The Open Call for the Social Art Award 2019 under the topic “We are the People – Peaceful Revolutions” was closed on December 15, 2019. We are very impressed by 558 submissions that were contributed by artists coming from 65 countries across all continents.
The winners of The Social Art Award 2019 are Narcissa Gold (USA), Melinda Mouzannar (Lebanon) and Bogna Grazyna Jaroslawski (Poland/Germany). The Honorary Mention goes to Kingson Kin Sing Chan (Hong Kong/UK).
Below you find the artworks, that passed the initial jury round. The public voting took place till 30 December and is a tool to give more public visibility to the topic and the artworks. It does not replace the final jury judgment. There were two wildcards for the most voted artworks that entered the final shortlist.
The focus diversity of applications shows that artists are active in the multi-faceted fields of socially engaged art reflecting on wars, genocides, femicides, traumata, violence against refugees, children, women, men, disabled people, LGBTIQs, animals. They share feelings for the planet and its living species, but also showing hopelessness due to complex crises be it climate change (e.g. in regard to water pollution), capitalism, corruption, a violation against human rights, nature, protected national parks. Many of the artists are constantly trying to give a voice to the poorest or empower unheard social groups.
It’s not only about peaceful revolutions, but it’s also about feeling a deep connection and showing love and respect for each other.
Thank you all for sharing your great and inspirational work and look at all the great contributions!
183
Vagina Chorus
Category: open category
5547
Title:
Vagina Chorus
Vagina Chorus
Author:
Althea Rao
Althea Rao
Category:
open category
open category
Description:
“The first time I learned what incontinence was, I was at a conference, sneezed, and wet myself. I was mortified, locked myself in a bathroom and cried... Reflecting on it now, I think it wasn’t so much the embarrassment of the leakage (although it was embarrassing) but really an accumulation of a loss of control over my own body that lead to the distress.” -- Ani Liu, Artist In the US, an estimated 45% of adult individuals with vaginas experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, due to unique health events associated with the female reproductive system -- such as pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and gender reassignment surgery. On average, they wait 6.5 years to see a doctor after first symptom occurrence. This delay reflects a reluctance in seeking treatment due to 1) widely-held misunderstanding that it’s normal to lose bladder control as one ages; 2) socially constructed shame and stigma around incontinence 3) unpleasant impression of doctor-going experience 4) opaque information about pelvic health solutions and lack of access to care. Led by Artspace New Haven’s 2019-20 Artist-in-Residence, Althea Rao, Vagina Chorus will transform awareness and access to care through creating healthy communities using a performance art model. By partnering with local agencies serving marginalized communities in New Haven, this joyful and innovative program encourages open discussions and increases pelvic health literacy, aiming to lift the shame and negativity attached to pelvic health, sexual wellness and aging. The production team, consisting of Rao, working in collaboration with a Technical Producer, a Sound Designer/Composer, a Choral Conductor and 2 Medical Advisors, will adapt a bio-responsive, FDA approved Kegel training device into a wearable musical instrument by mapping pelvic muscle contractions onto musical notes. 12 singers who herald from diverse walks of life will be recruited and trained to perform a vaginal symphony of musical notes and light visualizations together in harmony, generated through the choreographed use of their Kegel devices. The group will include an intergenerational mix of people from pelvically underserved communities, as well as representatives from pelvic health professionals, researchers, social workers and corrections nurses. 30 second video demo :http://bit.ly/vchorusdemo Harnessing the history of choral music as a tool for facilitating empowerment, self-love and community, Vagina Chorus will reset feelings of negativity and vulnerability traditionally associated with incontinence and the female reproductive system. Vagina Chorus will take shape in 3 stages: STAGE 1: From August 2019 to June 2020, Rao will dedicate her time as Artspace’s Artist-in-Residence meeting members in the community, prototyping a handheld proof-of-concept for Artspace’s 22nd annual City-Wide Open Studios, leading free community workshops, and raising awareness around incontinence and developing a training curriculum for the performers. STAGE 2: From June to September 2020: Rao will lead a twelve-week curriculum with the performers, developed in conversation with the Medical Advisors. The performers will build up their pelvic floor strength through 12 consecutive weeks of physical exercise and performance rehearsal while participating in facilitated discussions (see curriculum on Work Supplement #3). The artist, composer and conductor will be present during these sessions and work closely with the performers, developing performance scores, blocking and stage directions that communicate the performers’ personal stories and experiences. STAGE 3: This curriculum will end in the production of 4 live performances between October 5 to early November 2020, including 3 free lo-fi performances presented in community spaces -- Artspace, the main branch of New Haven’s Free Public Library and a community center; and 1 ticketed performance produced in a black box theater with a seated audience, proscenium stage, controlled lighting and access to professional stage sets. How can art catalyze change?: Through an innovative socially engaged art model, Vagina Chorus promotes a healthy and positive perspective towards sexual wellness and the aging human body through mindful yearlong community programming. This project will provide a new approach for motivating the public to overcome stigmas around incontinence through creative engagement, setting the stage for radical community healing. Vagina Chorus intends to reach several local audiences/publics, including clients who have little access to pelvic health resources due to financial hardship, homelessness and incarceration; people whose lives are impacted by incontinence symptoms, directly or indirectly; people who hold strong negative impression about pelvic health; pelvic health professionals; policy makers and researchers.
