Family Art Project

‘The Family Art Project’ consists of four artists, Vorsanger, Bob & Roberta Smith, and their children Etta (age 11) and Fergal (age 6). They have, working as a collaborative team, created art events in Germany, England, Finland and China, often using the process of an interactive workshop environment within a gallery space creating collaborative pieces with the visitors, exploring subject areas that relate to their individual areas of research.

In the ‘Family Art Project in China, Artists Links’ Residency the boundaries of interactive family projects, their previous practice together and the contribution of children's input was explored in ways unorchestrated by adult agendas. Funded by the British Council and the Arts Council England the residency (including stipend, flat and studio) collaborative drawings/paintings and films were shown in the exhibition ‘Forward/Backward & Reloading’ at Island6 Arts Center in Shanghai in August 2006.

The project explored the relationship of 'children and the state', examining areas such as 'the one child policy' and the rights of migrant workers’ children. Through a daylong event at Island 6 Arts Space they initiated the process of linking an independently run school for the children of migrant workers in Pudong, a suburb of Shanghai, and an intercity school in East London. There were several areas of commonality for the children i.e. location within the suburbs, large numbers of immigrants within the student body, assortments of dialects and languages spoken and the forthcoming Olympics. Voorsanger was one of four speakers presenting projects to the delegates of the conference ‘Artist Links in China & Brazil’ in October 2006 at the Barbican Centre. There were over 60 artists who created artworks from their Artist Links residencies and the project was documented in both the catalogue for the exhibition and the Artists Links 2002-06 book published by the British Council.