Experimental research on the psychophysiological effects of different art materials and tasks is ... more Experimental research on the psychophysiological effects of different art materials and tasks is still scarce. This mixed methods research focused on physiological changes and emotional experiences in drawing and clay forming during the tasks of copying, creating novel designs and free improvisation within fast and slow timeframes. It combined an experimental setting and analysis of 29 participants' physiology with a qualitative content analysis of 18 participants' stimulated recall interviews. The main findings indicate that fast drawing was mentally the most relaxing. This physiological and qualitative evidence supports the therapeutic use of the fast scribbling tasks commonly used in the warm-up phase of art therapy. Furthermore, compared to drawing, clay forming demanded higher mental and physical effort in both timeframes. Interestingly, while physiology did not significantly differ between the tasks, the qualitative analysis revealed that nondirective clay forming stimulated participants' creative ideation and evoked the most positive emotions. This supports the use of nondirective clay tasks to aid in reaching therapeutic goals. The qualitative results also shed light on the unique and contradictory nature of emotional processes that different art materials, tasks and timing can evoke, highlighting the importance of therapists' skills to sensitively tailor matching interventions for different clients.
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk, 2021
The papers appearing in this issue comprise the proceedings of the 1st Biennial International Con... more The papers appearing in this issue comprise the proceedings of the 1st Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences, held online during 4–6 May 2021, initiated by the Craft Laboratory, affiliated at the Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Craft Laboratory was established in 2010 in cooperation with heritage organisations, craft enterprises and trade organisations, to empower craftspeople in the complex processes of making. The comprehensive agenda is to bring research into practice and involve craftspeople in the processes of inquiry. Among the operational tools are Master Classes provided for highly trained professional craftspeople in particular skills. Craft Scholarships are offered to craftspeople to investigate a problem or question in their practice, or develop ideas to improve methods or techniques. The site-specific workshop capacity in Mariestad allows craft researchers to implement research questions in practice and to perform full...
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk, 2020
Academic research in crafts, conducted by crafts persons from an insider perspective and through ... more Academic research in crafts, conducted by crafts persons from an insider perspective and through practice-led approaches, is still just emerging and ways of conducting research is developing with each research project. Through this article, we try to navigate the field from a doctoral candidate’s perspective, presenting the research field and some central issues commonly confronted with in regards to epistemology, methodology and methods. We exemplify the arguments made through our own doctoral projects to make our points more concrete. The article discusses the methodological perspectives of these research projects, how and why they developed and changed over time and influences posed by outer circumstances. We especially point to the challenges and opportunities of practice-led research in crafts and highlight the relevance and type of contribution to be had and its meaningfulness for the practice field and related education.
This Special Issue examines collaboration within research teams of professionals, researchers, an... more This Special Issue examines collaboration within research teams of professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders with diverse disciplinary expertise. It aims to understand how individual experiential knowledge – or knowledge gained by practice – is shared, how collective experiential knowledge is accumulated and communicated in and through collaboration in interdisciplinary research. The experiential knowledge generated through collaborations between experts in various fields are discussed in four studies that illuminate the relationships established within the collaboration, the approaches used, and the new knowledge gained and transferred within the team. This should contribute to a more systematic approach for studying and integrating experiential knowledge exchange in collaborative practice and research.
Transdisciplinary project groups are promoted as a way for coping with the growing complexity of ... more Transdisciplinary project groups are promoted as a way for coping with the growing complexity of research environments. In the context of archaeology and conservation, the knowhow of practitioner-researchers in crafts has potential in supporting the reconstruction of past events as well as the material and technical background factors. As education in the arts and crafts have gradually moved from the workshops into academic institutions, artisans enter higher education and can pursue research careers. In cases where an artisan with longitudinal craft experience conducts research training in a related area, such as archaeology or conservation, we can speak of T-shaped practitioners. In this article, we will present three examples of research conducted by Scandinavian practitioner-researchers who are professional crafts practitioners in wood, but also archaeologists / conservators. We discuss the potentials of practitioner-researchers in craft for facilitating experiential knowledge transfer between project members of different disciplines.
This Special Issue presents a selection of contributions that seek to extend the idea of what cra... more This Special Issue presents a selection of contributions that seek to extend the idea of what craft practice and research can be.
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk
This special issue on embodied making and learning is dedicated to aspects of embodied cognition ... more This special issue on embodied making and learning is dedicated to aspects of embodied cognition that goes on in the field of art, craft and design. The contributors to this issue were invited from the Embodied Making and Learning (EMAL) research group at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where aspects of learning in creative practices have been studied from many different angles throughout the institutions nearly 80 years existence, and amplified since the formation of the group in 2014. With its 50 members, divided into five thematic clusters related to embodied making and learning, this research group is one of the largest in the field. It involves both experienced and early career researchers, as well as experienced university teachers, from several disciplines.
