The Art of Intervention

The Art of Intervention was a series of symposia and exhibitions that took place in Japan and UK between 2009 and 2010. The central topic was the legacy of Dumb Type, the radical and innovative visual Japanese performance group notorious for addressing subjects 'taboo' in Japan such as the AIDS crisis. Dumb Type’s principal, Teiji Furuhashi (d. 1995), remains culturally prominent.
The symposia brought together contemporary artists Yoshiko Shimada, Bubu de la Madeleine (participant in Dumb Type) and artists and researchers from the UK and Japan. I was part of panels at two symposia and participated in the exhibition at Fleur Gallery, Kyoto, Japan (‘The Art of Intervention’ in 2010) and the lecture series ‘The Art of Intervention’ (February 2009) and ‘Love Song for the Future’ (November 2009).
I made contributions at Kyoto Seika University, Kingston University and the 2010 lecture ‘Performance Art and Photography.’ Lois Keidan at Live Art Development Agency and I collaborated to instigate an exchange between UK live artists and visiting Japanese artists - following this exchange, David Falkner curated a series of events, ‘Louder than Bombs,’ for Stanley Picker Gallery as part of Art of Intervention.