DRS2020 Editorial: Synergy and experiential knowledge in collaboration – the Experiential Knowledge SIG

The selected papers for the EKSIG section at the DRS 2020: Synergy present case studies that address tacit knowledge generated and communicated in the processes of making and designing that take place as collaborations, in one way or another, between the maker and the material, the maker and the designer, or the maker and the user

Situating creative artefacts in art and design research

This paper aims at discussing the positions of art and design artefacts and their making in a practice-led research process. Three creative productions and exhibitions featuring my textile artefacts inclusively carried out for tackling specific research problems are examined as case studies. The first two cases include the production of two series of artworks and exhibitions namely Seeing Paper and Paper World created as part of completed doctoral research entitled Paperness: Expressive Material from an Artistʼs Viewpoint. The study examines the relationship between a physical material and artistic expression in textile art and design. The third case includes the production of a series of luminous objects called The White Light. These objects are expected to generate a discussion on boundaries between functional and aesthetic objects and those between art, craft and design disciplines. Both cases exemplify the roles of creative productions and artefacts situated in the process of inquiry. Throughout a practice-led research process, art and design artefacts can serve as inputs into knowledge production and as outputs for knowledge communication. As inputs, both art productions and artefacts can be the starting point of a research project from which the research questions are formulated. They can also provide data for analysis from which knowledge are constructed. As outputs, artefacts can indicate whether the research problem requires reformulation, demonstrate the experiential knowledge of the creative process, and strengthen findings articulated in the written output. Creative practice in a research context can contribute to generating or enhancing knowledge, which is embedded in the practice and embodied in and by the practitioner. This knowledge can be obtained in the artist creating the artefact, the artefact created, the process of making it, and the culture in which it is produced and viewed or used, all taking place at a different stage of a research process

The Role of Documentation in Practice-Led Research

Practice-led research in the field of art and design usually involves a study of the interplay between a researcher-practitioner and her artistic work in process. This article seeks to illustrate that documentation of art practice can be a means to record that interplay and it can be used as relevant material in practice-led research. The article will present an account of documentation in practice-led research highlighting two principal aspects: phases of documentation and the role of documentation within the overall research process. The account will capture reflections of the author’s own practice-led research in fiber art, which investigates the relationship between materials and artistic expression, in the context of contemporary art

Material inspiration: the practice-led research of a craft artist

A tangible material is a primary element in the everyday creative practice of any craft artist. Although craft artists implicitly understand the expressive aspects of the tangible material they use to create their artworks, they rarely discuss or give a written account of them. In this paper, I present a way in which my practice-led research on the expressivity and materiality of a fiber material can shape the total artistic process as well as the resulting artworks and their meanings. The research generates the conception of materialness in fiber art, which can assist fiber artists and other craft artists in creating aesthetic and meaningful artworks

Reflection and documentation in practice-led design research

In the past, design support programmes for companies with little or no design experience have focused on match-making between designers and SMEs. In addition, it has been recognised that design support should be about the business and leadership role of design and about promoting design tools as well as design management methods. However, a sustainable introduction of new design knowledge involves a process of organisational learning on the side of the SME. How exactly companies absorb new design knowledge has been underinvestigated. There is also a lack of a tool to analyse or guide such a learning process. Based on the Absorptive Capacity and the Dynamic Capability constructs, this paper proposes a Design Management Absorption Model to measure the progression of new design knowledge absorption. This model, which connects the three streams of innovation, strategic management and design studies, makes a contribution to practitioners from national design support programmes, to the design practice working with SMEs as well as to companies themselves. It represents a blueprint and an instrument for the analysis of a learning journey to introduce design management capabilities in companies with little or no design experience

Problems of practice-based Doctorates in Art and Design: a viewpoint from Finland

Although the development of practice-based art and design research in Finland can be clearly recognised in an outstanding number of edited books, the number of completed doctorates and researchers who utilise this approach seems to gradually diminish and the approach itself is not well accepted within academic research communities. This paper aims to identify problems that hinder the progress of practice-based doctorates in art and design, by examining the forms of practice-based doctoral dissertations accepted in five Finnish art universities. A major problem of practice-based doctorates in art and design is the unconvincing argument that practice as such is a form of research inquiry without need for further validation and explanation. This ought to be solved in order to establish practice-based doctorates in art and design in a larger academic context

