Re-imagining citizenship activity book

The activities in this book have been inspired by an exhibition collectively curated by the Politicized Practice/Anarchist/Theatre Activism Research Groups based at Loughborough University, UK (May-October 2018). The exhibition centred on the concept of the citizen/citizen-artist/artistcitizen to explore the potential for art practices to re-imagine citizenship and it brought together a range of audio-visual and text-based responses with contributions by artists, researchers and students from across and beyond the University. It invited creative responses to a series of key questions. This activity book expands the range of approaches and ideas about citizenship and, in making them mobile, also seeks to make them even more interactive. In government parlance, being a citizen means to be recognised as a ‘subject or national’. How does this play out in our everyday relations? What is at stake in re-imagining new forms of citizenship and modes of civic participation? How can the notion of citizenship - in our trans/post-national society - be reconfigured without subjection? How can it help us to transform our practices, behaviours and environments? The Activity Book is an invitation to re-imagine what it means to be a citizen, at a moment when the concept is being reshaped both by those who wish to reinforce the status quo and those who want to change it. We are looking for collective redefinitions of citizenship that are not prescribed/closed down by the language of duty or obligation, but opened up by artistic methods. It contains instructions to readers for sending appropriate text-based, visual or sonic responses (in any media) to us. These will be collated on the dedicated Re-imagining Citizenship/Living Archive online platform – creating an ongoing accumulative living ‘archive’ and resource for future educational initiatives, local and community-based workshops and temporary online exhibitions. This Living Archive will enable us to show how different publics might redefine citizenship using the innovative tools/methods/approaches they will find in the Activity Book. It will also enable us to gather grassroot redefinitions of citizenship and map them onto different geographical realities. Our aim is to keep informing participants of our research findings. For example, while identity seems to be an obvious prism through which citizenship might be defined, equality or mutual aid might emerge as a more encompassing notion. We also expect different age groups to redefine citizenship differently and this project will continue to explore that aspect. Re-imagine, participate, respond! Help us stimulate and share new, creative approaches to citizenship!