Presentación de la tesis/Thesis presentatio (2003)

Presentación de la tesis
Este documento recoge los minutos iniciales de exposición de la tesis, en donde el doctorando estructura su exposición realizando una intervención artística y educativa en el espacio. Esto supuso un abandono del protocolo y perseguía desarrollar de una manera práctica los elementos educativos y artísticos que se manejaban en la tesis, integrándolos en una acción artística espacio-temporal.

El doctorando, previamente al comienzo del acto de defensa de la tesis, advirtió al tribunal que ésta no seguía la estructura convencional, sino que sus contenidos demandaban una presentación diferente. La explicación de la intervención no podía ser adelantada puesto que arruinaría su significado y por esas circunstancias excepcionales solicitó permiso para realizarlo. Los componentes del tribunal accedieron a la propuesta, permitiendo también la documentación de la exposición del doctorando, siempre y cuando no molestase la dinámica de la misma.

Realizadas las presentaciones formales y una vez que el doctorando tuvo la palabra, se levanto de la mesa y cortó un hilo que sujetaba una tela semitransparente situada enfrente de la mesa del tribunal La tela se desplomó justo delante de la mesa de los doctores, separándolos y aislándolos del público y del doctorando

Acto seguido se proyectó, en la tela que dividía al público y al tribunal, un video artístico, en el que aparecía un primer plano del artista-doctorando sonriendo . Mientras tanto el doctorando explicaba los contenidos resumidos de la tesis doctoral, ayudado de una presentación proyectada en la pared del fondo, quedando las dos proyecciones enfrentadas.

El público podía elegir entre: ver la proyección del artista-doctorando sonriendo tensamente o seguir los contenidos teóricos de la presentación de la tesis pero para poderlo apreciar tenía que girarse en su asiento. El doctorando situado cerca de la proyección leía los conceptos sin importarle los comentarios del tribunal de la tesis que seguía encerrado en su tribuna.

Los miembros del tribunal tardaron en salir unos minutos. Se integraron con el público, en el espacio dónde se podía apreciar ambas presentaciones. Allí permaneció hasta el final de la presentación, momento en el que el presidente del tribunal, solicitó que se volviera al protocolo tradicional, pidiendo que fuera retirada la tela e invitando al docente a ocupar el sitio donde empezó la presentación. La documentación del video no refleja la totalidad de la exposición ya que tuvo que ser interrumpida, porque podría interferir con el proceso de evaluación del tribunal.

Thesis presentation (2003)

This video shows the beginning of the artist thesis presentation, where I develop an artistic and also didactic intervention in the space. I broke the protocol in other to take in to practise the didactic and the artistic criteria that he proposed in my research, building a site specific intervention

Previous to the beginning of the exam I warned the tribunal that my presentation didn´t follow the conventional structure, because the contends demanded a different presentation. The explanation of this action couldn’t be advanced, because the meaning could be damaged. So that I asked permission to do it without any previous explanation. Finally the board members allowed me to continue with the proposal, and also to document the process. 

 

Once the formal presentation was made, I stood up and cut down a thread which holt a big cloth. This semitransparent curtain was unrolled in front of the tribunal table, separating and isolating them from the audience and myself 

 

Forthwith an artistic video of the researcher’s smiling face was projected in the big curtain, which divided the public and the tribunal. Mean while the researcher explained the summarised contends of the doctoral thesis, using a projected images, just opposite to the other projection. The public was free to chose from watching the research-artist projection with the tense smile  or following the theoretical contends of the presentation. But to do it, they had to turn in their chair and see backwards. The researcher, situated close to the back of the room, read his speech ignoring the tribunal comments, which was still coffined in their chairs.
 
The tribunal members need some minutes to joint the public space. They integrated to the public space, where it was possible to appreciate both presentations. They were there until the end of the presentation, when the president of the tribunal, asked to return to the traditional protocol, inviting to remove the curtain an requesting the researcher to come back to place where he started the presentation. The video document doesn´t shows all of the presentation because it could have interfered the tribunal evaluation process.

Presentación del profesor-artista (2003)

Presentación del profesor-artista

En la primera clase de la asignatura, el profesor pidió a los alumnos que entrasen todos juntos al aula cuando hubiesen creado un grupo numeroso. Al entrar, encontraron al profesor sentado en frente de una cámara de video.

