R.M. Sánchez-Camus

R.M. Sánchez-Camus (also known as Marcelo) is a UK-based artist and researcher who incorporates community co-design into installations, walks, text, and performance.
==Early Life and Education==
He graduated from the School of Visual Arts New York in 1999, before studying a Masters in Scenography at Central Saint Martins. In 2011, he completed his thesis ‘Applied Live Art: Co-authorship & Site Responsive Practice’, earning a Doctorate in Performing Arts from Brunel University. 
==Work==
The term ‘applied live art’, coined in his doctoral dissertation, refers to a ‘creative practice which has a social component as its primary focus’ and became the premise of the studio he founded and has directed since 2015. R.M. Sánchez-Camus has delivered various projects both as his solo artistic practice and as part of the Applied Live Art Studio. A notable work, ‘From Birth till Death: Scrolled Life Stories’, created in collaboration with the Horniman Museum, St. Christopher’s Hospice, Arts Network Three Cs and an Asylum Seekers Hostel, showcased a series of painted papyrus scrolls each telling a life story. When describing the installation, Horniman’s Community Engagement Manager Julia Cort stated that it ‘honoured people living locally and encouraged new conversations’. The exhibition was shortlisted for the 2021 Museum and Heritage Award.
As well as the Applied Live Art Studio, R.M. Sánchez-Camus has developed various networks and collectives. He co-founded Social Art International Berlin, Coalition of Creative Artists New York, Lotos Collective London and Social Art Network (also referred to as SAN).In a conversation with The Creative Independent, the group described their aim to ‘redevelop and rethink new ways of creating’ by producing ‘alternative economies and systems of support’.
R.M. Sánchez-Camus believes that ‘art is a reflection of who we are as a society’ and that ‘whether you see yourself as creative or not art can be a way to express emotions that are hard to put into words’. He has experience in arts and heath, designing UAL’s short course Health and Wellbeing through Art Making and taking part in the conference Facing Death Creatively from 2015 to 2019. During the Covid-19 pandemic, his audio walk and 2014 Artangel commission ‘At the Crossroads with Vincent’ was re-published by Van Gogh House, described by director Livia Wang as being more relevant than ever at a time of uncertainty and anxiety. The piece invited people to think reflectively and walk without a set purpose, exploring Stockwell through the lens of a 20 year old Van Gogh who moved to the area in the 1870s.
==Publications==
* Socially Engaged Art in a New World Order. Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy, 2023.
* 2022 Process and Findings Report. Social Artists for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (SAFEDI) report, 2022.
* Co-editor and Introduction author. Social Works? EDI Journal Issue 3, Axisweb, 2022.
* From Network to Meshwork: Validation for Social Practice Art and Artists. Social Works? Journal issue 2 Axisweb, 2020.
* Community Engagement as Museum Exhibition. Engage: The International Journal of Visual Art and Gallery Education. Issue 45 Class and Inequality, 2021.
* Elan Yn Galw: Canllaw Ategol Creadi. Translated by Delyth Huw Thomas. Social Art Publications, 2019.
* Elan Calls: A Creative Companion Guide to the Valley. Social Art Publications, 2019.
* Defining Praxis in Social Engagement – Journal paper in the Journal of Arts and Communities, Vol. 8 Issue 2, Intellect Books, Bristol, 2017.
* End of Life Care: A Guide for Therapists, Artists and Arts Therapists – Published book (co-author) Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2013.
* The Art of Dying: Aesthetics and Palliative Care , Article in Journal of Applied Arts & Health, Intellect Journal Volume 2, Issue 2, August, 2011.
* The Problem of Application: Aesthetics in Creativity and Health, Published article in Healthcare Analysis SpringerLink Journal Volume 17, Number 4, December, 2009.
==Selected Presentations==
* Care Pledge. Creativity, Care & the City, University of Arts London, 2023.
* Emotional labour of social practice artists: moving towards sustainable collective care. University of Central London, 2022.
* The Unrecognised Role of the Artist in a Social Setting. The Bergen Salons. Bergen Kommune, Norway, 2021.
* Do you want to come outside and play? Outdoor Arts Seminar – Freedom Festival, XTRAX and Creative ENRG, 2018.
==Awards==
* AHRC Fellowship: Social Art For Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (SAFEDI): Arts & Policy research, 2021/2022.
* Museum + Heritage Award, UK Exhibition of the Year, 2021 (shortlisted). 
* Festival of Creative Ageing Award, 2019.
* Hoxton Select – Rebirth Season Award, Arts Council Hoxton Hall, 2011. 
* NYC Innovative Theatre Award for Best Production, Vital Theatre, Scenic Design: Shakin Mess Outta Misery, 2005.
* OOBR Award for Best Production, Vital Theatre, Scenic Design: Idiot’s Delight, 2004.
Category:People from New York City
Category:Alumni of Brunel University
Category:Artists
Category:Researchers