This is an announcement
Common In!

What does commoning feel like? How can we make the story of the commons a livable experience instead of a written recommendation in a policy report or blog post? These questions are at the core of Common In: an open manifestation on the crossroads of commons and art, which – for now – takes place from October 2021 to April 2022.

For long we, at Commons Network, have been telling the story of the commons. Commons is a distinct domain of society that exists next to the market and the state. A domain where market forces and hierarchy are replaced by principles like collectivity, democratic ownership and caring. You can look at the whole city from a commons perspective and ask: who owns the city? And you can understand food cooperatives or collective housing projects as local commons initiatives.

We’ve been telling the story of the commons mainly through reports, in presentations and by writing blogs. We are researchers and writers, not artists (although some of us are on gray territory, you could say). Two years ago we asked ourselves: how could we convey the story and the questions that the commons pose in a way that’s more appealing to a broader audience? The answer – experimental as it is – lies on the intersection of commons and art.

We partnered with art collective TAAK, who are not only experienced curators, but also knowledgable in this specific artistic domain. Over the past months, with TAAK’s help, we dug deep into the world of commons and art and discovered a whole section of artist and art practices relating to the commons.

A journey
Common In brings together art works and artists that bring to life different aspects of the commons, and that invite people to question existing structures and experiment with new ones. We understand art in a social sense: it can create space from which to set society in motion.

Common In creates these pockets of space through interactive artworks, which are practical manifestations of the commons transitions. The different artworks stand alone, but they also work together, forming an ongoing story of change. We recommend that people join several art works, as collectively they truly take us on a commons-inspired journey.

We prefer the word participant over visitor, as people are invited to and shape the artistic practices that comprise Common In. Just like real life commons would. People are participant in a process of collective imagination ánd conversation: we organize public conversations that build on the collective experience and art practices.

Programme
So what can you do and visit? On 20 October we open at SexyLand. Expect all the participating artists to lift a tip of the veil of their art practice during Common In. On 30 October the first edition of Hosting Soil takes place, an interactive performance about the value of soil and labour by Franziska Goralski, Elise Ehry and Kitty Maria. In November and December, you can visit and cocreate a Drop-in for Common Uncertainties, an collective art practice around notions of care and community by It’s OK/Jeanne van Heeswijk. Later this year, artist and designer Yin Aiwen invites us to join a larp game she developed called Liquid Dependencies, which is all about building relationships and 21st century kinship. There will be active commoning in urban agriculture projects, reflections on the role of the artist as public servant and much more.

In short, a lot to look forward to. Will you join us?. A common future is possible. Please Common In.