The Gestures of Participatory Art

Extract

The meaning of participatory art varies widely across sites, modes, and genres as the operations of participation have proliferated across arts disciplines in recent years. The co-option of more radical practices by larger institutions or commercial ventures has further complicated the field. One could easily get entangled in defining and defending the terms and values of participation, a trap that Sruti Bala openly acknowledges in The Gestures of Participatory Art. However, instead of trying to delimit the form, Bala grapples with the broader question: ‘What does it mean to participate in art beyond the pre-determined roles and options allocated to us?’ (p. 1) and with the further central concern which examines ‘the way in which the political premises underlying the call for participation are reimagined aesthetically’ (p. 2). The problems and processes this give rise to are explored through a range of theoretical frames and critical readings of case studies in order to ‘reimagine and reclaim participation’ (p. 24). Bala acknowledges the challenge of addressing the vast field of what can constitute participatory art. She navigates this terrain with a key focus on the function and form of gesture as a performative, liminal lens with which to think and expand the potential understanding and uses of participatory arts practices. Gesture gives a lively yet subtle frame to the topic and offers a potential grammar for participatory art practices rather than hard borders of limiting definitions. Through this consideration of gestures, Bala finds a way towards her goal to ‘delicately alter the terms and conditions of participation’ (p. 3) including non-participation as a critical mode of response.