Making and Relational Creativity

An Exploration of Relationships that Arise through Creative Practices in Informal Making Spaces

Lindsey Helen Bennett

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367524838
• eBook ISBN: 9781000283389
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Artist Monographs

Making and Relational Creativity explores the developing relationships that arise between art teachers and students through creative practices outside of the secondary school arts curriculum. The author offers a powerful account of both her own and student experiences, exposing the complexities and problematic nature of creative practices emerging outside of the curriculum framework.

The book specifically explores relationships that develop in informal making spaces and argues for the significance of democratic creativity within art education. Examining the processes of making and the narratives arising within the A/R/Tography Collective, the lived experiences of both students and educator are revealed, providing a unique insight into their lives. The book explores the impact such spaces have on teachers' professional relationships with students together with the impact on student relationships and urges educators to inhabit a more holistic role and tailor their pedagogy to meet the needs of students. In addition, the research also aims to address the implications of informal making spaces for the school curriculum in England.

This book will be of great interest for postgraduate students, researchers, and academics in the field of arts education, democratic learning, teacher education, cultural and organisational studies.

Chapter 1

Research design and methodology

Introduction

The methodology for this qualitative study was a matter of extensive deliberation. The book centres round the creation of an informal making space and explores relationships that arise out of the setting. It was paramount that the research design allowed the voices of the A/R/Tographers to be heard and that they were represented as collaborators in the research (Grover, 2004). I have allowed the data to indicate which methods to employ when gathering data, and the research methods are embedded within the research (Creswell, 2014). My research is a study concerning individual and collective experiences in attending the A/R/Tography group. After careful consideration, I decided that a case study was appropriate using a mixed methodological approach incorporating visual research methods and a written reflexive narrative. By employing these methods, I have been able to enter the research environment and elicit data with minimal interruption to the A/R/Tographers as they engaged with the project. The relationships arising out of creative practices were at the crux of the study and by employing this approach, both myself and the A/R/Tographers would be fully immersed within the space, fostering autonomy and spontaneity; qualities associated with the creative process. I was directly in the field of research and as Clandinin and Connelly (2000) write, “…in the midst of living and telling, reliving and retelling the stories of the experiences that make up people's lives, both individual and social” (p.20). By using this approach, I was also able to acknowledge and value my own personal involvement and contribution to the study.

Research design: Becoming A/R/Tography

In order to give the A/R/Tographers a sense of belonging to the research project rather than it being viewed as an extra-curricular activity, I decided to give the group a name. When reading through literature on visual research methods I came across the name A/R/Tography. This is described by Irwin (2013) as, “…a research methodology, a creative practice, and a performative pedagogy that lives in the practices of the in-between” (p.198). The term A/R/Tography resonated with me, as it is a hybrid mix of the words art and photography, and indeed, the definition is blurred genres (Irwin, 2004). The reference to the inbetween and ambiguity of genres seemed fitting for an experimental research project designed to work outside of the curriculum framework, within a school environment. The objective of appropriating the use of a term encompassing both art and photography was to encourage students, who would not necessarily perceive themselves to be creative, to participate in the study, but also to give the group a name under which to identify. Irwin (2013) claims that, “…there can be no being A/R/Tography without the processes of becoming A/R/Tography” (p.201). This statement resonated with me as I was keenly aware that although a space and name had been provided for the group, it would only be through the process of working alongside each other and forming relationships that we would become A/R/Tographers.

As referred to in the introduction, the term A/R/Tography is defined as a form of, “…practice-based research within the arts and education” (Irwin, 2013, p.199). The term has been used to describe the professional practices of educators, artists and researchers working together to make, create and provide new ways of understanding (Irwin, 2013). It seemed apparent that within the research design, A/R/Tographic methodologies should be employed, with the students working as collaborators within the visual arts-based research process. A/R/Tography is defined by Irwin (2013) as offering, “…moments of encounters, a shifting of consciousness, an opportunity to consider other ways of knowing our world” (p.201). These were the qualities I wished to foster and nurture within the group setting. I have, therefore, applied a pre-existing arts-based research methodology to a research space existing between curriculum and self-generated art. By employing this method, rather than professionals learning together, as is the case with Irwin's vision of A/R/Tography, collectively we would become A/R/Tographers working alongside each other. By choosing to identify as part of the A/R/Tography Collective and define myself as a fellow A/R/Tographer, I was also able to intellectually distance myself from the tensions I was experiencing in my role of art educator.

As previously stated, the school I have undertaken my research project in is a mixed secondary community school. In the context of the county, the school is the largest in the area and the students who attend are from a wide-ranging demographic. The students are from diverse social backgrounds and I would refer to the school as a fully comprehensive school. The school is situated in a generally affluent area. However, as with the majority of schools, there is a disparity between the wealthier students and the students who rely on free school meals. Although students wear uniform to alleviate any perceived social difference, in my experience, disparities in terms of social privilege are revealed in relation to issues arising within the school, such as attendance and in some cases, outward appearance. The school has a cohort of service students from a nearby army base and a small portion of students who are in the care system. There is also a community of Muslim Bangladeshi students within the school. As an educator, I have always appreciated the diversity within the culture of the school, as it has the feel of a micro-community. However, I am aware that due to large cohorts within each year group, class sizes can be large and it is not possible to accommodate and meet every child's needs. The school in which I have undertaken my research has a supportive education department where students who have learning differences and require special educational provision are accommodated. This could include social, mental and emotional health together with sensory and physical needs (Research School, 2018).

