3:00 – 4:30 PM
Session E
Fishing for Answers
Zach Moser
((presentation/discussion))

Zach Moser has spent his career attempting to resist the onslaught of global capitalism, with the past four years spent trying to undermine the shrimp commodity market. In this session he will explore the structures of the shrimp market and its telling similarities to the arts economy and its institutions. Artists’ and fishermen’s roles as romanticized primary producers in individually competitive industries with finite resources bind them together so intricately that hope for one could be hope for the other. We will ask:

  • How have individual fishermen organized with each other to resist exploitation?
  • In what ways have fishermen worked to develop alternative economic models to resist commodification and increase the viability of their profession?
  • What were the successes and failures of these efforts?
  • What role does government have in the economics of these professions?

Zach Moser facilitates collaborative and interactive investigations, designed to discover alternative methods of communication and new expectations of human potential. His work focuses on pursuing knowledge, alleviating the critical effects of injustice and participating in creative communities. He is co-founder of Shrimp Boat Projects, Workshop Houston and The Big Parade.

Shrimp Boat Projects is an artistic investigation of the Houston region that explores the connection between a region’s identity and its native landscape.  As the last form of labor wholly dependent on this landscape, shrimping in Galveston Bay is the project’s point of departure.  The process of the project melds the daily work aboard a commercial shrimp boat, the F/V Discovery, active participation in the local seafood economy, public programming, and cultural production.  More of this project can be viewed at the projects website.

Workshop Houston provides youth with creative, technical, and educational resources. Workshop Houston’s vision is to lay the groundwork for a just society by creating a community that provides youth with support, expanded opportunities and alternative definitions of success.

Since its conception in 2002, The Big Parade has become a cherished event in the Oberlin community; bringing residents of all ages together in a homespun, imaginative, community arts event that depends on wide-spread collaboration and team work. Groups involved in the Big Parade work relatively independently, but towards a common goal: to represent themselves and the town of Oberlin in a joyous and spectacular event featuring music, dancing, costumes, bikes, art cars, floats and whatever else people can come up with.

Sesión E
Buscando respuestas
Zach Moser
((presentación/discusión))

Zach Moser ha pasado toda su carrera intentando resistir la arremetida del capitalismo global, con los últimos cuatro años intentando socavar el mercado del camarón. En esta sesión explorará las estructuras del mercado del camarón y sus evidentes similitudes con la economía del arte y sus instituciones. Los roles del artista y el pescador como productores primarios romantizados en industrias individuales competitivas con recursos limitados los une tan intrincadamente que la esperanza para uno podría traducirse en la esperanza para el otro. Nos preguntaremos:

  • ¿Cómo se han organizado los pescadores particulares para resistir la explotación?
  • ¿De qué forma han trabajado los pescadores para desarrollar modelos económicos alternativos para resistir la comercialización y el incremento de viabilidad de su profesión
  • ¿Cuáles son los éxitos y fracasos de estos esfuerzos?
  • ¿Cuál es el rol del gobierno en la economía de estas profesiones?

 

Zach Moser facilita investigaciones colaborativas e interactivas, diseñadas para descubrir métodos alternativos de comunicación y nuevas expectativas de potencial humano. Es co-fundador de: Shrimp Boat Projects [Proyectos de Bote Camaronero], Workshop Houston [Taller Houston] y The Big Parade [El Gran Desfile].

Shrimp Boat Projects [Proyectos de Bote Camaronero] es una investigación artística del área de Houston que explora la conexión entre la identidad regional y su paisaje nativo.  

Workshop Houston [Taller Houston] proporciona a los jóvenes recursos creativos, técnicos y educacionales.

The Big Parade [El Gran Desfile] fue un experimento sobre el poder de nuestra necesidad humana de expresarnos como también sobre la efectividad de la teoría organizacional descentralizada. La premisa era facilitar un desfile que permitiera un foro abierto a individuos y organizaciones para que se representaran a ellos mismos de la forma en que estimaran conveniente.