The concept of collaboration brings to mind teams of people working towards a bigger goal. Each individual bending their skills to the accomplishment of something greater that they could not achieve working alone. Think of the army of architects, engineers, construction workers, designers, and artisans required to bring a skyscraper into existence. Or a team of epidemiologists, chemists, tissue specialists, biologists, and other lab technicians to create a vaccine. We humans know how to work together when we need to.
Art collaborations are quite unique. There’s Warhol & Basquiat, Dali & Buñuel, Björk & Barney, and the list goes on. Artists work together to stretch their abilities and techniques, and to gain important feedback about their work.
My first real collaboration as an artist began over a decade ago when I became part of a band. There’s a real magic that happens when musicians sync their energy to create sound that moves in the same direction, building tension, releasing it, telling a story. Nothing quite compares to it, actually. Playing with a band, with people who have far more experience in music than I do, really pushed my capabilities and made me a far better player than if I’d continued to just play for myself. And singing in public really put me way out of my comfort zone.
So last year when I was invited to be part of an art show in which all the participants would pair up with another artist and create a piece together, I was very intrigued. The show includes 7 accomplished local artists with really different approaches to making art, and I was delighted to take part in it. The show is called unentitled and is opening at Marketview Arts Galleries on 19 August 2023, 5-7 pm. Here is a link to the upcoming event.
Although I’ve collaborated with musicians, until now I’ve never really collaborated with other artists, but I think it’s very much the same. As a musician, you hone and build your individual skills with your instrument, your voice, and you learn to listen to what the other musicians are doing. There’s a time to shine, of course— but mostly you’re subordinating your efforts to serve the song. You’re using your antennae to pick up on the nuances being telegraphed. ~What’s that? a flatted minor 5th? Oh my, there’s some darkness there. And that tempo is getting sharper and picking up? there’s some heavy emphasis in this passage that requires I play a bit differently now.
In a collaborative visual artwork, you’re also “listening” to what the other artist is creating and looking to support their idea alongside yours. It’s about adding an ingredient of your own which is unique, something the other artist might not think to do on their own.
Artist collaborators and the show’s curator in the Marketview Community Arts Gallery discussing hanging the works while the gourd and moonpot chickens discuss world domination.
Sure, maybe our drummer can play the keyboards and our guitarist is also a great bassist, but the life experience I bring to my instruments and our collective effort is unique to me and which they can’t possibly duplicate. Same is true for them.
Can a collaboration fail to work? Perhaps when the players aren’t paying attention to what the other players are feeling it goes off kilter and or falls apart. Or it’s just a lackluster performance if someone isn’t really “bringing it.” In a visual work, this might mean a lack of cohesion. Can one artist “hijack” the collaboration and change the emotional meaning of the work from its inception? This could be a good thing if the initial idea is open-ended and/or redirection is welcome. Perhaps the start was intentionally hazy and a commandeering is expected.
It’ll be very interesting to discuss the collaborative works with the other pairs and to learn how the artist duos solved their “problem” within their collaborations.
Have you ever collaborated on a project with someone else? What was it like for you? Drop your stories below and share.