IN-PERSON: Learning. Life. Work

Abstract

That there are community contributors who feel they don’t belong within processes of place-based change is arguably the single biggest barrier to meaningfully democratic development of our shared public realm. This paper, rooted in practice-based research, is situated at an intersection of knowledges, where socially engaged practices of public art and architecture overlap. The specific focus here is the fostering of a feeling of belonging within working processes, for community members who get involved in the making of place.

Two library case studies will form the focus of the session, in which diverse community groups reimagine the role of these spaces within their neighbourhoods.

Principal Aims to be explored in the session are: – Identification of the Barriers – that which prevents a contributor from feeling they belong, & – An Expansion of the Working Principles and Responsive Innovations to overcome these barriers – that engender a sense of contributor belonging in working processes. Principally this research uses Grounded Theory, “arriving at Theory suited to its supposed uses” (Glaser 1967 p.3) to comparatively analyse case projects. Conditions and working processes are codified and cross-referenced in order to share tools that can be applied in other contexts. Each project is an imperfect prototype, invariably struggling to live up to the ideals of theory but which is, nonetheless, testament to learning – Each time trying, trying again, refining. Iterative and responsive innovations engendering a sense of belonging.