“THE LANGUAGED EXTERIOR AND THE FELT INTERIOR”: UNDERCURRENTS OF LOGOCENTRISM WITHIN PRACTICE-LED RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP

Despite the intention to legitimise creative arts research methodologies within academia, undercurrents of logocentrism have been maintained throughout its scholarship. In the effort to support creative practices within academia, scholars of creative research have adopted a lexicon and logic that position practice as a natural, original, and/or internal process, compared to theory, which is often described as external, artificial, deferred, and/or capable of corrupting the integrity of artistic practice. Drawing upon Jacques Derrida’s critique of the speech/writing relation within Western metaphysics, this provocation summarises the language used around artistic practice and theoretical knowledge within the scholarship, suggesting that, in its radical germination, a logocentric undercurrent has been maintained that reinforces binarism, hierarchies, and an overlooking of cultural influence on creative practice. I conclude that the traditional academic hierarchy between theory and practice has been reversed within creative research’s discourse, but not deconstructed.&nbsp

Ambientes tecnológicos para o desenvolvimento da criatividade em Matemática em contextos exploratórios

A criatividade, como capacidade transversal a todas as áreas do conhecimento, tem sido sistematicamente cerceada pelos sistemas educativos do mundo industrializado (Amabile & Pillemer, 2012). Por outro lado, diversas investigações sustentam que a Matemática continua a ser ensinada à revelia de um modelo exploratório (Stein, Engle, Smith, & Hughes, 2008), não se dando oportunidade aos alunos de realizar e discutir tarefas matemáticas desafiantes que promovam, designadamente, o raciocínio matemático, a comunicação e a criatividade. Relativamente às Tecnologias da Comunicação, não obstante as vantagens que se lhes reconhecem, não se observou, ainda, uma transformação assinalável ao nível da sala de aula designadamente porque pode perturbar o processo educativo e/ou dificultar a sua gestão (Galluch & Thatcher, 2011). Neste contexto, um Classroom Management System [CMS], ao permitir gerir as atividades desenvolvidas, colaborativamente, por recurso a dispositivos tecnológicos contribui positivamente para a melhoria do ensino e da aprendizagem da matemática. Em particular, pode ser um instrumento de desenvolvimento da criatividade (Zagalo & Branco, 2015) e promover atitudes mais favoráveis em relação à Matemática

Music teachers' stories about fostering the development of creative attributes in elementary students

In recent history, the desire for an internationally competitive economy has driven education policy and reform. Creativity has become a signifier for innovative growth in global economies. As a result, creators of recent international education policies expect teachers to develop creative attributes in students. Tensions can exist when writers of educational policy encourage teachers to develop creative attributes in students while enacting other policies that subject teachers to high stakes accountability. The purpose of this study was to explore how two of my colleagues and I engaged students in creative activities while we were implementing the National Core Arts Standards for the first time in elementary music classrooms. Using Burnard’s adaptation of Csikszentmihalyi’s systems model of creativity as a conceptual framework and narrative inquiry as the approach, I sought to determine (a) what choices we made to provide creative opportunities for students when implementing the National Core Arts Standards in the elementary music classroom, (b) what choices we made to allow students to engage in risk-taking and flexible thinking with agency and relevancy, and (c) how we provided students with opportunities to engage in collaboration and use technology while engaging in creative activities. My colleagues and I shared that we engaged all grade levels in agency and flexible thinking in nearly all the lessons we taught throughout the year, and provided many lessons relevant to students’ lives outside of school, other subjects, and other music lessons. We found that we provided many opportunities for students to collaborate with other students in the classroom. However, we realized that due to the many roles we were involved with at our sites, we did not have the resources necessary to provide opportunities for students to collaborate with people outside of the classroom either in person or through technology. We also felt that we did not have time to plan to provide creative opportunities for students while they were preparing for their grade-level performances. To provide these opportunities for students, teachers may need to emphasize the benefits of the creative process to parents, administrators, and students, and devote planning time to developing collaborative lessons

