If you turn on the news these days it’s a depressing watch.ย If it is not children being murdered in the Middle East, then itโs the country waiting to be fracked to death amongst other things.
One thing that is startling with all the appalling issues going on is a lack of response from the arts. Once upon a time we would have seen new performances, contemporary art, and music highlighting the plight of the weak and vulnerable. But recently there has been a deathly silence from the art world, especially on a local level.
Bar a couple of poets I met recently who spoke out against austerity no one seems to be creating art that not only acts to highlight an issue, but also speaks out to say enough is enough.
We are quite fortunate on the Fylde Coast to have an abundance of creative people, fine artists, printmakers, dancers, spray painters, installation artists, poets, and photographers.ย So with all creativity going on around the Fylde Coast you would expect at least some work inspired by current issues.
Some will argue that social issues are not part of their practice, but I am not sure how that can be? We are all influenced by the environments we are exposed too, which we often then responded to in a creative manner, so unless fellow creatives have buried their heads in the sand on central beach then they will be fully aware of the misery that is happening in the world.
I think as an alternative news source, and a form of social commentatary, we as creatives have a duty respond. Or we could turn our backs as the world crumbles whilst we create work that is pretty and comfortable.
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