Introduction
Learning to Love You More (LTLYM) was an art project where thousands of people created a series of responses to participate in LTLYM. The project is not just limited to a book or website but went on for years as a series of exhibitions in museums, schools, galleries, film festivals, radio shows and more. The projects and shows displayed works that were selected for a particular exhibit and certain assignment (Learning to Love You More 2009)
The art project, LTLYM is curated by Harrel Fletcher, who is an artist and teacher, and Miranda July, who is a filmmaker and writer (YouTube 2007). Fletcher and July began the project as a side project and posted assignments for the participants. They received an overwhelming response to their project based on different ideas and responses from various people. According to Fletcher and July, the whole point of being artists in the first place to feel new and create something new (Bryan-Wilson. Lark, and Russel 2010, p. 1). They wanted people look around themselves and respond. Gradually, the project expanded and extended organically, reaching out to every region and motivated the creative sides of ordinary people and their ordinary lives
When one looks at the LTLYM project, it is indeed a unique one. First, it offers complete freedom to the participants to be freely expressive about their feelings and use whatever medium they would like for their expressions. Everyone has access to the project and can contribute towards it in their own way, and this is what makes the project unique and special. What you think is ordinary and monotonous in everyday life, becomes a prized work of art when looked at from a different perspective. LTLYM forces you to think that if those everyday things in your life are boring and mundane, and if so, then you need to rethink about your life, instead of being a hypocrite.
Some of the examples of assignment include Assignment 53: Give advice to yourself in the past, Assignment 50: Take a flash photo under your bed or Assignment 32: Draw a scene from a movie that made you cry (Bryan-Wilson. Lark, and Russel 2010, p. 10). What the participants had to do was just to follow the instructions. As each individual would respond differently to the same assignment, the result was a wide and varied kind of response. What Fletcher and July have managed to here is not to just extend the reach of art and give it a new dimension, but also create a neutral space where anyone could come and go without getting judged or being judgmental. People participated freely even if they were not an artist and were not afraid for being judged. As te participants were focused on themselves and their expressions, and this is what made the project addictive. (YouTube 2011). A dynamic relation developed between the artists and the audience here. Fletcher and July wanted people to use the web and computer and still be away from the computer. The idea was to motivate people to do something different and appreciate the world around them (YouTube 2010). Fletcher and July certainly hold the credit for, the participatory project is socially engaging and motivating. LTLYM’s artistic context and strategies draw attention to the socially-conscious artwork that is away from the capitalist art markets. As the project encourages analytical thinking its fosters better understanding of different opinions and ideas.
People often forget the role and significance of art in the discourse of social and cultural aspect. For them, art is lies hidden in some museum where one must make a special visit to appreciate it. It seems that the persuasive power of art has got lost over time. LTLYM has indeed given a whole new dimension to art and creativity with most memorable submissions from a much wider audience. The idea forces one to look within the deeper meaning and purpose of art. The project indeed shows how one can find art in their daily lives and can make even the most ordinary to be extraordinary. It forces one to rethink about the role and value of art in the society today. Art is not be hung in special spots in famous museums and to be admired from afar. Art should be engaging and involving and embraced in everyday life. LTLYM draws attention to the power of art and how it can be used to broaden the horizon of the societies and communities. The participatory project has certainly brought art out in the open and into the public. The participatory role of public can help broaden the perspectives on arts and its significance.
Bibliography
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YouTube, 2011. Learning to Love You More: Instant Acceptance YouTube [Online] (2011) Available at: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STLdUChAmEw > [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].
YouTube, 2010. The Assignments YouTube [Online] (2010) Available at: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxnd-dvtWjk > [Accessed 10 Mar. 2019].
