NAN

Close proximity offered different means of debate in different locations, Polly Carter examines her reaction.

Inspired by how much I enjoyed a weekend of discussions, I found myself thinking about whether or not a discussion forum needs to have direct outcomes or conclusions to be useful, or can it be enjoyed as and for itself? Do the formalities and informalities put in place around a forum effect how people participate in discussion? Some of the discussions over the Close proximity weekend took place around a dinner table, or a campfire, without being named specifically as a ‘forum’. Do people tend to present their thoughts differently, or have different thoughts, if they are in a ‘forum’ as opposed to simply being in a discussion?

‘Talkaoke’ was a feature of the weekend, an upbeat, party-trick sort of a forum. People sit around the edge of a circular table with flashing lights and music blaring, whilst the host sits in the middle on a swivel chair, thrusting a microphone in your face as soon as you make a squeak. The fast pace and light-hearted feel seemed to encourage a ‘thinking aloud’ approach, participants making quick assertions which they would later change their minds about, rather than keeping that process internal. Is this process of thinking aloud missing from more formal forums? Do people feel under pressure to articulate fully-formed opinions and ideas within a discussion forum?

Usually there aren’t any rules about how we engage within a discussion and I get the impression that many people find this intimidating. I do, but I also LOVE discussion forums. I enjoy engaging with what, to me, is a creative process. A place to experiment with thought, to make a series of assertions, which are not ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but part of a journey, which can be enjoyed and has the potential to bring about something new. I relish the time and space to ‘think’, which these forums present. I feel excited by the magic involved in the connecting up of people’s internal dialogues with the external debate, an energy created by what they individually choose to voice. Occasionally I feel inspired, or understood, or that I understand, or I remember something I had forgotten. I enjoy the process. I wonder though, how much this pleasure is shared by others? Can a forum for discussion be special time, relished, savoured and enjoyed, or has it become for most people too much like work?

This article is part of a specially commissioned set of writing resulting from Close proximity, a NAN event devised by Jonathan Swain and Helen Sloan that took place at New Greenham Arts in Berkshire, 21-22 May 2005.

NAN facilitates exchange, dialogue, and collaboration amongst visual artists, whatever their practice and location. It offers a focus for critical exchange and feedback and through research and mapping seeks to develop greater awareness of the value of artists’ initiatives and of their changing professional needs. For more information about NAN go to Networking networks or contact emilia.telese@a-n.co.uk

Polly Carter

Polly Carter runs Armchair Critics in Brighton, she is Education Assistant, Photoworks and a freelance project manager.

First published: a-n.co.uk September 2005