Interdisciplinary research across the sciences and creative practice offers potential to explore ... more Interdisciplinary research across the sciences and creative practice offers potential to explore new areas of knowledge previously hidden between disciplines. However, diverging epistemology and expectations make collaboration difficult. We interviewed 11 researchers working in projects that combined scientific and creative practice research, to investigate how they dealt with different epistemological approaches. In some cases, the discrepancies that were first experienced as hindrances turned into enablers, opening up new vistas for learning. Our findings show that the prerequisites for experiential knowledge transfer need to be built consciously by engaging in hands-on practices and shared cognitive activities that may extend beyond the personal comfort zone. Furthermore, the common goals and research questions need to be motivating for all involved. Although academic research funding agents encourage interdisciplinary research, funding alone is not sufficient to motivate people to work and truly learn together. By combining different types of knowledge in co-creation processes, participants are able to better share each other's views and construct a multifaceted understanding. An analysis of the interviews suggests how a conscious development of interdisciplinary practice helps educate thinkers and makers to feel comfortable in the unsettling zone between disciplinary boundaries, and thus contribute to innovative research. ARTICLE HISTORY
Chapter in the book Earth, Wind, Fire, Water , edited by Randi Grov Berger and Tonje Kjellevold, published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers (2020). ISBN 978-3-89790-603-7, 2020
Som konsthantverkare samspelar vi på ett nära och nästan intimt sätt med material och verktyg. Al... more Som konsthantverkare samspelar vi på ett nära och nästan intimt sätt med material och verktyg. Allteftersom lär vi oss att lyssna på materialet, vad det kan erbjuda och vilka begränsningar som finns, så anpassar vi oss till vad som är möjligt inom detta samspel. På så sätt lär vi oss att arbeta med materialet i stället för att tvinga det. Med åren samlar vi på oss en djup erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap, som förkroppsligas och blir en del av oss. Lera är ett naturligt förekommande material, och att arbeta med naturmaterial medför också idén om att vara i kontakt med den materiella miljö som omger oss. Genom konsthantverket kan vi på sätt och vis vara i förbindelse med vår omgivning, då det vi gör genom våra handlingar direkt påverkar den, om än i liten omfattning. Vi påverkas och ändras också själva, vartefter vi reflekterar och växer i vår relation till materialen.
chapter in Earth, Wind, Fire, Water , edited by Randi Grov Berger and Tonje Kjellevold, published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers (2020). ISBN 978-3-89790-603-7 , 2020
As craft practitioners, we interact closely and intimately with materials and tools. As we learn ... more As craft practitioners, we interact closely and intimately with materials and tools. As we learn to listen to the voice of a material, to the possibilities and limitations it presents, we adjust our intentions to what is feasible in this human-material interaction. In this way, we learn to work with the material rather than forcing our will upon it. Through the years, a solid and deep experiential knowledge grows forth that becomes embodied in our souls, becomes part of who we are. When working with a natural material, such as clay, the source of the material may be present in the work presented, but also as an idea about connecting with the environment on a larger scale through the interactions with the material. Through craft practice, we have a direct channel for interacting with our environment, as what we make changes the material world concretely, even if in small ways.
Proceedings of the International Conference 2019 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG), 2019
Interdisciplinary research across art and science offers the potential to open up new areas of kn... more Interdisciplinary research across art and science offers the potential to open up new areas of knowledge previously hidden in-between disciplines. At the same time, differences in disciplines' theoretical frameworks, verification methods and expectations can cause discrepancies, which can be fruitful but may also require further navigation efforts. In this paper, we discuss the potentials and challenges of combining scientific and artistic research in interdisciplinary projects studying new materials. We interviewed 11 researchers working in different projects that combined scientific and artistic research in Finland and Germany, in order to investigate how they deal with different epistemological approaches and the limitations and possibilities that they brought up the interviews. In this paper, we focus on experiential knowledge sharing between the researchers in their research of organic materials. Our findings show that the prerequisites for experiential knowledge transfer need to be built consciously, over a long period of time by engaging in hands-on practices and cognitive activities that surpass the personal comfort zone of all members, and the common goals and research questions need to be motivating for all involved. Although academic research funding agents encourage interdisciplinary research, funding alone is not sufficient to motivate people to work and truly learn together. Even when motivation and common goals are found, the short longevity of funding might drive researchers to multitask, which in turn may damage the ideal conditions for transformational learning and knowing together. Thus, in addition to recruiting enabling professionals who have t-shaped experience of two or more disciplines, we suggest that conscious education in a new discipline could create a new generation of thinkers and makers who feel comfortable in the possibly unsettling zone between the disciplinary borders of arts and sciences.
Synnyt /Origins: Finnish Studies in Art Education, 2018
It is generally understood that the human senses are interconnected and always work in relation t... more It is generally understood that the human senses are interconnected and always work in relation to each other. How does this work when one or two senses are lost due to a dual sensory impairment? Deafblind persons' perception and experiences of arts are based on their residual auditive and visual senses, and touch. Their haptic exploration, their touch, movements and orientation towards the objects give blind persons direct, independent experience. Few studies explore the aesthetic experiences and appreciation of artefacts of dual-sensory people, and how they would interpret and express their perceived experience through another sensory modality.
This pilot research describes and analyses six different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues in vocals, sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic experiences. The informants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences. We conclude that it is possible to transfer felt experiences from one modality to another and that this facilitates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art work in dual impaired persons. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions made from haptic aesthetic experiences, and suggest these as artistic supports to traditional linguistic descriptions.
