YOUTHWORK AS ART
Richard James continues his series looking at youth ministry through a range of academic filters, by suggesting that youth workers should think of themselves less as social engineers and more as ‘cultural artists.’ Includes practical suggestions to help young people to explore ‘the art of life.
Accompanied by my Dad, I left the sunny London South bank and entered via the continually revolving doors at the riverside entrance to the Tate Modern. Striding across the polished concrete floors we advanced towards the intriguingly titled Turbine Hall.
As we arrived on the observation balcony our vigorous strides slowed gradually to a cautious stop. We were now in the heart of this temple of modern art surrounded by merry throngs and clicking cameras. In front of us, laid out like a sanitised warehouse, was a dystopian vision of a plastic, synthetic future. The exhibition we were looking at comprised hundreds, if not thousands of plastic cubes that had been cast and clumped together to create the impression of a cityscape, with low lying suburbs and central sky scrapers. As we looked on we noticed that among these artificially created streets people were wandering; touching; feeling, and for us as balcony observers, being a part of this artistic impression of life.
Intrigued by the artistic pattern of life being performed in front of us, my Dad and I turned and ventured down the steps that led to the entrance to the installation. As we disappeared into the synthetic city we realised we had now stopped becoming mere observers and critics of art, and instead become participants in the art of life.
The art of life
From the very earliest times, people have sought to explain and understand their identity and the world around themselves through artistic expression. From the ancient paintings on cave walls to the modern installations in galleries such as the Tate, art has not only been a form of expression but also a means of interaction and explanation. Having examined the history of art in his book The Sacred Neuron, John Bowker suggests a definition as ‘the interaction between presence and absence’. In other words, just as a holiday photograph is not a frame of a landscape we once visited but rather a stimulus for our memories, emotions and ideas, so art is a means by which we connect that which is real with that which is ideal.
This article can be found in its entirety in the January 2010 issue of Youthwork magazine. Check out our great subscription offers now!