Zines – “a medium that basks in the unruliness and unpredictability of the creative process, zines are gloriously chaotic and difficult to pin down” (Esposito, 2023).
Zines are usually hand-made, have an unfinished feel, and are open to reader feedback, serving the work of artists who are outsiders and countercultural agents. These descriptions chime with the messiness of my creative process, the ‘hard to pin down’-ness of community dance, and speak to the radical countercultural roots of community dance in the late 1970s.
A legacy of this research project is the development of a Zine that shares some of the main themes, thinking, values, visions, tools and processes.
The aim is to share these ideas so that other community dance artists can ‘try on’ some new terminology in their practice.
Perhaps they might select, adapt and apply some of the thinking to practices in the local contexts they are working in.
The hope is that artists who engage with the zine will feedback their thoughts and experiences to collectively refine the practice guide.
This will be work-in-progress for some time.
This process will require some funding.
This page is a holding space for depositing these initial ideas.
Some new provocations for community dance
The community dance artist as placemaker
Who leads the work? The inter-dependent dance artist (as an alternative to independent dance artist)
From Socially-Engaged to Ecologically-Engaged Practice
Shifting the values base of community dance from person-centred to person & place-centred practice
Who takes part? Companions as an alternative to participants
Recognising the value of community dance in holding space for agonism
Frames for practice
Care, Care aesthetics
Place
Values/ethos/visions of practice
Locally made
Person & place-centred
Accessible
Process oriented
Methodology
Slow
Durational
Iterative
Tools
Links to resources from the Woolwich Wandering project are embedded for quick access
- Everyday pedestrian movement – walking, wandering, pausing and resting (WWPR)
- Solo walking, wandering, pausing and resting practice
- Collective walking, wandering, pausing and resting practice – see Project example guides
- Cultural probes – arts based ethnographic tools – Map making, journal making
- Movement scores for public space – see Woolwich Wandering project example
- Other practices that support and or document the home movement practice – Photography, Writing
- One to one conversations (online or in person)
- Group discussion (in person)
- Sharing mindmaps of project findings for companions to comment on and discuss
- Writing Manifesto statements that start “I care…”
- Exhibitions as relational objects
- Hosting public events in places where the community gathers, libraries and community centres.
- Arts based evaluation tools
Process example
Considering the successes and failures of this research project, I summarise a process that other community dance artists may wish to follow in context of their choosing.
The key is to design each phase with care aesthetics in mind.
Phase 0: Set up
Day dreaming – Values, aims, objectives, preliminary ideas, schedule, budget
Funding (if required)
Phase 1: Preparation (& interim evaluation)
Solo WWPR practices
Recruitment of local people to become project companions
WWPR practices with others as required
Creative ethnographic activities with companions – map making, journal making
One-to-one and/or group discussion as required
Collective map making
Outputs as appropriate (i.e. collective map, collective journal sharing)
Interim evaluation
Phase 2: Execution (& interim evaluation)
Group WWPR experiences
Collaborative ‘Care Manifesto’ activity with companions – gather statements
Interim evaluation
Phase 3: Exhibition
Informal public sharing of outcomes of P2 in a format appropriate for lead artist and companions, ideally involving local partners such as public library or community space.
Creation of a Care Manifesto for Public Space that is sent to local councillors, Members of Parliament and other civic stakeholders.
Phase 4: Final Evaluation
Public evaluation of activities so far, experiences, impact and legacy
Phase 5: Legacy and Transition
Output examples
References
Esposito, V. (2023) ‘“Still a very alive medium”: celebrating the radical history of zines’, The Guardian, 28 November. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/nov/28/zines-exhibition-brooklyn-museum-art (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
woolwich wandering 