Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to discuss the role of the researcher in bringing forth new ways of seeing through artful interpretation. This can be understood through the metaphor of the researcher “Breaking habits of seeing/knowing” in the viewer. This suggests that art interrupts viewers, ways of knowing that have been shaped by stereotype and prejudice, for critical consciousness to emerge and to develop new ways to see and engage with the world. Arts are accessible ways to encourage the audience in the processes of creating new meanings and fostering knowledge. This paper postulates that performance ethnography can translate research into theatre as represented through the body. Representation reveals how culture “is done” through a series of daily interactions within specific social and political guidelines. These will be explored through the processes by which transcripts, field notes and memos are coded for inclusion in the representation. Ultimately, the analysis selects the most salient, highest impact and cohesive to produce audience and participant reflexivity. While narrative inquiry, as used in the original data collection, allows for participants to tell their story and the meanings associated, the performance ethnography presents an interpretive monologue intended to communicate the messages- known as “story re-telling.”