Dialogue as social sculpture:
a visual method of graphic-ethnography for storytelling
Oct. 2020
The focus of artistic productions is expanding toward addressing contemporary societal challenges, such as social inclusion, poverty, and ageing. The great complexity of the 'wicked' problems and the shared ambitions and values to transform society and society's impacts drive the collaboration of artists, arts and cultural organisations and communities actively engaging in the field of Socially Engaged Arts.
The Leeds team utilised a visualised tool to capture the entangled relationship in the art-based social project. By following the steps below, researchers can facilitate the conceptualisation of a complex relationship in art-based social research.
The Leeds team utilised a visualised tool to capture the entangled relationship in the art-based social project. By following the steps below, researchers can facilitate the conceptualisation of a complex relationship in art-based social research.
The visualised tool is called "Relationship-as-process". The 'relationship-as-process' tools were developed based on the work of anthropologist Tom Ingold on 'Correspondence' (Ingold, 2017a, 2017b) and psychologist George Levinger on 'interpersonal relationship' (Levinger, 1976, 1980).
The relationship starts from the "Association" phase. The Association phase is critical for the long-term research partnership since the first impression often lasts longer than we expect. Also, it impacts the ongoing projects and future collaboration. The Association phase intends to capture how a researcher identifies things in common for the research project. |
Here, the experience of participant dialogue aimed to uncover the contexts or motivations for mutual commitment and how stability was or could be established, grown and developed - such progress is usually dependent on a deepening of mutual trust and the continued association with mutual benefits and goals but might be jeopardised when issues of power and / or hierarchy are introduced. Identifying the significance (or not) of roles and how they help establish or develop the contexts for working together.
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The tool sought to acknowledge a fluidity or process or development that is necessary in any relationship, and how participants viewed the relationship as being something dynamic and whether the earlier acknowledgment of mutual goals or values has helped to manage any changes which took place.
Transformation phase is particularly important when researchers investigate how different projects can be conducted with same partners or any environmental changes occurs. |
The Leeds team identified the findings from interviews and workshops with AMASS partners.
Firstly, collaboration is a process of knowing each other. Individual and institutional expectations are negotiated and "amassed" over the project. Thus, the team can arrive at a mutual understanding. This act of corresponding in a project often leads to multiple project opportunities, which establishes a long-term academic relationship.
Secondly, the skill is a prerequisite to managing conditional and content-specific collaboration. Knowing what partners can do is as important as a positive experience. Therefore, demonstrating research skills to partners and understanding partners' capacity is essential for maintaining the relationship.
Lastly, we need to be flexible and agile for changes at the micro and macro levels. We are facing the biggest economic and societal challenges. COVID19 restrictions, online meetings, participants' resistance to involve, there are many changing factors in research. Thus, being changing-capable became significant for managing research projects.
In summary, this testbed activity aims to identify how a critical lens of correspondence can help to identify and describe the factors influencing the development of any relationship for research partnerships, but also how they can form the basis of meaningful and impactful communications as the art practices and outcomes develop and research project works through its processes. The visualised tool and findings in the current testbed contribute to conceptualising the research relationship and planning communication strategies.
Firstly, collaboration is a process of knowing each other. Individual and institutional expectations are negotiated and "amassed" over the project. Thus, the team can arrive at a mutual understanding. This act of corresponding in a project often leads to multiple project opportunities, which establishes a long-term academic relationship.
Secondly, the skill is a prerequisite to managing conditional and content-specific collaboration. Knowing what partners can do is as important as a positive experience. Therefore, demonstrating research skills to partners and understanding partners' capacity is essential for maintaining the relationship.
Lastly, we need to be flexible and agile for changes at the micro and macro levels. We are facing the biggest economic and societal challenges. COVID19 restrictions, online meetings, participants' resistance to involve, there are many changing factors in research. Thus, being changing-capable became significant for managing research projects.
In summary, this testbed activity aims to identify how a critical lens of correspondence can help to identify and describe the factors influencing the development of any relationship for research partnerships, but also how they can form the basis of meaningful and impactful communications as the art practices and outcomes develop and research project works through its processes. The visualised tool and findings in the current testbed contribute to conceptualising the research relationship and planning communication strategies.