Synnyt/Origins: Finnish Studies in Art Education, 2018
Aalto University had the pleasure to host the 6th Art of Research Conference in November 29- 30, ... more Aalto University had the pleasure to host the 6th Art of Research Conference in November 29- 30, 2017. Over the past two decades, the Art of Research conferences have had a significant role in promoting continuous dialogue and fruitful convergence between art- and design-related research practices. The conferences have contributed to the development of rapidly growing and spreading contemporary discourse on artistic and practice-led research. Thus, the Art of Research conference has been widely appreciated as an unconventional and highly-interactive format for discussing, exhibiting and performing different modes of discourse within art and design practices. This year the conference was co-organized between three different departments within the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture; Department of Design, Department of Film, Television and Scenography and the Department of Art, offering an academic framework for discussing proposals drawing on the full spectrum of artistic and practice-led research including contemporary art, film, photography, scenography, craft, design, media and architecture. Moving on from previous years’ preoccupations within the field about ontological or epistemological foundations, this year the conference invited proposals that addressed the agency of the artist-researcher as a catalyst, that would challenge established ideas and produce new thinking through artistic and practice-led research.
This article aims to integrate knowledge from the field of cognitive neuroscience and the arts by... more This article aims to integrate knowledge from the field of cognitive neuroscience and the arts by focusing on the implications that flow experience and the mirror neuron system integral to making processes have for our psychophysical well-being. Art and craft practitioners have personal experience of the benefits of making. We propose that the handling of material can help to regulate our mental states by providing a means to reach flow states. Furthermore, it seems that arts and crafts play an important role in controlling stress and enhancing relaxation. They enable us to fail safely and handle our associated emotions. It has also been proposed that the mirror neuron system helps in skill learning, and the plasticity of the brain ensures that skills may be learned at all stages of life. Finally, art and craft facilitate social activity for many individuals who are at risk of social isolation.
Deafblind persons’ perception and experiences are based on their residual auditive and visual sen... more Deafblind persons’ perception and experiences are based on their residual auditive and visual senses, and touch. Their haptic exploration, through movements and orientation towards objects give blind persons direct, independent experience. Few studies explore the aesthetic experiences and appreciation of artefacts of deafblind people using cochlear implant (CI) technology, and how they interpret and express their perceived aesthetic experience through another sensory modality. While speech recognition is studied extensively in this area, the aspect of auditive descriptions made by CI users are a less-studied domain. This present research intervention describes and analyses five different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues vocally, using sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic explorations. The participants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences, as well as re-experiencing them through technological aids. We also found that the CI users modify technology to better suit their personal needs. We conclude that CI technology in combination with self-made sound descriptions enhance memorization of haptic art experiences that can be re-called by the recording of the sound descriptions. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions, and encourages user-produced descriptions as artistic supports to traditional linguistic, audio descriptions. These can be used to create personal auditive–haptic memory collections similar to how sighted create photo albums.
This article presents a study in which new materials are developed through experimental knowledge... more This article presents a study in which new materials are developed through experimental knowledge construction and knowledge exchange between different disciplines. The New Silk research project (2017- 2020) is the building block for the research. New Silk aims to produce new types of silk-like materials in the context of synthetic biology. In this article we discuss the initial experimental touch points between material science, synthetic biology, design and art encountered during the project’s first year. Firstly, the study shows that shared material experiences in the setting of workshops build foundational understanding of perceived material agency leading to discussion on material activity and research ethics. Secondly, our research identified that all of these disciplines, material science, synthetic biology, design and art, approach materials research through experimental methods, even if the goal of the research differs in each discipline.
Experimental research on the psychophysiological effects of different art materials and tasks is ... more Experimental research on the psychophysiological effects of different art materials and tasks is still scarce. This mixed methods research focused on physiological changes and emotional experiences in drawing and clay forming during the tasks of copying, creating novel designs and free improvisation within fast and slow timeframes. It combined an experimental setting and analysis of 29 participants' physiology with a qualitative content analysis of 18 participants' stimulated recall interviews. The main findings indicate that fast drawing was mentally the most relaxing. This physiological and qualitative evidence supports the therapeutic use of the fast scribbling tasks commonly used in the warm-up phase of art therapy. Furthermore, compared to drawing, clay forming demanded higher mental and physical effort in both timeframes. Interestingly, while physiology did not significantly differ between the tasks, the qualitative analysis revealed that nondirective clay forming stimulated participants' creative ideation and evoked the most positive emotions. This supports the use of nondirective clay tasks to aid in reaching therapeutic goals. The qualitative results also shed light on the unique and contradictory nature of emotional processes that different art materials, tasks and timing can evoke, highlighting the importance of therapists' skills to sensitively tailor matching interventions for different clients.
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk, 2021
The papers appearing in this issue comprise the proceedings of the 1st Biennial International Con... more The papers appearing in this issue comprise the proceedings of the 1st Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences, held online during 4–6 May 2021, initiated by the Craft Laboratory, affiliated at the Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Craft Laboratory was established in 2010 in cooperation with heritage organisations, craft enterprises and trade organisations, to empower craftspeople in the complex processes of making. The comprehensive agenda is to bring research into practice and involve craftspeople in the processes of inquiry. Among the operational tools are Master Classes provided for highly trained professional craftspeople in particular skills. Craft Scholarships are offered to craftspeople to investigate a problem or question in their practice, or develop ideas to improve methods or techniques. The site-specific workshop capacity in Mariestad allows craft researchers to implement research questions in practice and to perform full...