“The first time I learned what incontinence was, I was at a conference, sneezed, and wet myself. I was mortified, locked myself in a bathroom and cried... Reflecting on it now, I think it wasn’t so much the embarrassment of the leakage (although it was embarrassing) but really an accumulation of a loss of control over my own body that lead to the distress.” -- Ani Liu, Artist In the US, an estimated 45% of adult individuals with vaginas experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, due to unique health events associated with the female reproductive system -- such as pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and gender reassignment surgery. On average, they wait 6.5 years to see a doctor after first symptom occurrence. This delay reflects a reluctance in seeking treatment due to 1) widely-held misunderstanding that it’s normal to lose bladder control as one ages; 2) socially constructed shame and stigma around incontinence 3) unpleasant impression of doctor-going experience 4) opaque information about pelvic health solutions and lack of access to care. Led by Artspace New Haven’s 2019-20 Artist-in-Residence, Althea Rao, Vagina Chorus will transform awareness and access to care through creating healthy communities using a performance art model. By partnering with local agencies serving marginalized communities in New Haven, this joyful and innovative program encourages open discussions and increases pelvic health literacy, aiming to lift the shame and negativity attached to pelvic health, sexual wellness and aging. The production team, consisting of Rao, working in collaboration with a Technical Producer, a Sound Designer/Composer, a Choral Conductor and 2 Medical Advisors, will adapt a bio-responsive, FDA approved Kegel training device into a wearable musical instrument by mapping pelvic muscle contractions onto musical notes. 12 singers who herald from diverse walks of life will be recruited and trained to perform a vaginal symphony of musical notes and light visualizations together in harmony, generated through the choreographed use of their Kegel devices. The group will include an intergenerational mix of people from pelvically underserved communities, as well as representatives from pelvic health professionals, researchers, social workers and corrections nurses. 30 second video demo :http://bit.ly/vchorusdemo Harnessing the history of choral music as a tool for facilitating empowerment, self-love and community, Vagina Chorus will reset feelings of negativity and vulnerability traditionally associated with incontinence and the female reproductive system. Vagina Chorus will take shape in 3 stages: STAGE 1: From August 2019 to June 2020, Rao will dedicate her time as Artspace’s Artist-in-Residence meeting members in the community, prototyping a handheld proof-of-concept for Artspace’s 22nd annual City-Wide Open Studios, leading free community workshops, and raising awareness around incontinence and developing a training curriculum for the performers. STAGE 2: From June to September 2020: Rao will lead a twelve-week curriculum with the performers, developed in conversation with the Medical Advisors. The performers will build up their pelvic floor strength through 12 consecutive weeks of physical exercise and performance rehearsal while participating in facilitated discussions (see curriculum on Work Supplement #3). The artist, composer and conductor will be present during these sessions and work closely with the performers, developing performance scores, blocking and stage directions that communicate the performers’ personal stories and experiences. STAGE 3: This curriculum will end in the production of 4 live performances between October 5 to early November 2020, including 3 free lo-fi performances presented in community spaces -- Artspace, the main branch of New Haven’s Free Public Library and a community center; and 1 ticketed performance produced in a black box theater with a seated audience, proscenium stage, controlled lighting and access to professional stage sets. How can art catalyze change?: Through an innovative socially engaged art model, Vagina Chorus promotes a healthy and positive perspective towards sexual wellness and the aging human body through mindful yearlong community programming. This project will provide a new approach for motivating the public to overcome stigmas around incontinence through creative engagement, setting the stage for radical community healing. Vagina Chorus intends to reach several local audiences/publics, including clients who have little access to pelvic health resources due to financial hardship, homelessness and incarceration; people whose lives are impacted by incontinence symptoms, directly or indirectly; people who hold strong negative impression about pelvic health; pelvic health professionals; policy makers and researchers.
Description:
“The first time I learned what incontinence was, I was at a conference, sneezed, and wet myself. I was mortified, locked myself in a bathroom and cried... Reflecting on it now, I think it wasn’t so much the embarrassment of the leakage (although it was embarrassing) but really an accumulation of a loss of control over my own body that lead to the distress.” -- Ani Liu, Artist In the US, an estimated 45% of adult individuals with vaginas experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, due to unique health events associated with the female reproductive system -- such as pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and gender reassignment surgery. On average, they wait 6.5 years to see a doctor after first symptom occurrence. This delay reflects a reluctance in seeking treatment due to 1) widely-held misunderstanding that it’s normal to lose bladder control as one ages; 2) socially constructed shame and stigma around incontinence 3) unpleasant impression of doctor-going experience 4) opaque information about pelvic health solutions and lack of access to care. Led by Artspace New Haven’s 2019-20 Artist-in-Residence, Althea Rao, Vagina Chorus will transform awareness and access to care through creating healthy communities using a performance art model. By partnering with local agencies serving marginalized communities in New Haven, this joyful and innovative program encourages open discussions and increases pelvic health literacy, aiming to lift the shame and negativity attached to pelvic health, sexual wellness and aging. The production team, consisting of Rao, working in collaboration with a Technical Producer, a Sound Designer/Composer, a Choral Conductor and 2 Medical Advisors, will adapt a bio-responsive, FDA approved Kegel training device into a wearable musical instrument by mapping pelvic muscle contractions onto musical notes. 12 singers who herald from diverse walks of life will be recruited and trained to perform a vaginal symphony of musical notes and light visualizations together in harmony, generated through the choreographed use of their Kegel devices. The group will include an intergenerational mix of people from pelvically underserved communities, as well as representatives from pelvic health professionals, researchers, social workers and corrections nurses. 30 second video demo :http://bit.ly/vchorusdemo Harnessing the history of choral music as a tool for facilitating empowerment, self-love and community, Vagina Chorus will reset feelings of negativity and vulnerability traditionally associated with incontinence and the female reproductive system. Vagina Chorus will take shape in 3 stages: STAGE 1: From August 2019 to June 2020, Rao will dedicate her time as Artspace’s Artist-in-Residence meeting members in the community, prototyping a handheld proof-of-concept for Artspace’s 22nd annual City-Wide Open Studios, leading free community workshops, and raising awareness around incontinence and developing a training curriculum for the performers. STAGE 2: From June to September 2020: Rao will lead a twelve-week curriculum with the performers, developed in conversation with the Medical Advisors. The performers will build up their pelvic floor strength through 12 consecutive weeks of physical exercise and performance rehearsal while participating in facilitated discussions (see curriculum on Work Supplement #3). The artist, composer and conductor will be present during these sessions and work closely with the performers, developing performance scores, blocking and stage directions that communicate the performers’ personal stories and experiences. STAGE 3: This curriculum will end in the production of 4 live performances between October 5 to early November 2020, including 3 free lo-fi performances presented in community spaces -- Artspace, the main branch of New Haven’s Free Public Library and a community center; and 1 ticketed performance produced in a black box theater with a seated audience, proscenium stage, controlled lighting and access to professional stage sets. How can art catalyze change?: Through an innovative socially engaged art model, Vagina Chorus promotes a healthy and positive perspective towards sexual wellness and the aging human body through mindful yearlong community programming. This project will provide a new approach for motivating the public to overcome stigmas around incontinence through creative engagement, setting the stage for radical community healing. Vagina Chorus intends to reach several local audiences/publics, including clients who have little access to pelvic health resources due to financial hardship, homelessness and incarceration; people whose lives are impacted by incontinence symptoms, directly or indirectly; people who hold strong negative impression about pelvic health; pelvic health professionals; policy makers and researchers.
