Let’s Create - Responsibilities - To create a structure/purpose
To create a structure/purpose
A key challenge in leading co-created work is that if you’re doing it properly, you don’t know what the artistic outcome is going to be.
While the landscape is shifting, many artists talked about tension with funders wanting to know what the product was going to be before work had started. Others talked about the need to co-create what the project was before the creative work started.
There is then the responsibility of keeping the work focused, to a structure in which people feel held and with a clear purpose. Some artists talked about the need for this leadership from the professional to stop projects going off at wild tangents.
Quotes from the research
“The responsibility starts in a co-created collaborative process in designing the project WITH participants before you even start to do the creative process. Ideally this happens before you apply for funding but that’s not always possible, especially if you’re freelance. It means artists are yet again put under pressure to work for free.”
“I found I struggled because I couldn't give commissioners the artistic vision they wanted for their marketing department to sell the show. It was too early in the process, and they wanted to know what it’s going to be. I don’t know! I haven't been in workshops with people, but they needed the info. I wanted it to be co-created and not my vision. I realised I could have put in an overarching shape early on that would have directed the co-creation, rather than it just being so open. That’s what the commissioners needed.”
“You need to know where you're going. It's about the purposefulness of what this session is and that's where the leadership comes in. And you've got to facilitate that and have everybody signed up to the purpose. The shared purpose needs to be in the space in the room. Your responsibility as a leader is to make the work flow in that direction.”
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with JackParris
Jack is a writer-performer, actor, director, musician and facilitator. He specialises in ensemble building, corporeal mime, movement, cross disciplinary improvisation, co-creation and comedy. In 2023, Jack was awarded a DYCP grant by Arts Council England to explore the live relationship between physical action and musical improvisation with an emerging cross-disciplinary ensemble (Bunkum). The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager, is a show which came out of this process and will premiere in May 2024 in London and Brighton. In 2024 he was chosen to be FRESH artist in residence at The Point, Eastleigh where he will continue this work. He is currently Associate Director for Brighton People’s Theatre where he co-created Born and Bread.
