As a collective we believe that change happens through the infiltration of the everyday. But making real change in society can feel daunting even on a good day. This doesn’t have to be the case. The time is now - We Are Optimistic
It is our dream to create arts experiences that will change the world. As emerging artists we have a vision of a sustaining and enriching art career that is based not on self promotion with the goal of glamorous fame, but on the rewarding experiences of collaboration. We want to do projects that really involve and effect the communities we live in and we want to have fun.
We are imagining new ways of living through making and talking about art. We value everyday experiences as a source for our art practice, as it is there that change happens. Not in some grandiose sweeping revelation, but step by step, day by day. As activists fighting for equality we want to open space for the underprivileged voice in art, voices such as those of women.
We want to make art that breaks down traditional boundaries. We are working across disciplines as writers, activists, performers, and political theorists merging traditional divisions, blurring hierarchies to explore new ways of working and expressing. We are posing questions, asking people to imagine different worlds and new ways of interacting.
We Are Optimistic
Clare Fleming and Kate van der Drift
Previous Project:Patriarchy Free Zone: Imagination Station
A participatory installation project.
Otago University Link. August 2010.
If our society was a woven blanket, Patriarchy would be the warp that we, the weft, thread ourselves through; it forms the structure of our society. It informs the way we experience the world, each other and ourselves. It does so, so completely, that its existence has become almost invisible to us. To inspire the imagining of a world without patriarchy we have created the Patriarchy Free Zone - Imagination Station. Participants can share their vision and respond to others on a large blackboard that stands as a fluid and ever-changing canvas of their imaginings. A garden of info signs provides a backdrop of information and questions that prompt the participant to respond.