Este se tapó los oídos, se metió un trapo en la boca, se amordazó y acto seguido empezó a atarse con una cinta de embalar a la silla. Primero los pies y las piernas, después por el tronco y uno de sus brazos. Al no poder continuar por sí mismo, solicitó con gestos la ayuda de los presentes, que contribuyeron al amordazamiento del profesor. Una vez terminada la cinta, incitó con gestos a los presentes a que le vendasen los ojos, con unos pañuelos que previamente había preparado en el suelo. Acto seguido, el profesor paró.

Los estudiantes se quedaron totalmente desconcertados y empezaron a hablar entre ellos, haciendo bromas sobre la situación. A los pocos minutos decidieron desatarlo y el profesor dio las gracias.

La acción de presentación sirvió de motivación para emprender una discusión sobre los límites del arte contemporáneo, la función del profesor, el papel del alumno y del público en las obras de arte participativo, la improvisación, la relación entre el arte y la experiencia cotidiana y la unión del arte contemporáneo y la educación. Se realizó un procedimiento de preguntas dirigidas que ayudasen a reflexionar sobre la experiencia.
Artist-teacher presentation 

In the first day of the subject, the teacher asked their students to come in together, once they create a numerous group. When they came in, they found the teacher sit down in front of a video camera.

He bind up his eyes, introduced a cloth in his mouth, he muzzled himself, and then he wrapped himself with wrapping tape to the chair: First his feet and legs, them his body and one of his arms. He couldn’t continue by himself, so he asked with gestures the cooperation of the public, which they helped to gag him. Once he was totally bounded, he encouraged the students to bind up his eyes, with a handkerchief, which he had prepared in the floor. Forthwith he stopped. 

The students were confused and started talking to each other, making jokes about the situation. After a few minutes they decides to unbind him. The teacher, free from his bindings, thanked the students for his freedom.

The presentation performance worked as a motivation to start a discussion about the limits of the contemporary art, the teacher duties, the roll of the student and public in the participative art works, the improvisation, the relationship between art and daily experience and the relationship contemporary art and education. The teacher used specific questions to make the students think and reflect about these themes.

This simple action reflected about the meaning of the occidental education specifically the artistic higher art education. Studied the need of an educational change which was presented in the performance Reality versus Ficción, and developed in the doctoral thesis based in the common research of the student and teacher without any hierarchical structure. The teacher performance showed and proved the parallelism between the participative art and the participative education. On the other side, this presentation treat the repression and the limitation of the teacher in the institution, needing from the students help to overcome the limitation of the institutional education, based in the specialisation, disciplinary studies and the fragmentation.

Besides this educational perspective, the performance analyse a personal and vital situation. The artist presence in a world, which stimulates and also denies his senses, tied and liberates him, oppress and help him… This open process to the public decision creates a perverse dynamic which makes the viewer accomplice and culpable of the artist suffering.

Clase de la Bienale y Santiado Sierra/ Class of the biennial and Santiago Sierra (2003)E

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Antes del inicio de la clase se solicitó la ayuda de una guardia de seguridad del centro, María.  Ella tenía que solicitar el documento nacional de identidad, u otro documento legal que demostrase la nacionalidad española de los asistentes a la clase. Los alumnos fueron advertidos previamente de la necesidad de venir ese día documentado a la clase. A pesar de la advertencia, algunos alumnos quisieron entrar a la clase. Se les denegó hasta pasar 20 minutos, momento en el que se trataría la obra de Santiago Sierra en la Bienale de Venecia. 

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Before the beginning of the class, the help of a security guard from the center, María, was requested. She had to request the national identity document, or other legal document that demonstrated the Spanish nationality of the assistants to the class. The students were previously warned of the need to come to the class that day documented. Despite the warning, some students wanted to enter the class. They were denied until 20 minutes, at which time the work of Santiago Sierra at the Venice Biennale would be treated.