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk, 2020
Academic research in crafts, conducted by crafts persons from an insider perspective and through ... more Academic research in crafts, conducted by crafts persons from an insider perspective and through practice-led approaches, is still just emerging and ways of conducting research is developing with each research project. Through this article, we try to navigate the field from a doctoral candidate’s perspective, presenting the research field and some central issues commonly confronted with in regards to epistemology, methodology and methods. We exemplify the arguments made through our own doctoral projects to make our points more concrete. The article discusses the methodological perspectives of these research projects, how and why they developed and changed over time and influences posed by outer circumstances. We especially point to the challenges and opportunities of practice-led research in crafts and highlight the relevance and type of contribution to be had and its meaningfulness for the practice field and related education.
This Special Issue examines collaboration within research teams of professionals, researchers, an... more This Special Issue examines collaboration within research teams of professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders with diverse disciplinary expertise. It aims to understand how individual experiential knowledge – or knowledge gained by practice – is shared, how collective experiential knowledge is accumulated and communicated in and through collaboration in interdisciplinary research. The experiential knowledge generated through collaborations between experts in various fields are discussed in four studies that illuminate the relationships established within the collaboration, the approaches used, and the new knowledge gained and transferred within the team. This should contribute to a more systematic approach for studying and integrating experiential knowledge exchange in collaborative practice and research.
Transdisciplinary project groups are promoted as a way for coping with the growing complexity of ... more Transdisciplinary project groups are promoted as a way for coping with the growing complexity of research environments. In the context of archaeology and conservation, the knowhow of practitioner-researchers in crafts has potential in supporting the reconstruction of past events as well as the material and technical background factors. As education in the arts and crafts have gradually moved from the workshops into academic institutions, artisans enter higher education and can pursue research careers. In cases where an artisan with longitudinal craft experience conducts research training in a related area, such as archaeology or conservation, we can speak of T-shaped practitioners. In this article, we will present three examples of research conducted by Scandinavian practitioner-researchers who are professional crafts practitioners in wood, but also archaeologists / conservators. We discuss the potentials of practitioner-researchers in craft for facilitating experiential knowledge transfer between project members of different disciplines.
This Special Issue presents a selection of contributions that seek to extend the idea of what cra... more This Special Issue presents a selection of contributions that seek to extend the idea of what craft practice and research can be.
FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk
This special issue on embodied making and learning is dedicated to aspects of embodied cognition ... more This special issue on embodied making and learning is dedicated to aspects of embodied cognition that goes on in the field of art, craft and design. The contributors to this issue were invited from the Embodied Making and Learning (EMAL) research group at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where aspects of learning in creative practices have been studied from many different angles throughout the institutions nearly 80 years existence, and amplified since the formation of the group in 2014. With its 50 members, divided into five thematic clusters related to embodied making and learning, this research group is one of the largest in the field. It involves both experienced and early career researchers, as well as experienced university teachers, from several disciplines.
Interdisciplinary research across the sciences and creative practice offers potential to explore ... more Interdisciplinary research across the sciences and creative practice offers potential to explore new areas of knowledge previously hidden between disciplines. However, diverging epistemology and expectations make collaboration difficult. We interviewed 11 researchers working in projects that combined scientific and creative practice research, to investigate how they dealt with different epistemological approaches. In some cases, the discrepancies that were first experienced as hindrances turned into enablers, opening up new vistas for learning. Our findings show that the prerequisites for experiential knowledge transfer need to be built consciously by engaging in hands-on practices and shared cognitive activities that may extend beyond the personal comfort zone. Furthermore, the common goals and research questions need to be motivating for all involved. Although academic research funding agents encourage interdisciplinary research, funding alone is not sufficient to motivate people to work and truly learn together. By combining different types of knowledge in co-creation processes, participants are able to better share each other's views and construct a multifaceted understanding. An analysis of the interviews suggests how a conscious development of interdisciplinary practice helps educate thinkers and makers to feel comfortable in the unsettling zone between disciplinary boundaries, and thus contribute to innovative research. ARTICLE HISTORY
Chapter in the book Earth, Wind, Fire, Water , edited by Randi Grov Berger and Tonje Kjellevold, published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers (2020). ISBN 978-3-89790-603-7, 2020
Som konsthantverkare samspelar vi på ett nära och nästan intimt sätt med material och verktyg. Al... more Som konsthantverkare samspelar vi på ett nära och nästan intimt sätt med material och verktyg. Allteftersom lär vi oss att lyssna på materialet, vad det kan erbjuda och vilka begränsningar som finns, så anpassar vi oss till vad som är möjligt inom detta samspel. På så sätt lär vi oss att arbeta med materialet i stället för att tvinga det. Med åren samlar vi på oss en djup erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap, som förkroppsligas och blir en del av oss. Lera är ett naturligt förekommande material, och att arbeta med naturmaterial medför också idén om att vara i kontakt med den materiella miljö som omger oss. Genom konsthantverket kan vi på sätt och vis vara i förbindelse med vår omgivning, då det vi gör genom våra handlingar direkt påverkar den, om än i liten omfattning. Vi påverkas och ändras också själva, vartefter vi reflekterar och växer i vår relation till materialen.
chapter in Earth, Wind, Fire, Water , edited by Randi Grov Berger and Tonje Kjellevold, published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers (2020). ISBN 978-3-89790-603-7 , 2020
As craft practitioners, we interact closely and intimately with materials and tools. As we learn ... more As craft practitioners, we interact closely and intimately with materials and tools. As we learn to listen to the voice of a material, to the possibilities and limitations it presents, we adjust our intentions to what is feasible in this human-material interaction. In this way, we learn to work with the material rather than forcing our will upon it. Through the years, a solid and deep experiential knowledge grows forth that becomes embodied in our souls, becomes part of who we are. When working with a natural material, such as clay, the source of the material may be present in the work presented, but also as an idea about connecting with the environment on a larger scale through the interactions with the material. Through craft practice, we have a direct channel for interacting with our environment, as what we make changes the material world concretely, even if in small ways.
