Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic...Show moreThis study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic process, this study focuses on place and space as conditions in which artistic process can emerge. My goal is to explore the diversity of these artistic practices and spaces in which it is practiced. In terms of discussing the experiences of place and space, I would like to explore the perspectives of policy makers and the lived experiences of the artists within the place and space. This study aims to offer a more focused navigation of artistic processes; and explores what (pre)conditions are needed for the artists to engage in their artistic process. It aims to shift the approach from exploring art as established institution, to art as “practice”. Therefore, my aim in this article is to explore artistic practice and the role of place and space, and the artistcommunity in it (both physical and social). I used qualitative research methods and observational filmmaking as a research tool to generate empirical data. The results of this research are presented in a textual output (this article), and an audio-visual output (the film: Space for Artistic Practice, 2021), with both being part of the same overarching research. Two of my participants allowed me to study them more intensively on their artistic process. This provided insight in the small-scale aspects of their social reality, such as interaction, the forms of communication through art and their artistic processes. I introduce the concept of “creative sphere” as a mental space, which artists can experience when the workspace meets certain desired preconditions, and artistic process can happen. This approach discusses how the division and ordering principles of the space is part of an artistic interpretation and discusses different conditions in which art is made. Place and Space for artistic practice and artistic process has a political side, but it also has a personal side. Therefore, this article is divided in two parts. In the first part, I explore artistic practice in relation to place and space in a macro perspective (political and community), and in the second part, I will discuss the role of space in artistic process (personal and in a more philosophical perspective).Show less
