Ghana Think Tank / Exhibition Preview
Thursday 22 October / 6:00 pm / Ffotogallery@Turnerhouse, Plymouth Road, Penarth
Project Outline
Ghana Think Tank - a collective of international think tanks - have been commissioned by the Festival to set out to solve the problems of Wales.
In a series of characteristically playful social interventions, a solution generated in one context is applied elsewhere, often on the other side of the globe.
Drop boxes around Cardiff and Penarth, and interviews with passers by generate a body of problems related to everyday life in the city.
These on-the-street actions use networked and streaming technologies by which local people collaborate with others from the far reaches of the world, and contribute to a striking physical installation in the gallery.
Commissioned by Ffotogallery and May You Live in Interesting Times with additional support from the National Museum Cardiff.
Ghana Think Tank`s exhibition continues until 10 December 2009. Ffotogallery is open Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm. More information can be found by by visiting http://www.ffotogallery.org
Biography
The Ghana Think Tank is a globally distributed network of think tanks set up to create strategies for resolving local problems. The network began with groups in Ghana, Cuba and El Salvador, and has since expanded to include Serbia, Mexico and Ethiopia.
Beyond the propensity to shock or entertain, the ambition is to challenge the hidden assumptions that govern many cross-cultural interactions. Traditional power-roles are swapped, places are exchanged and communities are connected through what had previously been their differences.
At the heart of this project is socially mediated problem solving, an activity which bridges divergent cultures and technologies. The intention is to transpose parts of one culture into another.
Related Links
Artist websiteFfotogallery
National Museum Cardiff
Image 1: Ghana Think Tank Image courtesy of the Ghana Think Tank
Image 2: Ghana Think Tank Image courtesy of the Ghana Think Tank