Proceedings of the International Conference 2019 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG), 2019
Interdisciplinary research across art and science offers the potential to open up new areas of kn... more Interdisciplinary research across art and science offers the potential to open up new areas of knowledge previously hidden in-between disciplines. At the same time, differences in disciplines' theoretical frameworks, verification methods and expectations can cause discrepancies, which can be fruitful but may also require further navigation efforts. In this paper, we discuss the potentials and challenges of combining scientific and artistic research in interdisciplinary projects studying new materials. We interviewed 11 researchers working in different projects that combined scientific and artistic research in Finland and Germany, in order to investigate how they deal with different epistemological approaches and the limitations and possibilities that they brought up the interviews. In this paper, we focus on experiential knowledge sharing between the researchers in their research of organic materials. Our findings show that the prerequisites for experiential knowledge transfer need to be built consciously, over a long period of time by engaging in hands-on practices and cognitive activities that surpass the personal comfort zone of all members, and the common goals and research questions need to be motivating for all involved. Although academic research funding agents encourage interdisciplinary research, funding alone is not sufficient to motivate people to work and truly learn together. Even when motivation and common goals are found, the short longevity of funding might drive researchers to multitask, which in turn may damage the ideal conditions for transformational learning and knowing together. Thus, in addition to recruiting enabling professionals who have t-shaped experience of two or more disciplines, we suggest that conscious education in a new discipline could create a new generation of thinkers and makers who feel comfortable in the possibly unsettling zone between the disciplinary borders of arts and sciences.
Synnyt /Origins: Finnish Studies in Art Education, 2018
It is generally understood that the human senses are interconnected and always work in relation t... more It is generally understood that the human senses are interconnected and always work in relation to each other. How does this work when one or two senses are lost due to a dual sensory impairment? Deafblind persons' perception and experiences of arts are based on their residual auditive and visual senses, and touch. Their haptic exploration, their touch, movements and orientation towards the objects give blind persons direct, independent experience. Few studies explore the aesthetic experiences and appreciation of artefacts of dual-sensory people, and how they would interpret and express their perceived experience through another sensory modality.
This pilot research describes and analyses six different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues in vocals, sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic experiences. The informants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences. We conclude that it is possible to transfer felt experiences from one modality to another and that this facilitates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art work in dual impaired persons. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions made from haptic aesthetic experiences, and suggest these as artistic supports to traditional linguistic descriptions.
Synnyt/Origins: Finnish Studies in Art Education, 2018
Aalto University had the pleasure to host the 6th Art of Research Conference in November 29- 30, ... more Aalto University had the pleasure to host the 6th Art of Research Conference in November 29- 30, 2017. Over the past two decades, the Art of Research conferences have had a significant role in promoting continuous dialogue and fruitful convergence between art- and design-related research practices. The conferences have contributed to the development of rapidly growing and spreading contemporary discourse on artistic and practice-led research. Thus, the Art of Research conference has been widely appreciated as an unconventional and highly-interactive format for discussing, exhibiting and performing different modes of discourse within art and design practices. This year the conference was co-organized between three different departments within the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture; Department of Design, Department of Film, Television and Scenography and the Department of Art, offering an academic framework for discussing proposals drawing on the full spectrum of artistic and practice-led research including contemporary art, film, photography, scenography, craft, design, media and architecture. Moving on from previous years’ preoccupations within the field about ontological or epistemological foundations, this year the conference invited proposals that addressed the agency of the artist-researcher as a catalyst, that would challenge established ideas and produce new thinking through artistic and practice-led research.
This article aims to integrate knowledge from the field of cognitive neuroscience and the arts by... more This article aims to integrate knowledge from the field of cognitive neuroscience and the arts by focusing on the implications that flow experience and the mirror neuron system integral to making processes have for our psychophysical well-being. Art and craft practitioners have personal experience of the benefits of making. We propose that the handling of material can help to regulate our mental states by providing a means to reach flow states. Furthermore, it seems that arts and crafts play an important role in controlling stress and enhancing relaxation. They enable us to fail safely and handle our associated emotions. It has also been proposed that the mirror neuron system helps in skill learning, and the plasticity of the brain ensures that skills may be learned at all stages of life. Finally, art and craft facilitate social activity for many individuals who are at risk of social isolation.
Deafblind persons’ perception and experiences are based on their residual auditive and visual sen... more Deafblind persons’ perception and experiences are based on their residual auditive and visual senses, and touch. Their haptic exploration, through movements and orientation towards objects give blind persons direct, independent experience. Few studies explore the aesthetic experiences and appreciation of artefacts of deafblind people using cochlear implant (CI) technology, and how they interpret and express their perceived aesthetic experience through another sensory modality. While speech recognition is studied extensively in this area, the aspect of auditive descriptions made by CI users are a less-studied domain. This present research intervention describes and analyses five different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues vocally, using sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic explorations. The participants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences, as well as re-experiencing them through technological aids. We also found that the CI users modify technology to better suit their personal needs. We conclude that CI technology in combination with self-made sound descriptions enhance memorization of haptic art experiences that can be re-called by the recording of the sound descriptions. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions, and encourages user-produced descriptions as artistic supports to traditional linguistic, audio descriptions. These can be used to create personal auditive–haptic memory collections similar to how sighted create photo albums.