Situating creative artifacts in art and design research

This article aims to discuss the position of art and design artifacts, and their creation, in a practice-led research process. Two creative productions and exhibitions featuring my textile artifacts were intentionally carried out in order to tackle a specific research problem, and these will be examined here as case studies. These cases cover the production and exhibition of two sets of artworks, named Seeing Paper and Paper World, that were created as part of my completed doctoral research entitled Paperness: Expressive Material inTextile Art from an Artist’s Viewpoint. The study examined the relationship between a physical material and artistic expression in textile art and design. Both cases exemplify the roles of creative productions and artifacts situated in the process of inquiry. Throughout a practice-led research process, art and design artifacts can serve as inputs into knowledge production and as outputs for knowledge communication. As inputs, both art productions and artifacts can be the starting point of a research project from which the research question is formulated. They can also provide data for analysis from which knowledge is constructed. Asoutputs, artifacts can indicate whether the research problem requires reformulation, demonstrate the experiential knowledge of the creative process, and strengthen the findings articulated in the written output. Creative practice in a research context can contribute to generating or enhancing the knowledge which is embedded in the practice and embodied by the practitioner. This knowledge or insight can be obtained from the artist creating the artifact, the artifact created, the process of making it, and the culture in which it is produced and viewed or used, all taking place at different stages of a research process

The role of documentation in practice-led research

Practice-led research in the field of art and design usually involves a study of the interplay between a researcher-practitioner and her artistic work in process. This article seeks to illustrate that documentation of art practice can be a means to record that interplay and it can be used as relevant material in practice-led research. The article will present an account of documentation in practice-led research highlighting two principal aspects: phases of documentation and the role of documentation within the overall research process. The account will capture reflections of the author’s own practice-led research in fiber art, which investigates the relationship between materials and artistic expression, in the context of contemporary art

Creation of artifacts as a vehicle for design research

Although material artifacts, with their forms and meanings, have manifested the significance of craft design practice, their role and the role of their creative productions in design research have rarely been discussed. This paper aims to uncover how the creation of artifacts can serve as a vehicle of design research. My doctoral research, which explores the relationship between a physical material and artistic expression in the creation of textile art and design, is given as the example. The research emphasizes the utilization of the researcher’s design artifacts and their productions as a vehicle of theoretical inquiry. The study offers the conception of materialness, which is the potential of a physical material to express meanings through its physicality to the designer and audience

Voice of material in transforming meaning of artefacts

When practitioners adopt craft as the major diligence of their creative practice, they naturally create work for not only the design context but also the art one. The nature of craft that involves direct experience, personal vision and mastery of a medium retains ‘material-based’ fields of practice, such as ceramics and textiles, for which practitioners tend to create both functional and aesthetic artefacts. Textile practitioners recognise the importance of material as the fundamental element for constructing visual, physical artefacts. However, the written accounts of the meaning of material in shaping the artistic process is barely contemplated and reflected. This paper looks at craft as a personal experiential process for creating textiles and unfolds how a material can construct the tangibility of artefacts and simultaneously generate particular meanings to them. It is based on my published PhD thesis that examines the relationship between material and artistic expression in the creation of textiles. My textile practice was included in the research process to examine this relationship. In this paper, specific productions and exhibitions are scrutinised in order to exemplify how a material can transform the meaning of artefacts. The main finding of this research is a concept called ‘materialness’. The concept shows that a material can lead not only a craft making process, but also the process of viewing completed artefacts. Materialness is the totality of the textile creation rooted in a material that includes the elements of form, content, context and time for the artefact. This concept is experiential knowledge that is made explicit because of the practice-led research approach and careful documentation. The inclusion of practice in the research process facilitates the communication of the tacit part of experiential knowledge, so that the meaning of material in textile creation can be articulated