The Artivist Sailing: Art Therapy and Artivism

A process of research, participation and exhibition, via artivism (activism through arts), in order to address the social emergencies of our time in the fields of Human Rights and duties, Earth Rights and ecosytemic duties, as well as Civil Rights and duties.

This project, to take place from October 2015 until December 2016, will consist of the celebration of two international forums, six dialogue circles, nine laboratory sessions, several citizen interventions, and a final exhibition.

“The Artivist Sailing” will take place in Vitoria, Gernika, Bilbao, Irun-Hendaia, Busturia and Donostia.

The Artivist Sailing

Because artivists do not disembark; they live within the conflict and embark on the difficult and risky task of transforming it.

As artists, being creators instead of destroyers of things, we understand that peace is not one of the options, but rather the only sustainable option.

Gernika Declaration, 1st International Meeting of Art and Peace, December 2003.

Art is now the only evolutionary-revolutionary [(re)evolutionary] power capable of dismantling the repressive effects of a senile social system to build a SOCIAL ORGANISM AS A WORK OF ART. This most modern art discipline — Social Sculpture/ Social Architecture — will only reach fruition when every living person becomes a creator, a sculptor, or architect of the social organism. Only then would the Happening be fulfilled. […] EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST who — from within his state of freedom — learns to determine his position in the TOTAL ARTWORK OF THE FUTURE SOCIAL ORDER. .

Joseph Beuys, I am searching for field character, 1973.

The Artivist Sailing: Artherapy and Artivism is a process of research, participation and exhibition based on the potentiality of art in addressing the social emergencies of our time. We embark on an imaginary vessel in order to sail through the rough seas of civil, human and ecosystemic rights and duties. ‘Artivism’ will be our propeller and rudder.

The logbook:

Three big seas and four types of activities will determine the direction, drifts, and maneuvers of The Artivist Sailing.

Seas:

1) Civil Rights and Duties;

2) Human Rights and Duties;

3) Ecosystemic Rights and Duties (Rights of the Earth and duties toward it).

Activities:

1) The Deck Circles with invited groups and persons: Combatants for Peace, Žene u Crnom, Artifariti, Mosireen, RutaPacífica de lasMujeres, Enmedio, Ruckus Society, UK Uncut, Yes Men or Center for Artistic Artivism, among others. A total of 6 circles will be conducted throughout 2016. Attendance will be open and only limited by the carrying capacity of the place where the Deck Circles are conducted. Each will have a duration of 3 hours.

2) The Laboratory Sessions inspired by the Deck Circles. A total of 9 sessions will be conducted from 2015-2016, 6 of which will immediately follow the Deck Circles. Participation in these sessions will be open, but upon previous registration, which will be extended until the Deck Circle sessions conclude or until the total capacity of the meeting place is reached. The duration will oscillate between 6 and 8 hours.

3) Citizen Interventions. Designed and programmed during the laboratory sessions by all the participants. They will be announced after the workshop.

4) Exhibitions of all the documentation, imaginary or physical, generated throughout our voyage.

The Artivist Sailing: Artherapy and Artivism is an initiative organized by the Gernika Gogoratuz Peace Research Center and the Gernika Peace Museum for the Lighthouse of Peace of the Donostia-San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture.