Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LIAE (Laughing in an Emergency: Humour, Cultural Resilience and Contemporary Art)
Reporting period: 2018-08-01 to 2020-07-31
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the Presidency of Donald Trump, humour has been regarded as serious, incendiary, and potentially fatal, business. A curious phenomenon has simultaneously occurred in contemporary art, as artists located around the world have turned to humorous aesthetic strategies in order to document and re-assess global politics, experiences of crisis and collective trauma. In spite of this turn, and although the politics of humour has attracted recent attention, leading scholars across the social sciences and humanities continually lament the lack of scholarly analysis on the subject.
The LIAE project directly addressed this considerable gap in visual culture studies to provide a new framework for understanding the role of humour in contemporary art practice, and its capacity to contribute to cultural resilience for communities facing ongoing crisis.
LIAE was informed by a comparative study of 3 key case studies each legislatively recognized as sites of crisis and each emblematic of particular forms of contemporary ‘emergency’: economic/refugee crisis (Greece), indigenous sovereignty/endemic disadvantage (Australia) and military conflict/occupation (Palestine). Employing an adaptive form of visual culture research (discourse analysis, fieldwork, in-situ visual analysis, interviews, archival and primary research) refined through a training program and expert supervision at the University of Manchester, LIAE produced innovative interdisciplinary research on the social function of humour, unpacking the capacity for art to act as tool of cultural resilience for disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable groups.
The overarching aim of the LIAE project was to advance the field of visual culture by creating the first comprehensive framework for humour in contemporary art, revealing the crucial role of humour as a tool of cultural resilience capable of responding to diverse contemporary ‘emergencies’.
In order to achieve this aim, the project was informed by three key research objectives:
a) to develop a conceptual framework and gather empirical information to account for the impetus behind the emergence of humour in art from contemporary sites of ‘crisis’
b) to develop a novel framework of how humour advances the social function of art by operating as a vital agent of cultural resilience in three keys ways: re-enforcing connection to place, coalescing collective identity, and by subverting oppressive authority structures
c) to develop a conceptual framework that accounts for how ‘high art’ settings radically differs to that of ‘viral’ or ‘demotic’ forms (cartoons, memes and street art).
The research and novel interdisciplinary framework developed by LIAE took on new significance in 2020. This is because the pronounced global uncertainty ushered in by the COVID19 pandemic produced renewed interest in the role of humour as political and social tool in the face of emergency. The research data, publications, and outreach activity produced by LIAE contribute to this growing interdisciplinary research field and it thus anticipated that they will provide valuable resources for future research.
The LIAE project directly addressed this considerable gap in visual culture studies to provide a new framework for understanding the role of humour in contemporary art practice, and its capacity to contribute to cultural resilience for communities facing ongoing crisis.
LIAE was informed by a comparative study of 3 key case studies each legislatively recognized as sites of crisis and each emblematic of particular forms of contemporary ‘emergency’: economic/refugee crisis (Greece), indigenous sovereignty/endemic disadvantage (Australia) and military conflict/occupation (Palestine). Employing an adaptive form of visual culture research (discourse analysis, fieldwork, in-situ visual analysis, interviews, archival and primary research) refined through a training program and expert supervision at the University of Manchester, LIAE produced innovative interdisciplinary research on the social function of humour, unpacking the capacity for art to act as tool of cultural resilience for disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable groups.
The overarching aim of the LIAE project was to advance the field of visual culture by creating the first comprehensive framework for humour in contemporary art, revealing the crucial role of humour as a tool of cultural resilience capable of responding to diverse contemporary ‘emergencies’.
In order to achieve this aim, the project was informed by three key research objectives:
a) to develop a conceptual framework and gather empirical information to account for the impetus behind the emergence of humour in art from contemporary sites of ‘crisis’
b) to develop a novel framework of how humour advances the social function of art by operating as a vital agent of cultural resilience in three keys ways: re-enforcing connection to place, coalescing collective identity, and by subverting oppressive authority structures
c) to develop a conceptual framework that accounts for how ‘high art’ settings radically differs to that of ‘viral’ or ‘demotic’ forms (cartoons, memes and street art).
The research and novel interdisciplinary framework developed by LIAE took on new significance in 2020. This is because the pronounced global uncertainty ushered in by the COVID19 pandemic produced renewed interest in the role of humour as political and social tool in the face of emergency. The research data, publications, and outreach activity produced by LIAE contribute to this growing interdisciplinary research field and it thus anticipated that they will provide valuable resources for future research.
The main innovation provided by the LIAE project was to advance the field of visual culture by creating the first comprehensive framework for humour in contemporary art. This novel framework revealed the crucial role of humour as a tool of cultural resilience in the face of crisis and emergency.
Research activity directly addressed considerable gaps in scholarship regarding the varying significance and function of humour in visual culture. Key gaps in research where directly addressed through LIAE’s three research objectives: to develop a conceptual framework that accounts for why humour becomes pronounced in art from sites of crisis (objective a); to develop a framework accounting for how humour in art contributes to vital forms of cultural resilience (objective b); and to develop a framework that accounts for how humour in the contemporary art sphere differs to other ‘viral’ or ‘everyday’ forms such as memes or street art (objective c).
In responding directly to these three objectives, research activity (publications [including journal articles and book chapters], public events, outreach activity, research presentations) provided a valuable contribution to the field of visual culture. It is useful here to outline some of these primary contributions. In responding to objective A, the LIAE project was able to demonstrate why artists from sites of crisis employ strategies of humour, and the varying impact this has on international art audiences. In responding to objective B, LIAE was able to provide a framework keenly applicable to interdisciplinary research (and in particular the growing field of cultural resilience studies) identifying and analysing particular forms of resilience nurtured through humour and art. In responding to objective C, LIAE provided a new conceptual framework that accounts for how humour in art differs to other forms of visual culture which have received the lion’s share of scholarly attention and analysis.
Transfer of Knowledge
The transfer of knowledge produced by LIAE was attuned to both research impact and research outreach. Producing considerably more than the anticipated research deliverables outlined in the project proposal, LIAE synthesised high impact research publications (journal articles, book chapters, monograph proposal, conference participation/organisation), with public research events (lectures, seminars), and outreach activity (workshops with artists [AfA], public talks, industry texts/publications). This aimed toward a transfer of knowledge across a broad cross-section of the public; ranging from academics, industry (in particular arts industries), students, arts workers, and the general public.
Research activity directly addressed considerable gaps in scholarship regarding the varying significance and function of humour in visual culture. Key gaps in research where directly addressed through LIAE’s three research objectives: to develop a conceptual framework that accounts for why humour becomes pronounced in art from sites of crisis (objective a); to develop a framework accounting for how humour in art contributes to vital forms of cultural resilience (objective b); and to develop a framework that accounts for how humour in the contemporary art sphere differs to other ‘viral’ or ‘everyday’ forms such as memes or street art (objective c).
In responding directly to these three objectives, research activity (publications [including journal articles and book chapters], public events, outreach activity, research presentations) provided a valuable contribution to the field of visual culture. It is useful here to outline some of these primary contributions. In responding to objective A, the LIAE project was able to demonstrate why artists from sites of crisis employ strategies of humour, and the varying impact this has on international art audiences. In responding to objective B, LIAE was able to provide a framework keenly applicable to interdisciplinary research (and in particular the growing field of cultural resilience studies) identifying and analysing particular forms of resilience nurtured through humour and art. In responding to objective C, LIAE provided a new conceptual framework that accounts for how humour in art differs to other forms of visual culture which have received the lion’s share of scholarly attention and analysis.
Transfer of Knowledge
The transfer of knowledge produced by LIAE was attuned to both research impact and research outreach. Producing considerably more than the anticipated research deliverables outlined in the project proposal, LIAE synthesised high impact research publications (journal articles, book chapters, monograph proposal, conference participation/organisation), with public research events (lectures, seminars), and outreach activity (workshops with artists [AfA], public talks, industry texts/publications). This aimed toward a transfer of knowledge across a broad cross-section of the public; ranging from academics, industry (in particular arts industries), students, arts workers, and the general public.
Humour is a vital coping mechanism for communities undergoing experiences of protracted crisis. LIAE provides a novel and comprehensive interdisciplinary framework for understanding the entwined relationship between humour and visual culture, and the capacity for both to operate as tools of culture resilience. By strengthening connection to place, bolstering complex intercultural understanding, and subverting oppressive authority structures, humour provides a means for communities to absorb disturbance with dignity and hope. In so doing the LIAE project contributed to European policy objectives including the prevention of social exclusion, solidarity between countries and people, and respect for languages and cultures.
LIAE research findings were disseminated through a suite of research activity ranging from peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, book chapters, presentation of research in international conferences, guest lectures/seminars, public talks, and online workshops with leading artists. This disseminated research will directly contribute to the advancement of visual culture studies, humorology, trauma studies and cultural politics. Potential users of results are researchers across humanities/social sciences, art institutions (and public outreach programs), art practitioners, students, art therapists and those working in community cultural development.
LIAE research findings were disseminated through a suite of research activity ranging from peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, book chapters, presentation of research in international conferences, guest lectures/seminars, public talks, and online workshops with leading artists. This disseminated research will directly contribute to the advancement of visual culture studies, humorology, trauma studies and cultural politics. Potential users of results are researchers across humanities/social sciences, art institutions (and public outreach programs), art practitioners, students, art therapists and those working in community cultural development.