Reflection on
the 'robot' project whilst spending time in two material libraries today.
So what’s
next?
“We don’t
lose anything even if we fail”.
I was very
taken by Thrish’s answer - to his approach – to his reasoning - to his
engagement – to creative thinking with others.
This
opportunity to work within King’s College has presented many possibilities – of
which many require further research to fully engage in the benefits they offer.
The
opportunity to engage in alternative ways of thinking is essential if ones
practice is to grow and evolve. Otherwise we risk isolation – relegated to the
role of creating expensive ‘baubles’ for collection. We have a more ‘useful’
role in society to take up. Our ability to think laterally, to problem solve
creatively make us valuable. Our material knowledge and understanding is highly
specialised and we can communicate concepts and emotions across language and
cultural divides, globally we are essential.
I have felt
valued and respected during this project but one starts out by trying to find a
position of worth, of usefulness – What is my job? What is my point in being here?
There is a sense of being slightly in the wilderness when attempting to explore
ones value as a maker in a society underpinned by the search for the lowest
common denominator and a love of
We have been
making thinking opportunities. The process has enabled sessions where we have
developed ways of working that enabled an understanding the problem and the
solution at the same time – there was a sense of natural evolution – of working
towards something intuitively – allowing space to reflect on activity – leading
to possible direction – outcomes.
This cross
fertilization must be used to address the misguided and in fact false
categorization that separated science from art. I have found scientists to be
open and transparent in many ways that makers are not. There is recognition of
and a building on existing knowledge. This creates a sense of shared community
– contributing and exchanging information towards a common good – that of
gaining knowledge.
The
connection to science thinking needs to be expanded to a larger number of
people – this could be a limited exposure, although the 2-3 months timescale feels
appropriate if there is the intention not to have a final outcome. For me it
has acted as a kind of boost – an introduction to what I already did, an intervention
of research that although connected to what was there has built or at the very
least redirected a piece of my brain somewhere more interesting. I have been
making tools for thinking and I intend to do so.
