Embedded Files
Experimental Documentation (Fringe Festival Workshops)
A Priori - before the workshop
Background (What is the context? What are you trying to learn?)
Context: Emotion and Sustainability within Mobility- How do we quantify each in regards to the workshop brief which asks participants to determine 'mobility choice other than car' while maintaining or enhancing our living standards.
Objective: I aim to categorise how the workshops' Inputs (Map, script and prompts) are perceived by each participant as to categorise ideas and output generated during the workshop. Meaning - how communication and interpretation takes place from POINT A (The Facilitator) → INPUTS → POINT B (The Participants). I will be focusing on documenting and sense making of the exchanged and generated data during the time of the workshop. I aim map out categories with two key aspects focused towards responses - The "Driving Force" ("Someone or something that has the power to make things happen" - In this instance the prepared material and the facilitators) and The "Generative Force". ("Having the ability to produce or originate" - In this instance Conversations, discussions and unplanned outputs) Further, I am interested in how the participants "feel" (Optimistic, idealistic, confused etc.) during the time the exchange information is happening and how does that influence the generated responses.
Hypothesis (What do you expect to happen?)
As previously experienced with my own G.uts exhibition, there was a clear distinction between how planned and scheduled questions and activities generated responses and an experience for the participants. On the contrary, there was a natural flow and response to the object of the exhibition. I am interested in learning the touchpoints which lead to moments where participants as well as facilitator discover something unplanned or a source of new ideas/way of thinking. Similar to my own experience of the exhibition I expect this workshop to run to systematic plan but with participatory activity there is always a generative build up - either with conversation or interaction with material objects.
Details (What will you do? Who? How? What? Why? Outline the methods you plan on using and why…)
I aim to use Affinity Diagram and Mind Map to collect, categorise and make connection for the generated data → Making sense of the exchanged information and organising them to later generate a basis on which connections can be made for individual responses. The input material as a documentarian for this task would be - Post-it notes, markers, tape and Camera.
In my project previously, I have used affinity diagrams to organise collected data which led to the development meaningful relationship and insights for the discovered data. Affinity Diagrams are most commonly used to organise large amount of data to contextualize and find relation between concepts/ideas. In this workshop I am interested in making sense of the data and capturing intent of both - participants and facilitators during the time of the workshop while make connection between the generated concepts.
In Vivo - during the workshop
Observations (What are people doing/saying/making? | Who is attending? | Who is speaking? Who is in charge? Etc. … )
My documentation method during the workshop was via taking photographs and video recording of the facilitators, input material, interactive moments, outputs etc. Follow is an image of collage of photos taken during the workshop which were used in the sense making part of this activity.
The workshop had two facilitator (Dr. Robbie Napper and Dr. Selby Coxon) and around 10 participants spread across two table. (5 on each) The workshop began with a briefing and introduction given by Robbie by addressing mobility options and highlighting how are active choice for a mobility option impact our immediate environment.
Things and concepts such as Carbon footprint and emission of private vehicle was put in perspective using making comparisons and contrasting individual use and consumption. This is further covered within the in-vitro section using an Affinity Map. Once, the overall mobility use and its linked mobility elements such as vehicles, ports and ways were introduced to the participants to promote and direct thinking before pursuing with the activity. Later, the activity was introduced by the facilitators and each group was encouraged to pick scenario cards to mapped out on the A0 map. All the scenario cards were handed out randomly, while they all had one thing in common i.e. travelling from Point A to Point B without using a personal vehicle. The participants were encouraged to think differently to how one might answer the travel obstacle without using a personal car. This forced the participants to think about time spent on journey, alternative mobility options and comparison between what available to make a conscious decision which could result in the most efficient means to answer their scenarios.
Specifics of the observations made through the workshop are covered in the analysis section below.
In Vitro - after the workshop
Analysis (How will you make sense of your data? | What methods will you use for sense making?)
Affinity Map (Post-car Melbourne Fringe Workshop)
A Posteriori - after the analysis
Reflection (What does it mean for your learning goal? | What can it prove or infer? | What would be valuable to learn next?)
The chosen method and approach towards documenting the workshop revolved around quantifying and making sense of qualitative aspects of the activity such as flow of conversation and points which lead to becoming the source of new ideas or new way of thinking towards the target issue. As a documentarian, I aimed to take a more systematic approach towards understanding the data with more time spent on sense making of the documented work. The chosen method for the documentation was photographing different checkpoints and interactions of the workshop while being an active observer within the studio room.
Learning Goal
When talking about understanding generative and driving force, my learning objective can simply be put as Flexible V/S Systematic Approach towards the workshop. Meaning, 'can having a strict rigour, script and activity with no deviation promote open and creative thinking?'
This above mentioned sums my learning objective towards the workshop which as a documentarian I was really interested in. What are the elements which can promote individual participation and collaboration to generate outputs efficiently during the workshop run-time.
It was observed the instructions for the workshop were straightforward and clear to grasp by each participants. Although, the maps required individual participation and thinking, Robbie (Facilitator 01) collaborated with ongoing feedback with constant check-ins on each table. He also encouraged conversation between the group members by announcing different ideas and thoughts between group members. It was discovered during the time of the workshop that A0 map restricted participants to a given space where they are allowed to illustrate and write their responses. Having a given and defined medium not only turned out to be a good collaborative tool but also recorded the responses while making it a "fun" activity. It was assumed at the start that every participant is different in ways they like to respond back for instance some people like to illustrate/draw while some prefer to write things down. This was observed during the time of the workshop (covered in the affinity map for this documentation), while some participants had written down plans addressing pros and cons of different mobility options before moving towards illustrating their responses on the map. I identify leaving enough room or multiple ways of interacting with the medium were beneficial both as a creative and participatory activity. I consider the medium through which responses are recorded plays an important role in participatory effort and initiative. Tactile tools such as markers, maps, cards and notes bridged the gap for participant expression and imagination. Meaning, physical map allowed participants imagine alternative transport options and routes which can be iterated on this scaled physical space with collaboration.
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