“The first time I learned what incontinence was, I was at a conference, sneezed, and wet myself. I was mortified, locked myself in a bathroom and cried... Reflecting on it now, I think it wasn’t so much the embarrassment of the leakage (although it was embarrassing) but really an accumulation of a loss of control over my own body that lead to the distress.” -- Ani Liu, Artist In the US, an estimated 45% of adult individuals with vaginas experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, due to unique health events associated with the female reproductive system -- such as pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and gender reassignment surgery. On average, they wait 6.5 years to see a doctor after first symptom occurrence. This delay reflects a reluctance in seeking treatment due to 1) widely-held misunderstanding that it’s normal to lose bladder control as one ages; 2) socially constructed shame and stigma around incontinence 3) unpleasant impression of doctor-going experience 4) opaque information about pelvic health solutions and lack of access to care. Led by Artspace New Haven’s 2019-20 Artist-in-Residence, Althea Rao, Vagina Chorus will transform awareness and access to care through creating healthy communities using a performance art model. By partnering with local agencies serving marginalized communities in New Haven, this joyful and innovative program encourages open discussions and increases pelvic health literacy, aiming to lift the shame and negativity attached to pelvic health, sexual wellness and aging. The production team, consisting of Rao, working in collaboration with a Technical Producer, a Sound Designer/Composer, a Choral Conductor and 2 Medical Advisors, will adapt a bio-responsive, FDA approved Kegel training device into a wearable musical instrument by mapping pelvic muscle contractions onto musical notes. 12 singers who herald from diverse walks of life will be recruited and trained to perform a vaginal symphony of musical notes and light visualizations together in harmony, generated through the choreographed use of their Kegel devices. The group will include an intergenerational mix of people from pelvically underserved communities, as well as representatives from pelvic health professionals, researchers, social workers and corrections nurses. 30 second video demo :http://bit.ly/vchorusdemo Harnessing the history of choral music as a tool for facilitating empowerment, self-love and community, Vagina Chorus will reset feelings of negativity and vulnerability traditionally associated with incontinence and the female reproductive system. Vagina Chorus will take shape in 3 stages: STAGE 1: From August 2019 to June 2020, Rao will dedicate her time as Artspace’s Artist-in-Residence meeting members in the community, prototyping a handheld proof-of-concept for Artspace’s 22nd annual City-Wide Open Studios, leading free community workshops, and raising awareness around incontinence and developing a training curriculum for the performers. STAGE 2: From June to September 2020: Rao will lead a twelve-week curriculum with the performers, developed in conversation with the Medical Advisors. The performers will build up their pelvic floor strength through 12 consecutive weeks of physical exercise and performance rehearsal while participating in facilitated discussions (see curriculum on Work Supplement #3). The artist, composer and conductor will be present during these sessions and work closely with the performers, developing performance scores, blocking and stage directions that communicate the performers’ personal stories and experiences. STAGE 3: This curriculum will end in the production of 4 live performances between October 5 to early November 2020, including 3 free lo-fi performances presented in community spaces -- Artspace, the main branch of New Haven’s Free Public Library and a community center; and 1 ticketed performance produced in a black box theater with a seated audience, proscenium stage, controlled lighting and access to professional stage sets. How can art catalyze change?: Through an innovative socially engaged art model, Vagina Chorus promotes a healthy and positive perspective towards sexual wellness and the aging human body through mindful yearlong community programming. This project will provide a new approach for motivating the public to overcome stigmas around incontinence through creative engagement, setting the stage for radical community healing. Vagina Chorus intends to reach several local audiences/publics, including clients who have little access to pelvic health resources due to financial hardship, homelessness and incarceration; people whose lives are impacted by incontinence symptoms, directly or indirectly; people who hold strong negative impression about pelvic health; pelvic health professionals; policy makers and researchers.