Speakers Corner

Whilst walking around the gallery on Saturday talking with visitors, I was struck by the variety of the responses to Beuys and maybe that's as it should be.  There were quite a few people familiar with the philosophy of his work and though I got the impression that for some, Beuys is Here felt like visiting a foreign land without a phrase book, still there were others who were intrigued enough to find their own way into his ideas.  When people wanted a definitive answer to what I feel to be the near impossible question "What is it about?", my response was that this exhibition really forces me to think and that is what I think it is about.

There was plenty of robust exchange at Speakers Corner and I'd like to thank everyone who took part, especially our guest speaker, the homeopath Alex Wear. Alex explored how we engage with nature and the disastrous impact he sees in our continuing abuse of the environment.  He discussed the connection between our actions and the world as it is functioning(or not) and how pollution and excessive use of chemicals can have a devastating effect upon our health. He is concerned that future generations will inherit a sick and dangerous world if we do not make radical changes to how we think and behave.

The discussion opened up to the floor and there were many responses to the issue of how we begin to think differently and change for the better.  Many expressed the view that change is necessary, but for a while it seemed like there were more questions than answers. Initially, people expressed a lack of faith in those who hold power and their motives, on the negative impact of the media.  The debate shifted to the idea that we waste valuable energy and time apportioning blame - far better to take personal responsibility for the solutions we must find than to distance ourselves from the problem.  Though intellectual solutions alone are not the answer, neither is responding in an entirely emotional way - balance and proportion were valued by many. Talk to each other, think about changing systems, lobby your MP.  

One speaker felt that there was a quiet revolution happening; that the general public seems to be turning to alternative therapies much more and she felt this had a positive impact on the collective consciousness.  There were others that wanted to see practical solutions to the issues we face: leading by example, opening up debate and organising change at a local level, making ethical choices as a consumer - again returning to the need for personal responsibility.

It was widely agreed that the time has come for people to direct their  focus away from personal gain but the problem lies in how best to do this. How do we harness individual creativity and experience, not just within the education system (though that is essential), but also within the community and across all ages? 

What I took away from the afternoon was the importance of thinking with your head and heart in equal measure.  "Get involved" seemed to be a recurring theme along with the need begin the change with oneself, all very much in keeping with the spirit of Beuys. 

 

 Thanks once more to those who took part.  Apologies for any omissions, please feel free to add any contributions you may have or expand on any of the themes noted.  

 

Speakers' Corner

Thanks to those people who participated in the discussion in response to Martin Goldsmith's presentation on Sunday.

Martin has documented Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park over many years. His aim, he said, was to represent the variety of the people participating in these events - speakers and crowd members. In particular he is interested in representing dialogue and democratic forms of interaction. He uses an older type of camera where you stare down into the viewfinder and this seems to be less confrontational for his subjects. He feels like he is part of the crowd, not a detached observer although he admits that the photographs are the result of a series of edits, including the moment he chooses what/who to shoot.

Some people who came to Martin's talk had personal experiences of Speakers' Corner and were taken there as children.

The conversation ranged quite widely. Points covered included:

• How Speakers' Corner had changed over the years - discussions now seemed less serious, more a form of entertainment than serious political engagement.
• The origins of Speakers' Corner seem to be connected with gallows and public executions. Crowds used to gather at Tyburn as a form of entertainment and to listen to the condemned person's final words.
• Political positions were perhaps more polarised in the '30s - now communities are atomised, people feel smaller in relation to the big issues. There is more freedom but paradoxically people feel less powerful. We used to do things collectively but now children are kept indoors and separate.
• We live in a surveillance society but new technologies also offer new possibilities for information-exchange and political action - e.g. use of twitter in Iran.
• Rights (free speech for example) are not just given - they need to be maintained. There needs to be a soap-box in every town.

Apologies for admissions: if you were add the discussion, please add the topics you remember. You are also welcome to comment if you weren't at the discussion but are interested in the themes.

Thinking about Beuys, we could continue to discuss the relationship between art and politics and the nature of 'genuine' participation...

Beuys Is Here

Joseph Beuys at the De La Warr Pavilion

From 4 July - 27 September we will be showing the work of German artist Joseph Beuys (1921-86), as part of ARTIST ROOMS on tour with The Art Fund.

As part of our interpretation programme we are working with five artists to explore, discuss and interrogate Beuys's work and ideas: Susan Diab, Sharon Haward, Kevin Graal, Bern O'Donoghue and Michaela Ross.

You can:

• Engage with our interactive Information Booth.
• Join one of our artist team for a personal perspective of the exhibition (alternate Saturdays at 2pm)
• Participate in the discussion in Speakers' Corner (see below)

See our website for full details of events and activities. http://www.dlwp.com/
Weekly summaries of conversations and discussions generated by the exhibition will be posted here.


Speakers’ Corner, near London’s Marble Arch, is the spiritual home of the British democratic tradition of free public speech and soapbox oratory. During the exhibition Beuys Is Here at the De La Warr Pavilion, we will be creating our own Speakers’ Corner in recognition of Joseph Beuys's use of dialogue and discussion as part of his work.

On Saturday afternoons at 3.30pm during the exhibition, you are invited to hear speakers from a variety of backgrounds and interests, inspired by the ideas of Joseph Beuys. The speakers will have the floor for 15 minutes then the discussion will open up. A full list of speakers will be available on our website.