Interview with Francis Patrick Brady

When and why did you start working with participatory art? Was it out of your own need, on your own initiative or through an invitation, assignment or other reason?

 When I went to art school I was a painter, like many artists before me, but the more questions I asked about what I needed from the work and what I wanted it to do, how it could be in the world, the more I needed to create processes outside of a singular place and object and instead engage with the mechanics of interaction and participation.

 When I graduated from Chelsea College of Art in London I sold my graduating installation work but the competitive harsh realities of the London Art world meant that the easiest way to survive was to have a studioless practice and hold on to as little physical material as possible. This necessity forced me to learn how to work with art as a participatory process, to be able to engage and play with people as part of my artist practice.      

What do you believe are the artistic qualities of working with others?
Working with others is what humans are doing all the time whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. Being aware of how we work with other people and how the things we make exist in the world is where the art comes in.  

When you think of working with others, what are you thinking of?
I think about how humans can help each other to try and create temporary worlds where they can engage with ideas that are outside of their regular understanding of the world. Working with others is how non-human and human experiences can come together and it is where “magic” can transform these relations. 

How do you direct/oversee/consider the conditions for your work with participatory art?
I like to provide lots of spaces for other people to create their own way of interacting with my work and designing the possibility for people to add something to the structure that I have provided. This structure should also include; the power to feel safe, the freedom to leave at any point, and plenty of opportunities to disagree with the structure. I also want to take responsibility for the structure that I have brought into the world and never at any point say: ‘it means whatever you want it to mean’. 

Do you enjoy participating in other people's art projects as an active audience? How does it make you feel?
I think with anything participatory there are so many factors that need to align to allow for me to have time, space and energy to join in a participatory art project. Then also is the fact that a lot of artists are not very experienced with how to work with people and participation in general so experiences can vary from being accidentally exploited to just having a fairly flat experience. But when the stars align and there is an artist who has thought carefully about the level of participation required, and safety and consent are taken care of then participatory art can provide some truly fantastic experiences.

How do you assess whether a participatory project is successful or not? How does it feel when it is successful, what is the gain for you?
A participatory project should firstly not exploit the image of the public, or reduce the agency or safety of anyone that is participating (this isn’t 1960’s antagonistic performance art). Then its success is defined by the content of the artwork in the same way that the content of a non-participatory artwork is successful or not. Does it pose a series of interesting, poetic, and engaging provocations that are co-created through the participation? What is gained in a really successful participatory art project is the feeling of temporarily sharing an experience or understanding together through empathy, generosity, vulnerability, and curiosity.  

Do you have a target group that you usually turn to or that you are more interested in working with? If you are addressing an inexperienced art audience, what is your drive to specifically work with them?
I like to be aware of who I am presenting work to but I wouldn’t say I have one that I am more interested in working with. I know that I am mainly working with an art audience and that they can also be one of the more difficult audiences for participatory art. When I make work for art audiences I try to create them so that it can also work for non-art audiences who can choose to go into it in a different way or perhaps commit less time or energy on. When creating in general my drive is the same which is to bring empathy, generosity, vulnerability, and curiosity to the creative process. 

What would you like to get out of a network and a platform for participatory art?
I would like there to be more discussion and a deeper awareness of both the problems and the possibilities of participatory art as a valid form of art. I would like a participatory network to help promote the work of artists working in the field and also to help create opportunities. I would also like to see participatory art that is not segregated to the pedagogy departments of museums; whose main goal is to teach citizens about the validity of contemporary art as a medium and in doing so justify their existence; but as the main event either inside or outside an institution.

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Artist bio

Francis Patrick Brady is an artist living and working in Malmö, Copenhagen and London. He graduated from Konsthögskola Malmö in 2017. He is currently in residence at InterArtsCentre (SE) and Art Hub (DK). 

 Brady creates art that often resembles the shape of a game. Using the structures of speculative play as a model for probing the barriers between reality and fantasy. The artworks begin as handmade objects, fabrics, cards, sounds, texts that provide a set of alternative possibilities; or paths to travel. 

He is co-founder and organiser of ‘Celsius Projects’, Malmö. He is also organiser of the art collective ‘Union Group’ who have a focus on Roleplay, VR, consent safety, and immersive practices.

Interview conducted in September, 2020.
https://francis-patrick-brady.co.uk