Commitography is a term developed by Thomas Talawa Prestø as part of his research project, ANANSI’S WEB, which combines “commit”, “geography” and “choreography” to suggest an engagement with and mapping of the structural and systemic elements of the artistic field. This includes its actions, politics, and self-identity. Commitography is a practice that aims to understand and shape the conditions of artistic creation and the artistic landscape. By involving oneself in boards and committees, individuals engage in a process of strategic analysis and intervention, where they can reveal, understand, and shape the conditions that shape the artistic landscape.
Commitography combines choreographic thinking at its core, understanding that choreography must impose order on the performance, within the three dimensions of space, the fourth dimension of time and the capabilities of the human body. It also apply this thinking to understand and create a form of order or structure to how we understand diversity, inclusion, plurality, and ourselves as an arts field which must be able to cater to and include the previously marginalized (and currently marginalized). This artistic strategic practice, combines the investigative and analytical approach of “geography” with the active, proactive and creative approach of “choreography” to create a powerful tool for artists and art practitioners to understand and influence the conditions of artistic creation, and also to shape a more inclusive and diverse artistic field.