NomadiclearningasmodeofinquiryinanArtsBasedResearchclassroom
FernandoHernández-Hernández.UniversityofBarcelona.FineArtsFaculty.Cultural
PedagogiesUnit.PauGargallo4,[email protected]
RachelFendler.FloridaStateUniversity.DepartmentofArtEducation,3030WilliamJohnston
[email protected]
Researchpaperpresentation
Subtheme:Arts-basedresearchand/orartisticresearchandthenormsofcommunities
(cultural,geographic,scientific,andsoon)
Explicitconnectiontoarts-basedandartisticresearch.
Abstract
Thisstudydrawsontheauthors’experienceofferingthecourseArtsBasedResearchtoFine
ArtsstudentsattheUniversityofBarcelona.Oneofthemaincontributionsofthecourse,now
ongoingforthelastfiveyears,isthatthroughoutthesemesterwedevelopwithstudentsan
arts-basedresearchproject,whichenablesustoestablishadialoguebetweentheinquiry
processandthereadingsandexampleswestudy.Thisformatinterruptsthenormsofour
Facultyandourclassroom,revealingboththelimitsandpotentialityofdoingartsbased
researchwithundergraduates.
In2015-16,studentsreflectedontheirfoundationsandlearningtrajectories.Toaddressthese
questions,ourgroupadoptedthenotionofnomadicpedagogythatcomesfromaconcept
Racheldevelopsinherdoctoralthesis(Fendler,2015).Thepoststructuralistontologyof
nomadicthoughtisdefinedintermsofprocessesofbecoming,characterizedbyforces,flows
andfluxesthatdisrupttheunityofthesubject(Deleuze&Guattari,1980/2004;Braidotti,
2014;Jackson&Mazzei,2012).Therefore,anomadicapproachencouragedourgrouptobe
attentivetothedisruptivecharacteristicsofourstudy.Webegantomaptrajectoriesnotasan
outcomebutas“aquestionoforientations,pointsofentryandexit,aconstantunfolding”
(Braidotti,2006,p.160).
Bytheendofthesemester,studentsidentified15episodestorepresenttheirlearning
trajectoriesinadditiontoaselectionofkeyconcepts.Itwasthroughthisemergentlexicon
thatourgroupwasabletonamesharedexperiences,andraisenewquestionsregarding:a)
whatitmeanstogenerateanartisticresearch,b)howtoinvestigatethesourcesand
experiencesthatinfluencestudents’learningaboutwhatitmeanstobeanartistandc)howto
advanceourunderstandingonthecolonizingeffectsoftrainingpracticesinthefieldofarts.
Whatwedoinour‘analysis’ofthiscollaborativeresearchistrytoreadtheevidences
producedthroughnomadictheory,asking:Howdostudentstransitthroughthetensions
arisingfromtheirunstablepositionalitiesduringthecourse?Howdotheymovefromthe
positionofartstudentstoartresearchers?Throughthisquestioningwereflectonhow
nomadismlocalizeslearningnotasanoutcomebutasanactivitystagedwithinaprocessual,
performativeontologyofbecoming.ThisturnedourgroupprojectintointowhatDennis
Atkinson(2012)callsaspace-event.Thiseventgenerates“adisruptionofestablishedwaysof
knowing,throughlearningevents”,asstudentsbeginto“handlestatesofuncertaintyasnew
knowledgeand(where)newcompetencesbegintoemerge”(Atkinson,2012,p.10).
Chartingourtrajectoriesinthismanner,ourgroupdidnotattempttosolvethequestionof
howthey‘became’artists.Instead,usingimagesnotasarepresentationaltoolbutasan
epistemologicalmedium,thisstudyusednomadicpedagogytoexperimentwithhowto
accountforthoselearningexperiencesthatsubverttheteachingandresearchprocess.In
doingso,weuveiledwhatconstitutestheirlimits.
References
Atkinson, D. (2012). Contemporary Art in Education: The New, Emancipation and Truth. The
InternationalJournalofArt&DesignEducation,31(1),5-18.
Braidotti,R.(2006).Transpositions:Onnomadicethics.Cambridge,UKandMalden,MA:Polity
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Deleuze,G.,&Guattari,F.(2004).Athousandplateaus:Capitalismandschizophrenia(Rev.ed.,
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Fendler,R.(2015).Navigatingtheeventfulspaceoflearning:Mobilities,nomadismandother
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Jackson,A.Y.,&Mazzei,L.(2012).Thinkingwiththeoryinqualitativeresearch:Viewingdata
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