If It Ain’t Broke- Their Place in Social Practice Canon
By Josh Mong
Sara Black and John Preus consistently use two basic hallmarks of social practice in their work as If It Ain’t Broke. These are the dialogical process and the collaborative process. Not only do these elements manifest simply between Black and Preus as artists, but also with their audience/participants in the execution or creation of their work. The pair engages in a discussion with the owners of “broken things”, over the thing, the condition of brokenness, the meaning of the thing, the possibility of repair, creative solutions, abandonment, and the general meaning of the process. The confluence of these ideas as well as the final execution of the plan blurs between the dialogical and the collaborative.
The work also shows influence of Derrida’s Deconstructivism, often quite literally as well as philosophically. The spirit of Situationists public engagement is also evident, although to knowledge the pair usually operate in a specific space, often associated with performance or gallery. If It Ain’t Broke often times, though not in their recent Open Engagement manifestation, contains a raw earthy aesthetic by the reliance of old reclaimed lumber and materials. In this sense they are reminiscent of some of Joseph Beuys’ object based work. In their explorations of brokenness they also give a nod to Mierle Laderman Ukeles pioneering work with notions of sanitation and refuse.
9:19pm (4 notes)