Créativité, art ou création à l’école ? Susciter divergence processuelle et convergence analogique/numérique

Résumé Au Québec, le concept de créativité en enseignement des arts visuels est souvent boudé au profit de celui de création. Il fait pourtant un retour remarqué lorsqu’il est associé au numérique ou aux pratiques créatives foisonnant depuis la pandémie. Par ailleurs, l’originalité et l’utilité, souvent associées à la créativité, se trouvent reconfigurées dans les pratiques artistiques ou juvéniles de remix ou d’interventions éphémères. Bien que les jeunes qualifient rarement leur créativité informelle d’art ou de création, on s’attend à une démarche créatrice et à des réalisations artistiques en classe d’art. Dans ces contextes, comment concilier créativité, art et création en classe d’art à l’école ? Nous offrons des réponses à cette question par une analyse de ces concepts, la conception d’un projet d’arts plastiques au secondaire ainsi qu’une réflexion sur la divergence processuelle et la convergence analogique/numérique. Ce projet fait partie d’une recherche-action de l’équipe MULTINUMERIC qui vise le développement de dispositifs faisant appel aux compétences disciplinaires, multimodales et numériques des élèves. Nous mettons en évidence les interrelations entre attitude créative, diversité des contextes, (im)matérialité du projet, divergence des processus et convergence des compétences lors de la cocréation d’un dispositif inscrit dans le domaine des arts. Abstract In Quebec, the concept of creativity encounters resistance in visual art education where it is shunned in favour of creation. In contrast, the concept makes a remarkable comeback in education when it is associated with digital technology or the creative practices that flourished during the pandemic. Moreover, originality and usefulness, terms often connected to creativity, are reconfigured in contemporary art practices or in youth’s creative practices through remix or ephemeral interventions. Although youth rarely label their informal creativity as art or creation, in the art classroom they are expected to be creative and to produce artistic works. In these contexts, how can we reconcile creativity, art and creation in the art classroom? We investigate this question through an analysis of these concepts, the design of a secondary school visual arts project, and a reflection on the processes of divergence and of analog/digital convergence. This project is part of an action-based research led by the MULTINUMERIC team to develop pedagogical devices that call on the disciplinary, multimodal and digital skills of students. We highlight the interrelations between creative attitude, diversity of contexts, (im)materiality of the project, divergence of processes, and convergence of skills that occurred during the co-creation of a pedagogical device situated in the field of art education

An animated film with an accompanying analysis of its relationship to the theory and practice of art and animation.