This article presents a study in which new materials are developed through experimental knowledge... more This article presents a study in which new materials are developed through experimental knowledge construction and knowledge exchange between different disciplines. The New Silk research project (2017- 2020) is the building block for the research. New Silk aims to produce new types of silk-like materials in the context of synthetic biology. In this article we discuss the initial experimental touch points between material science, synthetic biology, design and art encountered during the project’s first year. Firstly, the study shows that shared material experiences in the setting of workshops build foundational understanding of perceived material agency leading to discussion on material activity and research ethics. Secondly, our research identified that all of these disciplines, material science, synthetic biology, design and art, approach materials research through experimental methods, even if the goal of the research differs in each discipline.
Material interactions are fundamental to design and craft education; however, they might also pro... more Material interactions are fundamental to design and craft education; however, they might also provide opportunities to reflect on sustainable behaviour in general. In this paper, we present an interdisciplinary undergraduate course in which students interacted with clay and wool. By engaging novices in material-based craft processes, we examined renewed ways of experiencing the materials to reconsider our everyday material interactions and our dependency and responsibilities in regard to materials in general. Through this example, we discuss the potential of craft practice as an educational platform to discuss materiality and to facilitate a deeper and more holistic understanding of the consequences of our material behaviour beyond the creative practices. The students' reflections over the five weeks touched upon their renewed appreciation of materials, and their changed interactions with materials-moving towards a dialogical stance rather than only using them as a means to an end.
Smart textiles are often developed in sports-oriented contexts through technology-driven processe... more Smart textiles are often developed in sports-oriented contexts through technology-driven processes. In the medical context, practitioners themselves also invent and develop technological aids in response to needs that emerge in practice. In these cases, novel technology may be the first driver for design to secure functionality and reliability, but our study shows that these processes benefit from human-centric and empathic design approaches. The project develops smart textiles for infants with medical adversities, such as preterm birth, neonatal infections, or birth asphyxia, collaboratively with medical researchers. Our pilot research illuminates the need to use the interest group's empathic understanding as a starting point for design, as the user of the garments does not yet have a voice of their own. In this paper, we develop the argument for empathic design in a technology-driven design process in the medical context.
EKSIG 2019 Knowing Together — experiential knowledge and collaboration, 2019
Creative practice has transformed from one based on the production of material artefacts to one t... more Creative practice has transformed from one based on the production of material artefacts to one that engages expertise and knowledge from multiple disciplines. Recent research in the creative disciplines has revolved around the changing territorial context of ‘making’ (Ingold, 2013; Sennett, 2008) and has increasingly involved professionals and academic researchers working collaboratively to explore an interdisciplinary inquiry (Plattner, Meinel & Leifer, 2018). Collaboration in such research has therefore become vital. A research team may comprise different disciplinary experts, such as scientists, technologists, artists, designers, architects, psychologists, business strategists and policy makers, working across academic, commercial and public sectors (e.g. Bowen et al., 2016; Nimkulrat & Matthews, 2017). They may work with materials and/or non-materials. Examples include research in the fields of New Materials, Smart Textiles, Virtual Materiality, Material Innovation, Embodied Ideation, and Participatory Practices in Business in which various partners are in dialogue, developing, consolidating and enhancing knowledge while generating new opportunities for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.
This conference therefore examines collaboration within research teams of professionals/researchers and members with other diverse disciplinary expertise. Collaboration here is interpreted in the widest possible sense to include any kind of working together. This is to understand how individual experiential knowledge — or knowledge gained by practice — is shared, how collective experiential knowledge is accumulated and communicated in and through collaboration, and how it is embodied in the outputs and may be traced back to the origin of the practice. The conference also aims to illuminate ‘making’ as the action of change in which matter and materials are transformed through collaboration, interaction or negotiation between the collaborative team and their material and non-material environments.
Experiential knowledge generated when researchers and practitioners collaborate with experts in other fields are discussed in a rich collection of case studies presented in the papers that shed light on the relationships built within the collaboration, the approaches used and the new knowledge gained and transferred within the team. This should contribute to a more systematic approach for studying and integrating experiential knowledge into collaborative practice and research.
Proceedings of Design Research Society Conference , 2018
At the DRS 2018: Design as Catalyst, the EKSIG track aims to examine collaboration within design ... more At the DRS 2018: Design as Catalyst, the EKSIG track aims to examine collaboration within design research teams that comprise members with diverse disciplinary expertise. This is to understand: 1) how individual experiential knowledge, or knowledge gained by practice, is shared; 2) how collective experiential knowledge is accumulated and communicated in and through collaboration; and 3) how it is embodied in the outputs and may be traced back to the origin of the practice. The track also aims to illuminate the act of making as the action of change in which matter and materials are transformed through collaboration, interaction or negotiation between the collaborative team and their material environment. Collaborative making and knowledge creation occur in multiple forms, on many levels and in different contexts and, through the act of making, meaning is made, communicated and shared (Ingold, 2013). This collaborative learning is a process of exchange where existing knowledge and experience of a certain topic is reviewed, added or transformed. The track explores how learning is transferred and articulated within multidisciplinary teams.
