As a Module Two long distance student, I have been trying to 'get ahead of the game' this summer by undertaking some study time during the summer break. That's in-between making scones and tea for a cycle café that my husband and I run from home at the weekends. www.woodsidewelcome.co.uk, if you are interested! Actually I find that some of my best 'thinking time' comes when I'm baking. Take note module one students!
The idea of research made me think of how curious we are as human beings? Crosswords, puzzles, word search games are a huge industry. Even as far back as the Greeks with their labyrinths?
Having watched the lecture posted on Adesola's blog it made me think about our need for knowledge. The how and why, and even where? The great lengths that Cindy Foley's husband went to create a piece of art.
As dance/drama/singers/actors we have all undergone research. Whether it be because of a piece of choreography in dance, or a character analysis in drama. We may see it as 'part of our job' but that doesn't mean that its any less important.
I was so glad that Cindy talked about the word 'play' Obviously we use 'play' with our reception or early years pupils, but I also use the word 'play' with my GCSE or BTEC students. We play around with choreography in dance or with improvisation in drama.
If you search the word 'play' on a search engine you will find words such as: engage, frolic, mess around, tamper with, toy with, fiddle with, interfere with. In other words research? I've put a question mark here because, perhaps we do not see this as 'research' as its such good fun?
Finally, I looks back at the labyrinth or maze. So many dead ends, BUT eventually we discover the goal?
Question mark again. Or do we?
A fun read, thank you for the post, Debbie! I enjoyed your exploration of what "research" means, and how it applies for creatives. I always thought of the dance studio just as much as a laboratory as I did the science classroom. Connecting pieces of choreography together, creating in the moment, or the "a-ha!" learning moment in the studio is just as much creative research as chemical reactions, dissections, and lectures in a science laboratory. But alas, in science, a solution or outcome is usually concluded upon, then it is common practice in the Scientific Method to pose a question to research the outcome further. Is this similar in dance? Or is there ever a "solution"? Maybe there is A solution, but is it always THE solution?
ReplyDeleteAlso, baking tip duly noted!
DeleteHi Debbie and Simon,
DeleteGreat reading your blog and comments! Ive been thinking a lot lately about "solutions" and goals in research, but also in dance practice. I feel sometimes there is a lot of emphasis put on the goal itself, or reaching the goal (for example getting out of the maze), rather than focusing on how we got through it and what we have learned through our experience of going through the maze. Reflection. So we not only get the (usually quite short lived) satisfaction of having found a/the solution, but of having learned something from the experience. Since engaging with this course ;-) I start to feel, that my favourite solutions seem to be become more and more the ones that generate more questions to explore, rather than the ones giving me a straight answer. So solutions are not the end point of an inquiry but the take off point for more exploration and research.
I love the maze picture you posted, especially because one maze leads to next one.
Thank you Simon and Agata for your thoughts. Love the science idea Simon. Agata, you always have a thoughtful and incisive response. Your right when you say that, one question leads to another, and yes, it is always exciting when one thread of information leads to the next.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read Debbie! And as for the last question, I'd like to think no matter how long it may take, one will always find its way around the maze to the final destination. Slowly, but surely.
ReplyDeleteWell said Dilini
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