Towards togetherness: probing as a decolonizing approach
Abstract
How can probing benefit participatory art practices? In the art-based PhD project Towards Togetherness: Probing as a Decolonizing Approach, probology is examined and put into action for the purpose of participatory artistic inquiry of decolonization processes. Probes that were designed and used during the participatory practices of this artistic research are exhibited at the Hasselt Beguinage (Z33), together with the main outcome of this PhD: an interactive road-movie that questions aspects of decolonization and gift-giving while driving a Lada Niva from Belgium to the Nenets people in Arctic Russia (the Niva to Nenets project). During three Situated Action sessions, a maximum of three probes will be put into action. For example, soup will be served from a Lada pan and consumed on a blanket that depicts the area within the Arctic Circle, to probe for responses about the theme and the presented approaches. Also, people will be invited to express themselves within the broad theme of decolonization inside a mock-up of the Lada Niva. GoPro camera's support these acts of probing and enable the participants to record themselves and each other. Parts of the recordings, as probing results, will be added to the interactive road-movie on spot. The dissertation of this PhD is scheduled during the exhibition period that follows the conference, leading to a bigger and more diverse audience.