Design Research Society Conference Proceedings 2018, 2018
Design practice involves several disciplines, and when the manufacturing process demands special ... more Design practice involves several disciplines, and when the manufacturing process demands special skills, designers outsource the work to craftspersons. Traditionally, craftspersons make a living by taking orders and delivering handmade artefacts according to the designer's prescriptions. In this paper, we ask the following: What are the essential issues emerging when designers outsource the manufacturing of their designs to professional craft practitioners? We present a case study in which aspects of sharing and experiential knowledge are analysed both from the point of view of the designers and the craftspersons involved in the making of artefacts for an exhibition. We found that having experiential knowledge of various materials benefits the designer and that material agency is an important issue in this process because the properties and production processes play a large role in the aesthetics of the final artefact. Multiple questions of authorship are raised in this context because of the aspect of outsourcing, and we suggest that this could be better reflected in the presentation of the final artefacts.
P. Lloyd & E. Bohemia, eds., Proceedings of DRS2016: Design + Research + Society - Future-Focused Thinking
The embodiment of tools and experiential knowledge of materials gained over time lies at the hear... more The embodiment of tools and experiential knowledge of materials gained over time lies at the heart of both design and craft practices. However, empirical studies combining the study of mind and body in relation to design and craft practice is in its infancy. In the Handling Mind project, we conducted psychophysiological experiments in order to illuminate the relationships between making and feeling, handling creative situations and the embodied mind in thirty participants, both students and professionals representing expertise in various design fields, working with visual (drawing) or material (forming clay) tasks of 1) copying, 2) creating novel designs, or 3) freely improvising. Our findings highlight both the importance of the embodiment with respect to the material and the different physiological states observed in tasks differing in requirements related to following orders or creativity. We conclude that the embodied activities are both supported and altered by bodily and mental processes.
Emotions have traditionally been overlooked in the practice of scientific research. In the field ... more Emotions have traditionally been overlooked in the practice of scientific research. In the field of design and craft research, too, personal feelings and emotions have been considered as interfering with the rigour and validation of the research. However, as a result of findings in neuroscience, a new understanding has emerged, providing emotions a central role in risk assessment and decision making processes. This has implications also for how we understand craft practice. In this practice-led research, a craft practitioner analysed five video-recordings of herself while throwing clay blindfolded. The researcher-practitioner specifically studied critical incidents in the throwing process and made a detailed analysis of how felt experiences and emotions guided her in her risk assessment, decision making and problem solving processes during the throwing sessions. The research suggests that sensory experiences and emotions moderate and guide the making process and are thus important factors in craft practice.
The role of the body is not yet fully recognized in the process of knowledge creation. In the cre... more The role of the body is not yet fully recognized in the process of knowledge creation. In the creative fields, especially in the field of art, craft and design, the manipulation of material is essential and much of the knowledge created in this process is generated bodily. This paper explores the role of the knowing body in material exploration. In order to investigate this theme, we gathered drawings, diaries as well as weekly and final reflections from MA-students during the Personal Exploration and Experimentation course (DEE) at the Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture, Department of Design in Helsinki, Finland. The course supports the students’ own explorative process from concept to artefact, often via extensive material explorations. The course has been offered since 2009, and for this research we have analysed the data gathered from years 2013 and 2014, that involves 19 students in total. In this paper we study two students’ material exploration processes in detail, from the point of view of their embodied engagement. The findings suggest that previous material experiences gathered through our body, guide us in material exploration even before physical manipulations start. Tactile impressions and images of materials are key in the choice of materials. The physical manipulation of materials help resolving complicated spatial design problems as the design is taken into the lived experience.
Design and craft practitioners’ thinking has been researched in design cognition studies; however... more Design and craft practitioners’ thinking has been researched in design cognition studies; however, lately research on the embodied mind has also begun to influence the field of design and craft. While this theoretical frame situates knowing in actions and thus ties design practice to cognition, few empirical studies on embodied cognition have been made in relation to design and craft practices. This doctoral thesis opens up empirically-based aspects of what embodied cognition theory could mean for design and craft practice. The general research question is: How do design and craft practitioners think through their hands? Through three case studies, notions of body-based knowing, especially related to haptic experiences were studied. The first case involved ceramic workshops with deafblind makers, conducted at the IIRIS Service and Activity Centre for the visually impaired in Helsinki and the Tampere Resource Centre for the Deafblind. The second case involved a practice-led self-study on tactile augmentation in ceramic craft practice. The third case examined Masters’ students’ use of their embodied knowing during a design and material exploration process. A multimethod for studying experiential knowledge was developed during the research process. Since much of knowing is situated in action and in relation to previous experiences and material skills, embodied cognition theory was considered to lend itself well to informing research on design and craft practice. Because ideation and concepting also rely upon these embodied experiences, a conceptual separation between making and thinking in design is not feasible. The practice-led research setting was found to be an efficient way of studying experiential knowledge as it includes the practitioner’s perspective, thus allowing for sensory experiences and emotions to be studied in action. The use of video documentation was found to be especially useful in both the effective study and dissemination of experiential data and research results due to its multimodal potential. Emotions were at the fore in all three cases, in different contexts and on several levels and especially in the different decision-making processes that the practitioner was confronted with. The research thus puts forward four theoretical and practical implications: 1) Embodied cognition theory lends itself well to informing design and craft related practice. 2) Design processes include embodied knowledge even in the cognitive and immaterial stage of creating mental images of the intended physical designs. 3) Making may be seen as a way of negotiating meaning through interaction between the embodied mind and the material environ- ment, thus it may affect intrapersonal growth and provide a useful platform in educational settings. 4) Design and craft research benefit from a combination of research approaches that aid in investigating both representational and non-representational aspects of the practice.
