Everyone can do it

F A I T H

However large some of us understand the scope of art to be, it must be acknowledged that many people simply believe that art 'isn't for them'. One thing I particularly like about Invisible Flock's work is how accessible the piece is; through the medium of memory, Bring The Happy invites absolutely everyone to take part in and personally create a collective work of art. The work surely sits under many other categories as well: it could be understood as cultural mapping, or even something like sociological psychology. Guy Debord's 1955 term 'psychogeography' certainly fits the bill in some respect. But the way in which Richard and the team turn the invisible (memories) into a visual project illustrates the artistic endeavor of Bring The Happy - the emotional contours that overlay the Leeds City map create a beautiful new landscape, suggesting alternative understandings of familiar places.

The social engagement induced by the participatory nature of the work of Invisible Flock certainly help to define their practice, as well as the practices of many other arts organisations. Rather than considering this work via theories of relational aesthetics, I'd like to focus on the simple effects that I think Bring The Happy will have produced. As previously mentioned, a project of this nature involves a wider audience of people who might not identify in any way with art, encouraging the public not only to think about what the art is doing but to actually contribute to it as well. This must have been really exciting - and I think it is key to acknowledge that this art introduction happened outside the gallery. By staging the art event in different parts of the city center, the work was allowed to be diverse enough to represent a more accurate and emotional view of Leeds as a home to many different people.

The development of the Bring The Happy project is interesting, and to me it completely makes sense to continue sharing the discoveries of such a collection of memories. It may not have been the projects predominant aim to enable those who feel like art 'isn't for them' to wholeheartedly engage with it. But I believe that everyone's capacity to retain and share memories could somehow parallel everyone's potential to participate with art.