Ofsted identified the proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals within the school to be lower than average. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is also lower than what is usually seen, and the majority of students are of White British heritage (Ofsted, 2015). All of the male A/R/Tographers who chose to take part in the study attended the supportive education department due to difficulty accessing the curriculum within the classroom environment. In addition, the A/R/Tographer identified as Tim has a diagnosis of dyspraxia and Jake is having additional social and emotional needs. The A/R/Tographer identified as Lenny comes from a mixed-race single parent background. Lenny's father is Turkish and now resides in Turkey. Alice comes from a single-parent family and is eligible for free school meals. Conversely, the data elicited by Ofsted demonstrates that the students who were in the minority within mainstream education within the school, were in the majority within the A/R/Tography space. There were other A/R/Tographers within the group who, in my opinion, had more social advantage, but they were within the minority and this will be addressed further in the subsequent section discussing ethics.

Ethics

The ethical implications were a matter of considerable importance throughout. I was keenly aware that I would be representing students who had chosen to participate from minority groups within the school and was determined that interpretation of the research and authenticity of participant voice would be placed at the heart of this study. Sikes (2015) highlights that:

Ethical considerations in research with children and young people occur at all stages of the research process. They should be considered as an ongoing and reflexive part of the research process throughout the life of a research project and not just as the first hurdle to be overcome. (p.1)

Together with employing a reflexive lens through which to evaluate my own position, ethical implications were also monitored and addressed when collecting and analysing the data. Grover (2004) argues that authentic social research should give power and voice to the child, providing insights into their subjective world. By employing the above ethical considerations to both the A/R/Tographers and the data arising from the study, I would assert that the findings reveal genuine insights. Although it could be argued that there was an element of self-interest in terms of my personal investment within the research project, it was important to me as a researcher and in terms of ethics that this did not overshadow the responsibilities I had to the A/R/Tographers. Denzin (1989) argues:

Our primary obligation is always to the people we study, not to our project or to a larger discipline. The lives and stories that we hear and study are given to us under a promise, that promise being that we protect those who have shared them with us. (p.83)

This primary obligation to the A/R/Tographers permeated and influenced the entire study, and I was mindful of the trust that had been placed in me by the A/R/Tographers to represent them as authentically as possible. Due to the nature of the stories that arose through the course of the research project, I was mindful of the responsibility of analysing and interpreting the data correctly through the entire research process. Sikes (2015) suggests that writing about lives carries a “heavy ethical burden” (p.1), as researchers are writing and interpreting storied accounts of lives which may resonate with participants long after the research has concluded. This was particularly pertinent to my research involving young people. Ensuring these ethical dilemmas were anticipated and accounted for was an ongoing process. I was mindful of what Pink (2007) speaks of as the, “…process of negotiation and collaboration with informants, through which they stand to achieve from their own objectives, rather than an act of taking information away and the idea of creating something together” (p.40).

Clandinin and Connelly (2000) point out that the essence of narrative enquiry lies in the relationship between researcher and researched, and the relationship is relational. Within the A/R/Tography space, the experiences and stories that arose through making alongside the A/R/Tographers were magnified by my own experiences. This was taken into consideration when choosing which voices to prioritise during the duration of the project. All of the A/R/Tographers were engaged with both the project and each other in the space. However, certain individual stories spoke to me more than others due to my own subjective experiences. As the sessions progressed, it became evident that certain A/R/Tographers would seek me out during the course of the hour to speak with me on a range of topics that arose through the process of making. Others wished me to collect materials, but would not choose to sit and talk. When reflecting on which A/R/Tographers' voices to prioritise, it became apparent that I had an ethical and moral obligation to tell the storied accounts that arose. This is what Clandinin and Murphy (2009) refer to as, “…commitment to the relational which locates ethical relationships at the heart of narrative inquiry” (p.600).

The fact that I was an educator working within the school, was problematic in terms of how I was viewed by the A/R/Tographers throughout the duration of the research project. Irrespective of the fact that I worked alongside certain A/R/Tographers outside of the curriculum, the role of teacher was something I could not step away from. This cannot be removed, and I was mindful that this imbalance needed to be addressed at the commencement of the research project and reflected upon when analysing and disseminating the data. I acknowledged from the outset of the research that it was not possible to discard my teacher persona. Tolich (2016) and Sieber and Tolich (2013) suggest from the commencement of the research that it is necessary to anticipate and mitigate any potential harm to both researcher and participants. They propose drawing up ethical guidelines based on consent, consultation and vulnerability. Hammersley and Atkinson (2007) assert that with such a framework in place, the process of continual review and assessment is paramount to ensure participants are safeguarded from stress and exploitation. I concur with Mizen (2005) that, “…children are rational agents actively engaged with the social world around them…thus capable of providing informed consent, or conversely, of withdrawing this at any time” (p.126).

However, I was also mindful of the power imbalance within such research and from the outset, prior consent from parents and guardians was acquired (Mizen, 2005, p.126). Due to the fact that the research was taking place in a traditional school setting, written permission was also obtained from the senior management for the research to take place on the school premises. By embarking on the process of negotiation and collaboration that Pink (2007) speaks of, and ensuring that my study was participant centred, I was confident that issues arising regarding legitimacy, power and control could be negotiated through the conceptual framework, which had been designed for participant experiences to be heard without any kind of coercion.

The protection of the A/R/Tographers from risk of significant harm, both during the research process and as a consequence of the research, was crucial. Alderson (1995) suggests that an “Impact on children’ statement for each research proposal should examine the likely effects of the research questions, methods and conclusions on the subjects and on all young people affected by the findings” (p.41). As part of pre-empting the impact the research would have on the A/R/Tographers, I considered the potential of the disclosure of sensitive information. In order to deal with the issue of disclosure, Piper and Simons (...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of figures
• Foreword by Jeff Adams
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Research design and methodology
• 2 Theoretical landscape
• 3 Introduction to A/R/Tographers
• 4 The life cycle of A/R/Tography
• 5 A search for understanding
• 6 Conclusion: Creative acts, collective empowerment
• Index