EASST/4S making & doing session 2020
Drawing Spatial and bodily sensitivities - a training kit
A collaboration between Ulrike Scholtes and Marlies Vermeulen
Ways in which bodies and spaces relate have gained increasing acknowledgement, interest and dedication in various sciences such as sociology, anthropology, science studies and artistic research (often under big words such as “affects” or “affordances”). Drawing on the material-semiotic proposition that bodies and spaces do not only relate, but co-produce each other, this workshop offers tools to articulate body-space entanglements. Two practitioners, experienced in map making and body work respectively, introduce drawing as an ethnographic technique to study how bodies take place.
The workshop consists of three parts:
1. A collective awareness exercise session in which bodies are sensitized to a shared virtual space and drawing techniques are introduced;
2. An individual fieldwork exploration in which participants take these newly achieved sensitivities and techniques to practice;
3. A reflective open online discussion in which we compare and learn from each other’s drawings and discuss questions such as: how can drawing be an instrument to study bodies and spaces? How do these drawing techniques shape knowledge making and exchange? How can artistic practices (such as drawing and body work) enrich STS research practices? How do these modalities allow us to transport affectivity and fluidity of places? How do they facilitate thinking beyond language and categories? How could they stimulate co-authorships and other collaborations?
*Marlies Vermeulen has a background in architecture and works as a cartopologist. She aims at representing our spatial environment by combining places, the properties of places and their narratives in maps. Besides her independent practice she also teaches at several universities and works on a PhD research (www.dearhunter.eu and cartopology.institute).
*Ulrike Scholtes has a background in art, body work and social sciences and works as a researcher (conducting her PhD research at UvA anthropology and the Faculty of Arts in Maastricht) and teacher of body awareness (at various art faculties and social science departments). In her research she uses drawings and words to put feeling and bodily experience onto paper, thereby working on articulating forms of “tacit knowledge”.
ONLINE SPACE FOR DISCUSSION AND INFORMATION
Welcome to the online space for discussion and information, regarding our 4S/EASST making and doing session "Drawing Spatial and Bodily Sensitivities". Since we have limited time during our online discussion session and because we will be doing a large part of the workshop individually, this page allows for discussion and sharing.
Below, you can place your comments or react to other's.
On the bottom of the page, you can download the different tools that are part of the toolkit:
- the map of the virtual street
- the blank map you can use for your street
- the video exercise of the virtual street, which we practice on the first day
- the written text of the virtual street, which we practice on the first day
Once we received all of the participants' maps, we will upload them below. This way, we can all review them before we start our discussion session on Friday (August 14th,16:00-16:40 CEST).
Practical information:
Session 1: Wednesday August 19th, 12:20-13:00 CEST
Collective practice of body and space awareness in a virtual space.
Session 2: Thursday August 20th
Individual exercise: participants practice the sensitivities that were developed in the first session individually and draw their own map.
Please send your maps/drawings/pictures of the proces to contact@ulrikescholtes.de before Thursday 17:00 CEST
We upload all of the drawings below before Friday 12.00 CEST for you to see and study.
Session 3: Friday August 21st, 16:00-16:40 CEST
Discussing the drawings and what they (could) do.
Please post any thoughts, comments, questions you have while using the toolkit below:
Making and doing maps - Maps made by participants
Toolkit:
Video: demonstration exercise of "a virtual street".
Password: TK20USMV
Ulrike Scholtes (Friday, 21 August 2020 16:42)
Thank you all for participating.
Please find some of the maps that participants produced below!!
Looking forward to experiment further!