Participatory art: loot conquers all

Cornelia and her participatory art event during Nuit Blanche, Toronto

During last Saturday’s Nuit Blanche in Toronto, my wife Cornelia Peckart taught me some interesting lessons about participatory art events and art ‘happenings.’

Cornelia’s idea was to create an art event that involved people walking by, in which participants were rewarded for their participation. The reward was a ‘loot bag,’ much like those given out at children’s birthday parties. The event in which people were encouraged to participate involved drawing with chalk on the brick wall along the east side of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, at the corner of Queen St West and Shaw in Toronto. Prior to the event, Cornelia did not request permission from the institution to chalk up their wall (it is easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission).

The event was almost completely spontaneous. Cornelia didn’t know if she would have enough nerve to go through with it just moments before she set up and began to rally the crowds. She didn’t know where she would set up until she happened to see an available wall. The time from when the project was first conceived to when it occurred was very short–only a few hours. Due to the enthusiasm of Cornelia, which is usually seen as a gift given freely, the event was a success. My role was as the event photographer. It was fun for me as well.

Here are some of the lessons I learned, which I believe are applicable to a wider context:

Tangible rewards encourage participation

People who are accosted and asked to participate in an art happening during events like Nuit Blanche may be reluctant to do so unless they are assured of a few things: that they will not be too embarrassed by the experience, that they will probably have some fun, and that there is some tangible award for participating (although this reward need not be substantial). Having this reward made the difference between people walking by and people deciding to take part.

Crowds can form and disperse very quickly

Crowd scene at Queen and Shaw, Toronto

One the most interesting aspects of the experience was just how quickly crowds formed once people figured out that something was going on. It didn’t require a long build-up time or an organic period of growth. It happened almost instantly and it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. It was a completely ephemeral event. It took about 45 minutes from start to finish. Once all the loot bags were given out then the event was over and no one knew that anything had happened, besides chalk scratchings on the wall. Despite this ephemeral quality we got the sense that people valued their participation, that their interaction was meaningful to them and their apparent enjoyment was genuine. After the event, we continued on our way and explored more of Nuit Blanche, like nothing had happened.

The Power of Charisma

One of the reasons that the event was a success was that Cornelia was charismatic and attracted a crowd, simply through her interactions and presence. This factor was crucial. This skill in rallying crowds quickly is found in few people. If I had attempted a similar event it wouldn’t have worked at all.

When it comes to art events, appeals to reason are often much less powerful than appeals to having fun and getting a little bit of loot.