Editorial: Social Works? Open journal

By

Social Art Library | Lucy Wright

Published in September 2021 as part of the extended digital edition of Social Works? Open journal…

“Welcome to the long-awaited second issue of Social Works? Open, Axis’s journal for and about social practice art. It’s been almost three years since the first issue launched back in November 2018 at the Social Art Summit in Sheffield, and I think it’s fair to say that both the landscape of social practice and the world in which we live and work has changed significantly in the time between.”

We’d had the idea of creating a second issue of the journal for a long time, but the strange and unhappy events of 2020 made recording the thoughts and experiences of social artists an even bigger priority. Artists working with people were undeniably hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic as face-to-face activities were cancelled and social inequalities deepened. But at the same time, the role of social art feels more crucial than ever, providing new ways to stay connected in spite of the distance and offering models for a more equitable ‘new normal’ going forwards.

Although the impacts of Covid-19 certainly weigh heavy in many of the articles in this issue, this is not specifically a pandemic-themed edition. The last 18 months have also seen the powerful resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, government back-pedalling on trans rights and the continued spectre of male violence, among other injustices. We deliberately cast the net very wide when calling for article submissions, receiving a huge number of really high-quality proposals that deal with a range of topics most important to social artists right now. Because of the sheer number of very worthy pieces, we decided to offer both print and digital edits of the journal this time around, each offering a carefully curated selection of writings and contributions from artists working in and with ‘the social’.

For Axis, the last three years have also seen major growth in our provision around social practice art. Following the completion of the ‘Models of Validation’ project with Prof Amanda Ravetz (Manchester Metropoltian University) in 2019, we began working on Social Art Library, a new artist-led online archive of projects and resources for social art which launched in June 2020 (www.socialartlibrary.org). We’ve also been working closely with Social Art Network to develop new ways to support social practice art and artists, including via our interactive Social ARTery platform.

We hope you enjoy this collection of writings and word-image productions by social artists in the UK and beyond! If you’d like to get in touch with any feedback, please do so at: librarian@socialartlibrary.org

Lucy Wright, editor and ‘head librarian’ at Social Art Library

Featured

Sophie + Rachael

Sophie Lindsey and Rachael Disbury have been collaborating since 2016. Through loose and seasonal art making, creative conversations and their personal friendship, they question conventions of food, participation, labour and communication.

Sophie is an artist-curator based in Wales, part of the artist group SUll Collective and collaborative duo Site Sit. She works responsively across text, GIFs, performance, workshops, video, and public-space interventions.

Rachael is an artworker based in the Scottish Borders, with a focus on social practice. She is a Director of Alchemy Film & Arts, a cultural organisation invested in film as a means of generating discussion and strengthening community.