Doctor of Philosophy in Media and Cultural Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.The focus of this practice-based PhD study is the production of an experimental, 2D animated short film of 10 minutes, 27 seconds, titled Big Man. The animated film is a retelling of several episodes that are found in chapters two and four of The Book of Daniel from the Old Testament in which Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, has troubled dreams that can only be interpreted by the Hebrew prophet Daniel. In the film, this biblical story is re-imagined using the former South African Prime Minister, Mr Balthazar Johannes (BJ) Vorster as the character of Nebuchadnezzar, thus linking the narrative directly to South African history. This is done using a variety of animation techniques, including stop-motion paper cut-out animation, digital and traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame and cel animation, digital puppet animation and paint-on-glass animation. The written component of this research provides a detailed explanation of the conceptual, technical and creative approaches used in the making of the film prior to, during and post production, and locates the film within the contexts of animation and fine arts practice in South Africa. In addition, the theoretical component discusses the concept of the ‘Big Man’, the particular literary, theoretical and visual influences at work in the film, and the adaptation of the biblical narrative from its origins to its re-imagining as a fictional, South African narrative explored through the medium of experimental animation. Practice-based research is essentially interdisciplinary, as one is approaching a study through both practice and theory (Elkins 2009). Thus research methods and aims can be applied to both aspects of the study and can differ quite radically, as textual research is clearly not the same as research through creative practice. This makes it impossible to come up with a single research question. Research that originates through practice involves a complexity of technical, conceptual, visual and aesthetic areas of exploration and approaches specific to creative practice, whereas the associated written component critically and cognitively engages with and supports the practice through theory. In terms of assessment the PhD project comprises a 50/50 split between practice and theory. The following questions cover the scope of my exploration in both the practice and textual components of my study: Does the film represent the theme of the “Big Man” in such a way as to make it relevant to both the South African context and to a broader international audience? At the outset the objective of this project was to use the theme of the “Big Man” to explore notions of power, and, in particular, to comment on the present political climate in South Africa with an emphasis on the rising conception of President Jacob Zuma as South Africa's most recent “Big Man”. The intention was to explore this idea implicitly, through the guise of the past, using former apartheid Prime Minister BJ Vorster as the central character of the film. A motivation for casting BJ Vorster as the biblical character of Nebuchadnezzar is that the biblical king is a famous, archetypal Big Man, whereas BJ Vorster is not necessarily widely known outside South Africa. Also, using The Book of Daniel from the Old Testament as the overarching narrative was intended to place the narrative within a broader understanding, beyond the South African context. The primary intention was for the film to convey this theme and narrative to its audience in a visually, conceptually and aesthetically coherent way. The textual component aims to reflect critically on the various visual, aesthetic and conceptual methods the film uses to engage with both the theme of the Big Man and the biblical narrative. This component also aims to engage with the relevance of the notion of the “Big Man” in terms of notable precedents in the creative and performing arts in South Africa. What are the interdisciplinary and research potentials of the experimental animation platform? While my film uses a narrative form associated with orthodox animation, the use of a multiplicity of styles and approaches is more commonly associated with the experimental tradition (Wells 2002: 42). One objective in creating this film was to extend my creative and conceptual knowledge of art-making and animation by creating an independent, experimental animated film. I chose to make an experimental film due to my interest in learning, using and integrating a variety of creative processes within a filmic medium. My methods and aims included using and extending my skills and interest in the fine arts, digital image-making and 2D digital animation. The film's identity within the experimental tradition, and the successful use and integration of a variety of creative processes is hopefully evident in the artwork itself. The methods of researching and applying these diverse approaches are illuminated in the course of the textual component. How can the digital platform act as both a medium and a tool for the animation process? A significant objective of this project was to explore the digital platform on the one hand as a tool for facilitating the animation process, and on the other hand as a medium for creating digital animation. The film accessed the traditional stop-motion animation processes of paper cut-out animation and paint-on-glass animation. As these are labour-intensive processes, I aimed to find ways of using the digital platform as tool to facilitate and speed up this process. I also had to find ways of integrating diverse traditional and digital styles and approaches. In order to do this, while I had previous knowledge of digital cinema technology, I had to learn to process and integrate these hybrid techniques in film editing and production suites at a more advanced level than I had previously used. In terms of accessing the digital platform as a medium with which to create animation, I aimed to develop my skills in digital, hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation and learn 2D puppet animation using the Flash animation platform. To what extent do the visual conceptualisation, planning and preparation for the film represent valid research methods? The general consensus within practice-based research is that the practice forms a significant part of the research (Elkins 2009). While to some extent the investigation is seen to be made visible in the culminating creative work, other modes of investigation applied during the practice may not be apparent in the end product. These include storyboarding the narrative, the initial visual and aesthetic conceptualisation, and the technical planning. Some commentators suggest that these processes can be recorded in the form of a diary (Frayling 1994). I have chosen to incorporate them into the written component. In this way the textual component aims to elucidate and document the visual methods of investigation applied during the creative process. The objective is to clarify this visual exploration as valid research, without which there would be no film. It is important to note that while such visual processes are major aspects of the research, other forms of non-visual investigation also apply and are an essential part of the planning process as well. The theme of the “Big Man”, for example, required both visual and theoretical exploration. However, for the sake of clarity, these aspects of the research are dealt with separately to the visual research process

