Bringing Interdisciplinary Art
to the Public
The conceptual stage
Inter Arts Matrix is approached by an artist with a creative idea. If the artist and the project have strong artistic potential, Inter Arts Matrix asks: “What do you need to begin work on this? How can we help?”
The answer often involves helping the artist find the collaborators needed to realize the idea. These may be creative artists from other disciplines (writers, composers, choreographers, performers, visual artists, filmmakers, craftspeople) or specialists from the high tech sector, architecture, science or engineering. It can also include finding citizen participants with diverse cultural backgrounds, as exemplified in the creative disturbances Sounding Rituals.
Once assembled, the team researches and prepares for the project. This includes budgeting and an exhaustive examination of the content, critical theory and possible ramifications of the work.
The development/production stage
The team produces a proof of concept or prototype. They each begin in their respective areas, creating the initial design for the work. This can include designing software, architectural drawings, carpentry and construction, composing, or artistic renderings.
In this “workshop” phase, the work is mounted for the first time and the pieces are put together. It often takes several attempts to seamlessly integrate the parts into the whole.
Many interdisciplinary art works are interactive. A sample audience is brought in to gauge the success of that interactivity as well as the overall response to the work.
The presentation stage
The work is ready to show. If the artist does not have a presenter available, IAM offers several options:
- present the work in public;
- seek out partners with whom they can jointly present the work;
- assist the artist in finding a suitable presenter.
The documentation stage
To promote their work beyond the first presentation, artists must have professional quality documentation of the work. It most often requires a team of people (videographer, sound engineer, photographer) to capture the work while it is being ‘performed’.
The artist can then use this documentation to support grant applications and foundation funding requests, as well as promote the work for further presentations. Inter Arts Matrix uses this document to educate and increase the public’s understanding of interdisciplinary art.
The promotion stage
Inter Arts Matrix assists artists find other presentation venues for their work. The IAM web site will house documentation of the work and promote it to audiences locally, nationally and internationally, acting as a cultural ambassador, not only for the region’s artists, but also for the Waterloo Region, as a site for cultural creation and innovation.
