CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR COMMUNITY & PERSONAL CHALLENGES
This workshop is an opportunity for participants to discover solutions orientated thinking and empathetic approaches for personal, social and environmental challenges.
Drawing upon over 20 years experience of traveling the world and working in the arts, music and multimedia, I introduce people to the role of art and culture in community building to provide creative solutions for our present and future directions.
Given an appropriate role and priority, art and culture have been shown to have a long term positive effect upon individuals as well as communities.
The outcome is the development of:
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- an ability to seek solutions rather than problems
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- a connection with one’s own inspirational source
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- thinking outside of the box
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- dissolution of competitive attitudes that block co-operation
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- accepting ideas and input from others
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- trust in one’s co-creators
- a sense of community and team building
Presentation
Using current and historical examples along with examples from previous projects I have participated in, I talk about how the arts influence our lives and that of others and illustrate these points using slide images and video clips.
Art is often viewed by the mainstream as a trivial pursuit, but in fact, it acts as a powerful seed for change in the world. Many ideas which start on the artistic fringes of society end up shaping the future of the mainstream society by inspiring great leaps in technology or social change. Without art we would not be living in the world we live in today. By experiencing and participating in the arts we can transform our outlook and thinking, thereby enacting change in our surrounding world.
The arts also serve the purpose of social integration and this workshop will improve levels of concentration, trust, team-work and group responsibility.
Interactive Exercises
To help loosen them up, participants in the workshop will engage in fun games which will give them a sense of play and free exchange. The games will promote quick thinking, spontaneity, adapting to changing situations, problem-solving and co-operating with others they don’t know. Participants will also learn to take risks and positively embrace “failure”, all essential parts of a learning process. By learning to be outcome independent, they will be more willing to accept other people’s perspectives, thereby also providing the basic tools for conflict resolution.
The game exercises make use of:
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- use of physicality with characters
Outcomes – improved levels of:
- collective responsibility
Co-creation
Through the interactive exercises, participants learn to open up to others, align themselves with an experience, and be outcome independent. In short, to go with the flow. The next step aims then to have the participants to apply this to a physical creation, and let go of physical attachments and ownership.
Participants will be guided through the process of collaborative artwork creation, either painting or drawing, dependent upon, space and materials available.
The aim is not to produce a masterpiece. This is where the previous step helps with bringing participants to the essential point of being unattached and outcome independent. They will be freer from creative blockages and inhibitions, especially for those who claim to have no artistic ability.
Through applied experimentation, they will learn that mistakes are a valuable learning tool and often the best teacher. Accepting one’s own mistakes and those of others help us to produce an inclusive whole.
The final artwork will be documented and become part of future workshop presentations.
Workshop Co-ordinator – Leo Plaw
Leo is self-taught in many creative fields such as multimedia, video and painting. He has had studios in Brisbane, Sydney, London, Berlin and Vienna. His artwork has been exhibited internationally in Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal and the U.S.A.
Leo’s early creative career was dominated by multimedia production. By the mid 90’s he was well underway with painting. Greater involvement in the local Brisbane art scene led him to participate in organizing arts events.
Through Queensland Multimedia Arts Centre he also became part of the production team for W@RP TV, a programme that aired on Optus Local Vision, which focused on Multi-Media Arts. He was involved in planning, directing, filming and editing.
He teamed up with Brisbane band Full Fathom Five to provide them with video, slide and film projections for their live concerts throughout Australia. Leo went on to work with international bands and performers such as Salmonella Dub, Mad Professor and Lee Scratch Perry.
In 2003 Leo left Australia and traveled to Europe. He eventually settled in Berlin where he focused solely on painting. Leo also started to travel extensively to meet and network with other artists.
Leo and his artwork has been published in numerous books and magazines and resides in many private art collections. He has also been interviewed numerous times on radio and TV.
