for reflection
and engagement in whatever the involved parties agree is important.
Artists such as Birgitte Ejdrup Kristensen and Lene Noer work in a contemporary
orientated and societal-engaged context. They are involved in the world
around them and devote considerable time to their research. Connecting the aesthetic
with the social is self-evident for them. It is also perfectly natural for them
to delve into complex structural and social situations and invite local citizens in
to exploratory groups, as they have done in connection with Grasslands. In this
way, a reciprocal awareness and joint co-ownership is established that creates a
sounding board for a nuanced and skilled art project that speaks to the intellect,
emotions and senses.
Like Bourriaud, they see the aesthetic as the product of a creative process that
arises from encounters, which draw equally on intellectual, physical and material
capital. At the same time, the creative process contributes to the social and
cultural edification of both the individual and the group, as well as to the wider
debates in society, in general. A project such as Grasslands thus supports both a
consolidation of the local village community and citizens self-awareness, while
at the same time forming a nuanced voice in the ongoing debate on the centre
contra the periphery.
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