urban concerns . org
URBAN CONCERNS connects citizens in Umeå (Sweden) and Johannesburg (South Africa), as well as the two collaborating art museums, Bildmuseet and Johannesburg Art Gallery. Together with practitioners and institutions, the URBAN CONCERNS research process suggests new avenues for experimentation and practice.
URBAN CONCERNS is a project which addresses questions around human concerns in their built environments as well as the complexities of community dynamics in public space. It is a collaborative project between Bildmuseet, in Umeå – Sweden, and The Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) in Johannesburg, South Africa, inviting artists, urban practitioners, educators and curators to participate in dialogue and practice.
Through interdisciplinary research, the project aims to include individuals, institutions and communities, with a view toward developing a meaningful programme of events. Of interest and concerns are crucial parts of practical everyday urban life, such as communication, commerce, urban planning and transportation, social and public spaces. Of further interest is an investigation of how the elements of urban life relate to the socio-political realities and aspects of democracy, gender and class within the environment. URBAN CONCERNS investigates urban priorities such as social development priorities, community development, cultural diversity, citizenship and issues around informal economics and the public realm. We aim to apply varied methods of investigation with the intention of building awareness of civic concerns as well as developing suggestions to meet these concerns and needs. The project approaches art from an activist’s perspective, redefining the role of the artist as a social and political agent with an ability to facilitate change.
URBAN CONCERNS is curated by Michelle Harris and Veronica Wiman.