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Papers by Camilla Groth
åren samlar vi på oss en djup erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap, som förkroppsligas och
blir en del av oss. Lera är ett naturligt förekommande material, och att arbeta med naturmaterial medför också idén om att vara i kontakt med den materiella miljö som omger oss. Genom konsthantverket kan vi på sätt och vis vara i förbindelse med vår omgivning, då det vi gör genom våra handlingar direkt påverkar den, om än i liten omfattning. Vi påverkas och ändras också själva, vartefter vi reflekterar och växer i vår relation till materialen.
This pilot research describes and analyses six different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues in vocals, sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic experiences. The informants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences. We conclude that it is possible to transfer felt experiences from one modality to another and that this facilitates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art work in dual impaired persons. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions made from haptic aesthetic experiences, and suggest these as artistic supports to traditional linguistic descriptions.
This year the conference was co-organized between three different departments within the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture; Department of Design, Department of Film, Television and Scenography and the Department of Art, offering an academic framework for discussing proposals drawing on the full spectrum of artistic and practice-led research including contemporary art, film, photography, scenography, craft, design, media and architecture.
Moving on from previous years’ preoccupations within the field about ontological or epistemological foundations, this year the conference invited proposals that addressed the agency of the artist-researcher as a catalyst, that would challenge established ideas and produce new thinking through artistic and practice-led research.
åren samlar vi på oss en djup erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap, som förkroppsligas och
blir en del av oss. Lera är ett naturligt förekommande material, och att arbeta med naturmaterial medför också idén om att vara i kontakt med den materiella miljö som omger oss. Genom konsthantverket kan vi på sätt och vis vara i förbindelse med vår omgivning, då det vi gör genom våra handlingar direkt påverkar den, om än i liten omfattning. Vi påverkas och ändras också själva, vartefter vi reflekterar och växer i vår relation till materialen.
This pilot research describes and analyses six different deafblind people sharing their interpretation of five statues in vocals, sounds and written descriptions based on their haptic experiences. The informants found new and multimodal ways of expressing their experiences. We conclude that it is possible to transfer felt experiences from one modality to another and that this facilitates a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art work in dual impaired persons. This research expands the idea of auditive descriptions made from haptic aesthetic experiences, and suggest these as artistic supports to traditional linguistic descriptions.
This year the conference was co-organized between three different departments within the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture; Department of Design, Department of Film, Television and Scenography and the Department of Art, offering an academic framework for discussing proposals drawing on the full spectrum of artistic and practice-led research including contemporary art, film, photography, scenography, craft, design, media and architecture.
Moving on from previous years’ preoccupations within the field about ontological or epistemological foundations, this year the conference invited proposals that addressed the agency of the artist-researcher as a catalyst, that would challenge established ideas and produce new thinking through artistic and practice-led research.
Sennett, 2008) and has increasingly involved professionals and academic researchers working collaboratively to explore an interdisciplinary inquiry (Plattner, Meinel & Leifer, 2018). Collaboration in
such research has therefore become vital. A research team may comprise different disciplinary experts, such as scientists, technologists, artists, designers, architects, psychologists, business strategists
and policy makers, working across academic, commercial and public sectors (e.g. Bowen et al., 2016; Nimkulrat & Matthews, 2017). They may work with materials and/or non-materials. Examples include research in the fields of New Materials, Smart Textiles, Virtual Materiality, Material Innovation, Embodied Ideation, and Participatory Practices in Business
in which various partners are in dialogue, developing, consolidating and enhancing knowledge while generating new opportunities for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.
This conference therefore examines collaboration within research teams of professionals/researchers and members with other diverse disciplinary expertise. Collaboration here is interpreted in the widest possible sense to include any kind of working together. This is to understand how individual experiential knowledge — or knowledge gained by practice — is shared, how collective experiential knowledge
is accumulated and communicated in and through collaboration, and how it is embodied in the outputs and may be traced back to the origin of the practice. The conference also aims to illuminate ‘making’ as the action of change in which matter and materials are transformed through
collaboration, interaction or negotiation between the collaborative team and their material and non-material environments.
Experiential knowledge generated when researchers and practitioners collaborate with experts in other fields are discussed in a rich collection of case studies presented in the papers that shed light on the relationships built within the collaboration, the approaches used and the new knowledge gained and transferred within the team. This should contribute to a more systematic approach for studying and integrating experiential knowledge into collaborative practice and research.
1) Embodied cognition theory lends itself well to informing design and craft related practice. 2) Design processes include embodied knowledge even in
the cognitive and immaterial stage of creating mental images of the intended physical designs. 3) Making may be seen as a way of negotiating meaning through interaction between the embodied mind and the material environ- ment, thus it may affect intrapersonal growth and provide a useful platform in educational settings. 4) Design and craft research benefit from a combination of research approaches that aid in investigating both representational and non-representational aspects of the practice.