This thesis examines contemporary art projects that are installed in unconventional sites
in urban neighbourhoods. Using the conceptual framework of the neighbourhood
imaginary, I propose that these local art practices utilize neighbourhood spaces to engage
with nation, identity and citizenship practices within the contemporary discourse of
globalization. The three art projects I investigate address different aspects of
neighbourhood. Cuban artist René Francisco Rodriguez’s (René Francisco) project, El
Patio de Nin, foregrounds the citizen in an urban neighbourhood. His project merges
creativity and pedagogy with social service, and blurs the boundaries between art and life
in order to comment on social conditions and citizenship practices. The Legacy of Joseph
Wagenbach (2006), by Toronto artist Iris Häussler, uses a home in an urban
neighbourhood as a physical space in which to create an imaginary life to explore aspects
of community, human behaviour and social values. The Swamp Ward Window, a
Kingston-based curatorial project, takes advantage of the intimacy of the private home
and the immediacy of the street to present artworks that explore the interface between
public and private and everyday life in the community.
Cornelius Castoriadis argues that the social imaginary emerges when the subconscious,
the symbolic and action interact, not merely to reflect the outside world, but to create new
meanings from which social change is possible. In my analysis, the neighbourhood
imaginary resonates with the social imaginary, functioning as a conceptual laboratory for
artists to experiment with the different meanings associated with neighbourhood,
community and citizenship. I propose that a reengagement with the local, as part of a
iii
global discourse, provides an opportunity to examine art projects that manifest in
neighbourhoods. And, while taking place in different socio-political circumstances, the
shared condition of locality, I argue, provides a window through which the three projects
envision linkages between aesthetic practices and public life. Finally, in order to
critically consider local artistic practices in relation to globalization and the
commodification of culture, this thesis engages those discourses of globalization that see
culture as integral in new global economies. / Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2008-02-29 13:04:52.207
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/1051 |
| Date | 03 March 2008 |
| Creators | Purdie, Jocelyn |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 32847291 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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