Collaboration or Participation

At what point does participation become collaboration, as Yvonne mentioned in today's collaborative strategies agreed a hierachy does exist, i found it helpful to illustrate this point below:



As shown at the bottom of the scale of collaboration is solo work, pretty straight forward, right?

Next we have solo works which incorporate an interactive element for example - Yoko Ono's "Wish Tree For Gateshead" which i saw at the Baltic last year, which like many of the Fluxus movement involves participation, but in m opinion this is not collaboration as the notion of writing down a wish is preconceived by the artist and not the public collaborators.

Here are a few notable collaborations that I remember from the past years news, it is interesting to note just how fine the line between participation and collaboration is.



Although this will most certainly be deemed under the participation heading i thought it worth a mention. Hirst requested sets of identical twins dress in identical clothes and sit at various intervals under one of his spot paintings (the spot paintings are interesting to note and have garnered lot's of publicity to the fact that Hirst whilst having his name alongside the works and getting credited for them, did not himself pick up a brush for them, so should they be credited to the artist behind them, in most cases this was Rachel Howard, as solo work or should they be deemed a collaborative between the two?),

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/going-out/whats-new/tate-modern-seeks-identical-twins-for-blockbuster-pop-art-show

Another project more relevant to us Yorkshire folk is local artist Kane Cunningham's risky new project:

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/whatson/exhibitions/4818014.Kane_Cunningham_s_House_art_project_at_Cayton__Scarborough/

Some could draw a tired link between Kane collaborating with nature in this piece which documents his new studio's demise into the sea, but it is Kane's request for letters and art to hang within the house that could be seen as collaboration due to his lack of specifics within this request, but due to all the press and I imagine subsequent work being credited to Kane himself, i deem this to merely be participation prompted by Cunningham utilizing the press gained by the controversial nature of his plan, to his advantage.



An upcoming exhibition by the "If You Could " project doesn't need much questioning of it's collaborative nature, entitled "If You Could Collaborate" it features 33 pairings of artists from a whole host of disciplines and showcases the results of their partnerships.ye


Here is one that caught my eye:

Featuring printer Rob Ryan and the 'canvas' of a flatpack rocking chair provided to him by designer Michael Marriott.



Information on the other 31 collaboratives can be found at:
http://www.ifyoucould.co.uk/collaborate