What Is #saystop? – ARTivistic Toolbox – Methods and Open Space for Art

Themes

Domestic Violence
Violence Against Women

Objectives

To develop an artistic method that will raise awareness in individuals on issues such as domestic violence, violence against women, child abuse, social inequality.
To raise awareness that the agendas created by the power of social media are temporary and not sufficient, although they are perceived as great.
To develope awareness-raising forms of expression that are sustainable, aiming at change and requiring active participation, and enabling individuals to experience these methods, since virtual protests do not fully correspond in real life.

Purposes

To contribute to awareness of person who have been exposed to violence, who have witnessed the violence or who are responsive to violence about how they should proceed in this processes.
To provide information to the people about relevant non-governmental organizations (NGO’s).
To contact or build a sustainable relationship between people and these NGO’s.
To create snowball effect so that people with high awareness who have sufficient information can encourage others and raise awareness among others in society.
To raise awareness among individuals that they can use art as a form of expression.
To provide artistic in vivo experience to individuals aiming to be in vitro. By this experience, we aimed at facilitating the process of getting help and giving help as an internal force.

Duration and Planning

30 minutes: Illusion of the figure & (#saystop interactive beginning)
45 minutes: Linoleum workshop / Stencil Workshop
45 minutes: Participant traces and discourses
45 minutes: Illusion of the figure & (#saystop interactive finale)

Material to use ( Spanish Example ) : You should create same information for your own country context to adopt the method to yourself.

Materials

Linoleum Sheet 25×25 cm 50 pcs
350 gr Off White Base Paper 25×25 cm 100 pcs
350 gr Off White Base Paper A4 200 pcs
Daler Rowney Water-Based Linoleum Printing ink 500 ml (The reason for specifying the brand is that it has a fast drying feature. If it is not found, you can contact us for an alternative.)
Block Printing Baren 3 pcs
Linoleum Roll 5cm diameter, 15 cm width 3 pcs
Stencil Cardboard
White Canvas Cloth 400 x 280 cm 1 pcs (This fabric needs to be able to be hung on the wall. Back of the fabric should be a wall so that we can hang the fabric.)
Acrylic Paint / Red 250 ml & Blue 250 ml & Black 250 ml & Yellow 250 ml
Grounding Paintbrush / 8 cm 3 pcs & 6 cm 3 pcs & 4 cm 3 pcs & 1 cm 5 pcs
Spray Paint / Red 400 ml & Blue 400 ml & Black 400 ml & Yellow 400 ml
Barcovision or Screen 2 pcs
40×40 cm piece of glass 3 pcs
Water based thinner 500 ml
Marker Pen / Red 2 pcs & Blue 2 pcs & Black 2 pcs & Yellow 2 pcs
Table for 10 participant and 10 chair (min. table width 80 cm / it doesn’t have to be a single table) & Table for printing and two chair.

Recommended Method

Illusion of the figure & (#saystop interactive beginning) : The interactive beginning slide is shared in the webpage and it can be adopted to the local needs accordingly if necessary.

This method is implemented twice in different contexts to teach the usage of Linor and Stencil techniques which is often used in Artivism methodologies around the world.

Please check the theory section of the book about the Artivism methods and best practices from the world.

Implementation Process

At the first section, we indicate participants that the aim of the project is to raise awareness about violence. There is an image of a person who have been a victim of violence at the screen. In the begining, participants are told that they can support this person getting help on Twitter using the hashtag #saystop. In this way, the image of the person who is victim of violance gets better on the screen. As a result, even If they raise this person’s voice on twitter, the image will be the same as it is in the beginning.

Then, participants are requested to fill in a form consisting of the following questions.

Examples of questions:

a. Do you feel responsibility to take an action when you withness a form inequality or violance?
b. Do you give any kind of support for standing against violance?
c. Do you give online support (sharing posts, stories, and twits or spreading news) to the reactions (posts, photos, stories, twits) against violance on social media?
d. Do you know what should you do when you encounter an individual who is suffering violence?
e. Do you think your knowledge is sufficient about “what you should do” when you encounter a person who is victim of violance?

