We are involved in community gardening for lots of reasons, some of which I have mentioned on the "Why we love Community Gardening" page. Here are a few more:
Disclaimer: I hope I am not really as self righteous as I sound on this page. These are my opinions. They may turn out to be untrue. They may not. If you have anything to add, or if you think I'm talking gibberish, email me on actionwench@yahoo.com
I am a practicing artist living in East Oxford. I consider the community garden to be an important part of my art practice. It maybe seems unimportant to discuss the definition of art and to argue the case for a community garden as an 'art' project. However, there are some very important points to be made. I (and millions of others) believe that consumer culture is destructive, greedy, inhumane and not sustainable. The prolonged continuation of the present system is likely to prove apocalyptic...
So what does this have to do with art?
This
culture that I criticize is based upon (amongst other things) the practice
of distinguishing, categorising and dissociating aspects of our existence.
We think of our world as made up of millions of individual pieces, rather
than as a whole. We do not make links, except where the cause and effect
are obvious, direct and quantifiable.
This culture sees 'art' as separate from 'politics' as separate from 'agriculture' as separate from 'conservation' etc. This encourages irresponsibility. Couple this with greediness and waste (implicit in a society based upon economic growth) and our exploitative attitude towards nature and other peoples; and we march like genocidal lemmings into ecological and social meltdown.
Along with all other activities carried out within this framework, the practice of making art reflects western cultural values. We have a very narrow definition of 'art'. What our culture recognises as 'art' is a very individualistic pursuit - the expression of what is inside a person. The artist operates within a vacuum, considering only the creative process they are engaged in. The relationship between the artist and the audience is one-way. The artist is not encouraged to consider the audience during the making of an artwork; the artists job is finished once the work is 'out there'. The works ethical / social implications are not the artists responsibility. We, the audience, have to educate ourselves to appreciate the artists work. This makes the audience elite rather than inclusive, as artistic education requires time, money etc. and generally implies a high social / financial status within our society. The mention of 'art' alienates people who have not had this education. I believe the word 'art' could enjoy a more relevant and socially useful definition, and that this can benefit us in our day to day lives. It is only recently (in the last few hundred years) that 'art' has become dissociated from 'the rest of our lives'. Art can and must, if it is to have any validity, serve a function outside the narrow and snobby circle defined as the 'art world'. 'Art' is the practice of creativity - and creativity can be applied by all of us to every aspect of our lives. Our culture states that politics, gardening and art are unrelated activities, but this is a false and damaging separation.
There is another mode of thought that assumes all aspects of our lives are not distinct, but are part of the whole which is our / my / your existence. Any given activity in your life has a baring on the rest of it. This perspective encourages us to act with greater compassion and with a heightened sense of responsibility. We can assume that whatever action we take potentially affects the life of every other living being. If we have any soul at all, then this assumption will ensure a compassionate and thoughtful way of life. This is in direct contrast to the culture of irresponsibility which is making the 'first' world materially wealthy, but socially / culturally / spiritually skint.
As my life is heavily influenced by my art practice, I believe (positive) creativity to be of extreme importance.
Jeremy Lundholm, "Place Jamming" Adbusters magazine no.35
Why is important to build a community - for that matter, don't we have one already?
Socially, this practice of categorisation and separation has had catastrophic effects. We have become extraordinarily alienated from each other, suspicious of any face that does not mirror our own. We live in the age of individualism, we cannot remember how to function as a group. We compete and hoard, we do not cooperate and share. Our innermost emotions are manipulated by advertising campaigns and political spin. Follow through western thinking to its ideological conclusion and we have a world of lonely and isolated individuals, stripped of their humanity, never communicating on a level deep enough to realise that their experiences are shared by others. When people join together they become powerful. In order for those at the top of the corporate / political power structure to keep us pawns under control, they divide us. Because of this cynical power game our sense of community has suffered a near terminal breakdown. However, once we recognise this and understand its importance, we can take steps to reverse the process...The first step...is to recognise that a community does not exist passively. It is not enough that people live in the same area, share a characteristic or lifestyle, or even that they share the same goals. A sense of community, of belonging, has surprisingly little to do with these factors. A genuine community may be made up of many disparate individuals - after all, we are all human. A community is defined by the attitudes of its members. A genuine community is self aware. The members of this community must recognise their bond, and consciously work to maintain and evolve their communal life. For instance, a group of friends working on a project such as the East Oxford Community Garden form a bond together. This bond, if nurtured, will form a genuine community of people - brought together by a common goal - looking out for, and supporting each other. This supportive network creates a climate in which people gain the confidence to reach their expressive potential. The group becomes a powerful positive force; far more so than had its members (however talented and passionate as individuals) remained isolated from each other.
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