Realidad vs. (a)ficción/ Reality versus fiction (2003)

Realidad vs. (a)ficción
Desafío artístico y futbolístico consistente en jugar un partido de fútbol, enfrente del museo de arte contemporáneo el día 05.04.03. En el encuentro se enfrentaban la realidad, compuesta por tres educartistas que impartían un seminario de arte participativo en la Universidad Europa de Madrid, contra la (a)ficción, integrada por un equipo de 3 personas que se iban cambiando con el público, entre los que estaban los estudiantes de dicho taller.

Este reto tuvo lugar a la entrada del prestigioso Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Reina Sofía, lugar donde se encuentran las obras institucionales más significativas de la ciudad, pero que raramente alberga manifestaciones de arte participativo, reivindicativo, social y popular. Sin embargo, en la plaza donde se desarrolló el encuentro, suele reunir a niños, inmigrantes, marginales y espontáneos a practicar el deporte más popular: el fútbol. Elevado a la categoría de arte gracias a los medios de comunicación, seduce a la población real y no real y hace olvidar el presente, aquí en Madrid, y en el Reino Unido, y en Marruecos, pero también en Irak y más allá...
 
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Reality versus (a)fiction[1]

Football and art challenge, consisting in playing a football match in front the Madrid´s Contemporary Art Museum on the 05.04.03. In this game, ‘reality’ which included ‘artist teachers’ who were following a collaborative workshop in the European University of Madrid, played against ‘Fiction’ formed by students of the afore mentioned workshop, which changed each other with different members of the public.

It took place at the entrance of prestigious Reina Sofia Nationals Contemporary Art Museum, where the most significant institutional art pieces of the city are exhibited. The Reina Sofia, at that time, had rarely shelter participative, critical, social and popular art displays. Nevertheless, in the square where the match took place, children and immigrants used to meet, spontaneous and marginal people practised the most popular sport: Football. Due to the media, this sport is considered, an art which seduces a real (royal) and not real (royal) people, making us forget them the present, here in Madrid, and also in Great Britain, and Morocco, but also in Iraq and even further…

This magical game between reality and fiction had two halves of 30 minutes each: the first part was played with “the word” (with a ball on which “word” was written) and the second part was played with “fact” (the playing ball was written with the word “fact”). The dorsal of the reality team (4, 7 and 10), and the name of the team (real) were written with chalk on black t-shirts which disappeared little by little. However the dorsal 03, 04 and 05, and the name of the other team (fiction), printed in to a grey colour t-shirt , which were permanent, but the player who wore them, because they were rotating with the public.

The team celebrated their goals with they rising and showing his written palms with the word NO[2]. All of this occurred under a secure police presence, which controlled all popular radical demonstrations in the city and the referee watched, who custodies the order and  legality of this strict artistic-didactic-sporty event.

Both teams played fairly during the match. Fiction won with the minimum difference, in a contested sport confrontation, distinguished by the sportsmanship, enthusiasm and good football quality in both sides.

The sporty -artistic match turned in to a pun of words and meanings, in which the public and the following, those who don´t belong to the reality, were the protagonist winning. It was the “real” Madrid of the following ( in Spanish aficción), the real and socially implied art, the real immigration, the real students, the real public and the real social situation, which win the Real Madrid[3]  of Fernando (4), Raúl (7) y Luis (10)[4], the art of the museum, the teachers, the artistic elite, the well-off EC citizens and the TV world. The words and the facts, the repression and the demonstration, the museum and the street, the elite and the popular, the culture and the football were mixed, crossed, jumbled and played.

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[1] If you read the (a) in Spanish, that word means following, addiction and fondness. There is a double meaning in this text because “real” means in Spanish real and also royal. In combination with the word Madrid ist can be interpreted as a name of a team and also as a real situation that is happening in Madrid

[2] This artist action was made in other to protest against the military occupation of the Unites States, Great Britain and Spain in Iraq and also the police repression in their pacific demonstrations. It mixes two pacific references: the slogan NO WAR, used in multitudinous demonstrations against that military occupation, and also the white palms, used in the antiterrorist demonstrations in Spain. A year latter, in less than 500 m of distance, an Al Qaeda commit a terrorist attack in the Atocha train station.

[3] Name of the football team and also meaning the Royal Madrid.

[4] All names of famous players of the Real Madrid and also the names of the arteachers