Experiences, realizations and observations about the pilot project of the Dialogical audience development model
Jenni Sainio / February 2017
In the point of view of the current audience development of Svenska Teatern (Swedish Theatre, Finland) and Tanssin talo (Dance House Helsinki) the collaboration with this project enabled the implementation of a totally new audience development form. In the point of view of an audience developer of an art organisation it was in my view extremely rare and joyful that outside of the art house came a functioning and ready idea to be used for the audience development work. Even though applied and group oriented art is much produced as well as performances implemented with a more traditional concept I don´t remember in audience development work previously collided with a fact that an entity from the free field offers a ready, planned model for artistic audience development - let alone a complete project. The collaboration in both organisations worked very well from both sides and was altogetherer a win-win situation: all the parties gained, learned and experienced, the art institute, audience and the artists of the performances. The performance evenings both in Svenska Theatern and Tanssin talo where the commentary performance was seen together with the original performance attracted clearly more viewers than the performances without commentary performances. Successful artistic audience development work has inevitably also a positive promotional influence.
What does it say about our field of performed arts that the partners were found solely from the marginal of the field: from a theatre of a minority language group and a true marginal art form modern dance? I really hope that during my lifetime I will see the collaboration of theatres with the entities of the free field and with many unused possibilities for audience development work to flourish big time. We need plenty of concrete openings and discussion but especially the courage to do things differently.
It was very rewarding to follow and be involved through the whole project. First as an enabler in a role of audience developer in two different art organisations, then as a participant in the group. I got a holistic experience of the different sides of the project.
Somebody has written somewhere that at its best audience development work offers to its participants both the informational dimension and the artistic dimension or aesthetic experience where the art form begins to open up through observation, listening, participation, creation and feeling. And also that an experiental audience project enables the shaping of the viewer/participant´s views and valuations towards the art form. Within this project one went a level deeper: to that actually the own valuations have no permanent meaning but instead one was practicing to receive art, performances from as empty space as possible, without strong influence of the personal valuations and opinions on the experience.
At its best the artistic dimension of the audience development of theatre and dance enables ia the usage of body, movement, rhythm, style, intensity, harmony, beauty, drama, dialog and interaction as well as experiences that are formed through their opposites, which paints the big picture for the participant of what the art form is all about. In this project we were right at these areas. Both in the rehearsals, watching the source performances and performing in the commentary performances.
Participation as a member of the group was a good closing experience from the whole project. The meditative and therapeutic work methods that were applied for the participants´ own way of being by the art made a lasting impression on me. I enjoyed from the bottom of my heart. I also gained a lot from the methods professionally.
Following the project both from outside and inside I believe that social participation for this kind of artistic audience development work had a positive influence on the self-expression and holistic well being of all the group members. The group members that already before were very active consumers of culture will certainly go and have even less prejudice for performances of various forms. It seems that one of the most important goals of audience development was reached in this project: with open minds and hearts to have a bath in the presence of art. To watch, to listen, to experience, to implement, to face.
Finally a little quote, that can be applied for watching a performance - and for life itself:
If you look at zero
you see nothing:
but look through it
and you will see the world.
Robert Kaplan