I was lucky enough to be a 2017-2018 Centre for Mobilities Research CEMORE Visiting Fellow, Lancaster University. I worked closely with the Director of Mobilities Lab Dr Jen Southern, as well as Professor Emma Rose and Dr Linda O Keefe of the Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts, and successfully co-curated the Art & Mobilities Network Inaugural Symposium. The study and practice of Art & Mobilities has been gaining momentum in the past decade. This includespioneering solo and collaborative work led by Jen, a key player in the field. The Art & Mobilities network consolidates, celebrates and develops this work. On 3rd July, nearly thirty artists, writers, curators and researchers gathered at the Peter Scott Gallery. Apart from UK-based colleagues like Nikki Pugh, Elia Ntaousani, Bruce Bennett and Bron Szerszynski, we were joined via Skype by Mimi Sheller (USA), Owen Chapman (Canada), Kaya Barry (Australia) and Sven Kesselring (Germany). UK participants brought with them objects, images or texts for a pop-up exhibition. We wrote our big ideas on a ‘manifesto wall’ and considered the histories of mobilities in art practice through a timeline running across the Gallery. Jen gave a keynote packed full of information and provocations covering creative research methods, the aesthetics of mobility and so on. We closed the colloquium with a role and ‘next step’ that each of us intends to perform to get the group going. In the longer term, we will seek funding to build this network internationally and to facilitate collaborations and activities such as conferences, exhibitions and publications.I also gave a keynote lecture which was a performance-lecture of how art and mobilities collide for me as an artist, curator and woman. I re-present a version of it, which you can see above or here, in the form of an online story through 100 slides. In addition, I collated an ‘instant journal’, an experimental platform which documents some of our activities and thoughts, and which we will continue to edit and develop. You can see this below or here.
I wishes to extend my gratitude to Jen as well as Professor Monika Büscher both of whom I first acquainted with in 2012 when I participated in the CEMORE Annual Research Day. I also wish to thank Tess Baxter, Jocelyn Cunningham, Richard Smith and all colleagues involved. I am excited as the end of my fellowship marks the beginning of new possibilities for myself and others through this Network.
–> Follow next steps here
–> Flickr album on the inaugural symposium
–> Twitter discussion #ArtMobs:
–> Art & Mobilities timeline
–> More on Kai: @kaisyngtan www.kaisyngtan.com