Bending technology: a collaborative approach towards digital fabrication

This practice-based research investigates how interdisciplinary collaborations can help creative practitioners overcome perceived barriers and the notion of risk when approaching emerging technologies. This research aims to present an understanding of methods and theory that focuses on the exploration of technology within creative, collaborative contexts. More specifically, makers and craftspeople using desktop 3D printing in Scotland. The fluidity and unique qualities of this technology challenges established notions of expertise, labour and materiality. I explore the rhetorical notion of ’disruptive technologies’ through contextual research, collaborative workshops, one-to-one experiments and reflective practice. Information and communication technologies are blurring the roles and participation of audiences and producers (Gauntlett, 2011; Ritzer and Jurgenson, 2010; Toffler, 1980); as a consequence, online communities are becoming centres of development and innovation. These communities share some traits with Von Hippel´s definition of creative communities in which “user-led innovation” emerges (Von Hippel, 2005). However, the role that these communities of practice play, such as hackers, makers and users on the fringes of technological adoption, remains under studied. The debate on how to analyse these environments is split between Science Technology Studies (STS) Scholarship and design-centred approaches (Pinch and Oudshoorn, 2008). STS scholarship is dominated by the argument that technological development is not independent of social factors (e.g. Pinch and Bijker, 1984). However, cultural explanations remain anthropocentric and fail to recognise the role of the industrial drive in engineering and design (Sporton, 2015). This thesis explores this divide by proposing a framework developed through case studies, workshops, ethnographic research methods and participatory action research. Craft-related practices are exemplary for their relation to process and material exploration (Adamson, 2007a). The modernisation of local economies and the models of post-industrial production could displace the role of those practitioners who lack opportunities to explore emerging technologies (Atkinson et al., 2009; Bunnell, 2004; Marshall, 1999, 2008a). In an increasingly digital era, the relationship between collaborative creative practice, direct material manipulation and digital fabrication technologies need to be the subject to analysis. As an example of an emerging and purportedly ‘disruptive’ technology, 3D printing has been touted as a revolution in manufacturing, allegedly captivating the mind of consumers and creatives (Anderson, 2012; Berman, 2012). 3D printing and the online communities coalescing around it are creating new territories through collaboration, and this emerging technology brings to material practice a fluidity that belonged to the digital alone. Early adopters and artists, such as Michael Eden, Neri Oxman and Geoffrey Mann (Johnston, 2015), contributed to the development of a narrative that is still being contested by creative practitioners. This context offers a fertile environment for understanding the role of creative practitioners in technological dissemination. This relation is explored through hybrid research methodologies in which I act as a facilitator, a hacker, collaborator and sometimes as a technical service provider. This thesis sets out to question the materiality of 3D printing, its role as a creative tool, and challenge the perception of its impact on handmade practices. From this body of creative practice and reflection, longitudinal collaborations are presented that analyse different stages in creative, collaborative relationships mediated by technology - that is when a technology is at the centre of the creative relationship. Case study one focuses on the development of a method for creating a hybrid between 3D printing and textile design. Case study two examines the development of an image-based approach towards generating geometry that amalgamates painting, 3D modelling and printing. Case study three focuses on the potential use of 3D printers for generating media to accelerate processes within embroidery. These case studies and workshops have provided an opportunity to develop digitally mediated collaborations, leading to insights into collaborative practice and perceptions around emerging technologies within craft-based practices; thus, providing a creative context for the research and positioning this project within the field. Reflective practice is used as the primary mode of inquiry. This offers a unique insight into the development of a reflexive approach towards collaboration. The original contribution to knowledge of this research project lies in the proposal of a method for creating and analysing digitally mediated creative collaborations, as well as challenging techno-deterministic conceptions of technological dissemination. I propose to ‘bend technology’ as a low-level approach towards emerging technologies. This thesis includes a series of workshops, a portfolio of creative experiments, case studies and a body of 3D printed samples and works that range from conceptual artistic interventions to novel methods for 3D printing