Workers’ Retreat is a series of public artistic engagements in Aalborg by the Social Sensibility R & D Department (a.k.a. Social Sensibility).
The project utilizes and subverts the idea of the “workers’ retreat” typically used to boost productivity as a framing device for Social Sensibility to propose and collectively re-imagine future possibilities for socially engaged artistic practices. By activating Aalborg’s unique post-industrial context as a former 19th century manufacturing hub, the local history will facilitate an international, multi-linguistic group of artists and workers from Social Sensibility to come together through different events and reflect on their interrelated positions along with Danish audiences. Through creating different informal transcultural storytelling, leisure, educational moments, and communal interactions across the city, Social Sensibility will (in)directly activate different cultural and economic conversations on art and work - from the often missing perspective of artists and workers themselves.
Bernard Controls (Karaoke Propaganda)
SSR&D (actions/interventions 2010-2017)
The project is kindly supported by S.C. Van Fonden and Bernard Controls. Special thanks to Kunsthal Spritten and Huset i Hasserisgade.
The project utilizes and subverts the idea of the “workers’ retreat” typically used to boost productivity as a framing device for Social Sensibility to propose and collectively re-imagine future possibilities for socially engaged artistic practices. By activating Aalborg’s unique post-industrial context as a former 19th century manufacturing hub, the local history will facilitate an international, multi-linguistic group of artists and workers from Social Sensibility to come together through different events and reflect on their interrelated positions along with Danish audiences. Through creating different informal transcultural storytelling, leisure, educational moments, and communal interactions across the city, Social Sensibility will (in)directly activate different cultural and economic conversations on art and work - from the often missing perspective of artists and workers themselves.
Bernard Controls (Karaoke Propaganda)
SSR&D (actions/interventions 2010-2017)
The project is kindly supported by S.C. Van Fonden and Bernard Controls. Special thanks to Kunsthal Spritten and Huset i Hasserisgade.
Friday, April 14th:
Working Histories Tour with Artists and Workers* from 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Starting point: Kunsthal Spritten, C. A. Olesens Gade 1, 9000 Aalborg
Ending Point: Fjordbyen, 9000 Aalborg
*Note limited space - please RSVP. Primary language will be in English with some French and Danish.
Saturday, April 15th:
Work / Live 干活 from Beijing to Aalborg* from 4 - 6 pm
Husets Café, Huset i Hasserisgade, Hasserisgade 10, 9000 Aalborg
Program:
4:00 pm Introduction
4:15 pm Artist Presentation by Social Sensibility R & D Department, Blandine De La Taille (FR), Alessandro Rolandi (IT), Tianji Zhao (CN), and worker participants Antoine Agudze (TG), Gilbert William Honoray (IN/FR), and others.
5:15 pm Public Discussion - Moderated by Scott William Raby
*Free of admission - everyone is welcome. The primary language is English (along with French, Mandarin, Italian, and Danish). Free snacks and drinks.
Sunday, April 16th:
Informal Leisure Interactions Across Aalborg
(by appointment only - please contact f.eks.contact@gmail.com)
Working Histories Tour with Artists and Workers* from 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Starting point: Kunsthal Spritten, C. A. Olesens Gade 1, 9000 Aalborg
Ending Point: Fjordbyen, 9000 Aalborg
*Note limited space - please RSVP. Primary language will be in English with some French and Danish.
Saturday, April 15th:
Work / Live 干活 from Beijing to Aalborg* from 4 - 6 pm
Husets Café, Huset i Hasserisgade, Hasserisgade 10, 9000 Aalborg
Program:
4:00 pm Introduction
4:15 pm Artist Presentation by Social Sensibility R & D Department, Blandine De La Taille (FR), Alessandro Rolandi (IT), Tianji Zhao (CN), and worker participants Antoine Agudze (TG), Gilbert William Honoray (IN/FR), and others.
5:15 pm Public Discussion - Moderated by Scott William Raby
*Free of admission - everyone is welcome. The primary language is English (along with French, Mandarin, Italian, and Danish). Free snacks and drinks.
Sunday, April 16th:
Informal Leisure Interactions Across Aalborg
(by appointment only - please contact f.eks.contact@gmail.com)
The Social Sensibility R & D Department began in Beijing in 2010 with an encounter between artist Alessandro Rolandi and Guillaume Bernard (CEO of Bernard Controls Group) and was later joined by artists Tianji Zhao and Blandine de La Taille (in Paris). Social Sensibility is an internal function of Bernard Controls - not an external consultancy - and thus has a unique economic model and ongoing staying presence within the company. Social Sensibility aims to develop artist-run departments within institutions in which the artist becomes a constant creative presence within working life - to act using relationships as a material and artistic practice as a tool to impact their surroundings. Social Sensibility’s research & practice have been developed at factories in Beijing/Daxing, Paris/Gonesse, and recently Milan/Rho. They aim to promote their methodology to other institutions and entities as well as produce artworks, artworks made by artists in collaboration with employees, and artworks made by employees accompanied by the artists who run the department.