Abstract

The separation of art and science into distinct discipline areas produces partial, constrained knowledge. Incorporation of the personal and creative into social research allows engagement with issues of reflexivity, subjectivity, passion and desire and provides opportunity for the production of new knowledges and critiques about the social world. The idea that art, poetry, literature and other creative acts can facilitate transformation and change is gaining acceptance in qualitative social science research design, particularly in participatory action research, postmodern and feminist approaches. This paper traces a process that began as a social documenary photography project with homeless youth and developed into the creation of a series of paintings based on the religious icon of the Madonna and Child.