Not So Not-for-Profit

Abstract

To address the sub-theme of the journal: Artistic Practices in a Time of Crisis, the author discusses the context of economic cuts and recent international crises on his PhD interactive and visual design research project undertaken in Australia. Identifying an apparent root-cause of current global crises, the author in reply, has structured a research plan and created a suite of new media, interactive, technology artworks, and installation art. Notions of Zen Buddhism, and stillness through meditation, are applied in the research and context of the artworks to support awareness of wellbeing, in response to the root-cause condition. The discussion will focus on the overarching question: how can one obtain value through the arts during current times of economic reduction conditioning? Keywords crisis • installation art • meditation • technology • value • Zen Buddhism Value is in the Productivity of the Development of the SpiritDuring my time as an artist over a 26-year period in Australia, I have been a witness to changes in government and their actions on the creative industries including funding support and funding cuts. Artist-run initiatives, which operate as not-for-profit organisations, developed in response to changes in arts funding structures. 1 The key term here is not-for-profit, 2 and their objective is to initiate ways to bridge the continual cuts in government support, negotiate the pressure of real estate values and rental increases, and manage the issues of continuous increases to the cost of living. Without doubt, it is difficult in any country for an artist, and arts organisation, to survive at