Three meanings of ‘agency’

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Reading ‘Agency’ I was struck, as often before, by the use of words in art discourse which have a rather different meaning than they do in the non-art world.

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For example the word ‘agency’ is used in the art world to denote the behaviour of individuals, usually in a context where they are constrained by politics, culture, or economics.  Thus to give someone agency is to grant them a freedom of manoeuvre to which they are not normally accustomed.

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Meanwhile, elsewhere in everyday life, the word 'agency' is used when an individual has the power and financial resources to delegate tasks to a third party.  People pay travel agents, estate agents, and insurance agents to do their bidding.

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In thinking about my artworks, the dual meaning of the word agency is of particular interest to me.  As the originator, instigator, and co-creator, I have agency.  And I am giving my participants agency because I am empowering them to collaborate with me in contributing to a collective work.  But I’m also asking them to take on the role of an agent to whom I have delegated aspects of a creative task.

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On reflection, this is a good description of three aspects of what I’m doing as an artist, but using a single word to do so.  My work is to do with three sources of agency: my own, my participant’s, and my delegation.

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For a more detailed analysis, link to my essay here.