Lessons Learned
Artful Tactics of the Neganthropocene: Conversion of the Gaze
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jung Choi
This essay enquires into the concept of the Neganthropocene, as introduced by Stiegler (2018), positioning it as a transformative discourse in response to the Anthropocene within the realm of contemporary art and technology. The Neganthropocene signifies a profound transition toward cultivating shared emotions and care for our planet. It underscores the reconfiguration of our collective focus and advocates for perspectives that transcend human-centeredness, seamlessly interweaving the human, non-human, and the natural world. Drawing inspiration from this concept, the present study centers on contemporary artists, scrutinizing how their creations embody Neganthropocenic thought, highlighting the interdependence of ecosystems through their technological interventions. By starting from the Neganthropocenic standpoint, this study probes how these artists champion notions of care and vulnerability, accentuating human reliance on the environment. The essay identifies three artistic approaches—manifesting the Symbiocene, addressing the more-than-human, and finally materializing the inhuman nature—as modes of enacting the Neganthropocene, harmonizing technological progress with ecological apprehensions. Through this analysis, the study sheds light on a transformative shift in collective perspective and offers insights into navigating the challenges posed by the Anthropocene in contemporary art experience within the context of contemporary artistic experience.
Soft + Hairy: Using Biomaterials as a Lesson in Ecological Design
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yu Nong Khew, Gyungju Chyon
Artists and designers have had to reckon with the climate crisis, just like other disciplines. In art and design practices, sustainable materials and methods of production have historically been relegated to the sidelines, often seen as non-consequential, placing form and function over health and sustainability. In a series of courses taught over a period of five years, biomaterials such as mycelium and wheatgrass were used as a material to engage students in ecological design. Students were introduced to designing for impermanence, sometimes using waste materials, in order to develop an understanding for material recovery as well as to engage in the discourse on responsible production in art and design methodologies. By utilizing plants and living organisms as part of their production, students learn to grow and keep plants alive, developing knowledge in the creation of a built ecology. They learn through active participation that authorship is shared between them and the living material, that these materials have agency and as an artist, some degree of control has to be relinquished to the biomaterials.
"It Made Me Think of a Lighter Future": Exploring the Impact on Wellbeing of Drama Classes for Women with Refugee Backgrounds
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ruth Horsfall
Drama classes are a joyful way to be creative. This research explores the impact on wellbeing of a nine-week program of drama classes for women with refugee backgrounds in Sydney, Australia; and the strengths and limitations of methods used. Through analysis of observations, conversations and sharing circles with the class members and drama teachers, a range of encouraging social and psychological benefits were seen. These included: happiness, improved self-confidence, language and communication skills and social connections. Importantly the classes encouraged resilience and agency. Key contributions from this research are the importance of a play-based approach of games and improvisation for supporting the women's wellbeing, and how weekly sharing circles in the classes were an important method for building group connection and improving communication skills. This paper outlines the research project - its novel methods and findings, and discusses the key contributions from this research.
The Decolonised Pen: Teaching Creative Writing in Tertiary Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Muli Amaye
Teaching creative writing in an international classroom has a number of challenges. Especially when the lecturer is from the country that was once the colonial power in that space. Working against an educational system that was put in place prior to independence and which is deeply steeped in Victorian teaching practices adds another layer. This paper looks at how I decolonize the classroom when teaching creative writing with examples from Kurdistan in Northern Iraq and the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. There are wide-ranging differences between the two spaces, and yet there is an overlap in working with students who have been educated to believe that English literature and therefore creative writing must adhere to the Literary Canon. Within this classroom the teacher is learning as the students are creating. There is a necessity to be open and vulnerable in this setting and to be willing to shed your own preconceived ideas of what constitutes good writing. In Kurdistan the students’ writing leaned towards death and martyrdom, in Trinidad towards humour and myth. Yet within the classroom students in both countries are dealing with generational trauma through the creative medium of writing.