The above-mentioned questions are limited but it can be extended according to the context and the method that will be used.

Linoleum workshop

Linoleum printing is a traditional printing technique that has been used since the 1800s. Linoleum sheet used for fine art has a soft texture that makes it easy to work on. Thereby, it is a material that can be applied by everyone.

The workshop will end with the creation of a print template by carving the images, slogans, discourses, etc. related to the subject of domestic violence, prepared by the artist team in advance, on linoleum, and then turning it into a permanent work by printing it on paper with ink and equipment. Participants will take a sample of their own work. In this section, it is aimed to raise the awareness of the participants that they can learn to apply the linoleum printing technique individually and that they can express themselves using art.

In the workshop area, the artworks of artists related to the subject of violence in Turkey with the linoleum printing technique will be exhibited and the prints of these works can be taken by the visitors and workshop participants.

Stencil Workshop

Stencilling produces an image or pattern by applying pigment to a surface under an intermediate object with designed gaps in it which create the pattern or image by only allowing the pigment to reach some parts of the surface. The stencil is both the resulting image or pattern and the intermediate object; the context in which stencil is used makes clear which meaning is intended. In practice, the (object) stencil is usually a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, wood or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material.

The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to repeatedly and rapidly produce the same letters or design. Although aerosol or painting stencils can be made for one-time use, typically they are made with the intention of being reused. To be reusable, they must remain intact after a design is produced and the stencil is removed from the work surface. With some designs, this is done by connecting stencil islands (sections of material that are inside cut-out “holes” in the stencil) to other parts of the stencil with bridges (narrow sections of material that are not cut out).

For example ( how to paint a wall with a stencil ) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8p8VXM5XyM

Debriefing and Evaluation

This section of workshop, visitors and workshop participants are asked to leave their thoughts, images or traces of societal violence, which is called #saystop, using paints on the canvas hanging on the wall. In addition to these, applications will be made using stencil templates prepared by the artist team and reflecting the issues we want to draw attention to (NGO logos, slogans, etc.).

Also this section of workshop, the art collectives formed during the 1968 revolution period were inspired by the way they used art. In the relevant period, the slogans that the collectives came up with and the street art they applied to the walls were a beginning. The created art and artistic thought has turned into a living situation and has caused a significant impact on society.

Illusion of the figure & (#saystop interactive finale)

At the final of workshop, participants are told that the image of victim of violence person’s has not improved in any way and it has just a loop video. Then, attention is drawn to the fact that social reactions are formed through the violence experienced in the social media, that people have an illusion that this creates awareness, and that even if this situation is called awareness, short-term agendas such as soap bubbles are created. Also, it’s shared that it doesn’t lead to sustainable solutions regarding violence and however it seems to be effective in creating awareness in the society on issues that will reduce violence, it is not sufficient.

Afterward, participants are submited second survey related to this situation. In this survey, there are some stuffs that encourage participants to question their thoughts on social media, what should be done in case of violence, laws and non-governmental organizations on issues similar to the questions found in the first survey. At the end of the survey, participants are guided to web page included some topics to become self-awareness on these issues, how can they help to victim of violence or which organization help to them when they are exposed to violence etc…

Another video that is compiled from these informations will be shown on workshop area.

Examples of questions:

a. Do you think the artistic expression can be effective on society?
b. Do you think giving online reactions and making online agenda against violance on social media are effective methods for stopping violance?
c. Do you think the information that you gained in this workshop is a useful method on raising awareness?

These questions can be extended accordingly to the theme of the workshop or depending on the discussion.

Artistic Approach of the Workshop

Within the frame of to artistic integrity of project;

The old and traditional linoleum printing technique, which is still used from the past to the present and individualistically can be pratice,
Street & Stenciling technique, which has the potential of social impact and the effect of creating a collective consciousness, the first important samples of which we saw in 1968 when the social popular movements emerged,
It is also aimed to emphasize that the digital art technique, which has been created using technology and has become more interesting today, has been chosen consciously, and that it always preserves the continuity of art and its impact on society.