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Kinetic morphologies. Revealing opportunity from mistake
... Political theorist Jane Bennett (2009) and Anneke Smelik (2018) discuss the vital materiality of both physical and digital agents in design. While there is established discourse on the agency of physical textiles (Winters, 2017;Piñeyro, 2019), the agency of digital materials and tools remain underexplored (Igoe, 2018). This study reflects further on exploring the sense of agency between users and the simulation tool, considering the tool as a type of material and interaction agent (Joseph, 2017) and its intra-active potential in an HCI engagement (Barad, 2007). ...
... As discussed earlier in this paper, an understanding of a sensitivity towards the agency of materials found in fashion, textiles and haute couture has grounding, but predominantly in the tangible experience of materials (Winters, 2017;Piñeyro, 2019). However, more recent discussions into digital materials and tools remain underexplored (Igoe, 2018). ...
... Playing around with the morphology to see how it responded to heat, I started wondering in which other ways basic coiled structures could be transformed into alternative morphologies, and what type of behaviour these potential morphologies would display in response to heat. In this way, the heat-responsive, looped structure-unexpectedly revealed through my mistake-sparked a range of insights and connections that took the work in an unforeseen direction (Piñeyro, 2019). ...
... Whilst a "prepared mind" (see e.g., ) is certainly relevant in seizing on the accidental, not knowing carries the potential to contribute to generating the space for the accidental to occur in the first place. Hence, exploratory processes may benefit from considering the balance between informed and naïve approaches, as well as the stage of the process at which comprehensive theoretical material knowledge is incorporated into the practice (Piñeyro, 2019; see also Copeland, this volume). ...
This chapter examines the notion of the ‘prepared mind’, popular in serendipity and creativity studies, in ways that defend and advance the ontological position that mind and context are co-constitutive or interdependent. From this standpoint, it makes little sense to ask what is ‘inside’ the mind but, rather, what happens in-between mind and world in moments of creative serendipity. Three forms of relating to the world are proposed as essential for serendipity and, more broadly, for creativity: surprise, curiosity and wonder. The ways in which surprise, curiosity and wonder shape our experience of serendipity are discussed with a view towards expanding the prepared mind into a system of open and dynamic relations between self and other, mind and culture, person and world.
... S'engager dans un dialogue spontané et direct avec le matériau afin d'ouvrir l'espace créatif (Piñeyro 2019) appelle par conséquent à formaliser les transformations matérielles qui en émanent afin d'en permettre la mise en oeuvre -ce qui soulève ici la question épistémologique de la reproductibilité des résultats (Popper 1959). Condition de la connaissance scientifique, la reproductibilité invite à considérer les aspects performatifs de la pratique et souligne ainsi de manière réflexive son caractère contingent (Pickering 1995). ...
Entrelaçant le travail de la designeuse Ana Piñeyro et de l'anthropologue Joffrey Becker, cet essai au format video.able propose une archéologie des processus à l'œuvre dans la transformation de la matière et l'expression de son comportement. Un regard renouvelé sur la matière, issu des approches philosophiques des nouveaux matérialismes (De Landa 1997 ; Braidotti 2000 ; Barad 2003), a incité les chercheur.euses et designer.euses à explorer la performance et le comportement des matériaux en tirant parti des capacités morphogénétiques et auto-organisationnelles qui les caractérisent (Leach 2017 ; Menges 2006). La designeuse Ana Piñeyro s'inscrit dans cette voie. À partir de l'introduction, en science des matériaux, d'actionneurs polymères thermosensibles, enroulés et en torsion (Haines et al. 2014), ses recherches portent sur l'émergence des formes filamentaires et le comportement qu'elles adoptent lorsqu'elles se transforment sous l'effet de la chaleur, afin d'étendre le champ actuel des possibles dans la conception de matériaux flexibles actifs dans le domaine des textiles (Piñeyro 2020). S'engager dans un dialogue spontané et direct avec le matériau afin d'ouvrir l'espace créatif (Piñeyro 2019) appelle par conséquent à formaliser les transformations matérielles qui en émanent afin d'en permettre la mise en œuvre - ce qui soulève ici la question épistémologique de la reproductibilité des résultats (Popper 1959). Condition de la connaissance scientifique, la reproductibilité invite à considérer les aspects performatifs de la pratique et souligne ainsi de manière réflexive son caractère contingent (Pickering 1995). Dans cette optique, nous souhaitons apporter un éclairage sur la recherche de résultats reproductibles, en rapprochant le domaine des arts et du design de celui de l'anthropologie des techniques. Le travail réflexif que nous présentons ici soulève des interrogations sur au moins deux plans, historiquement liés à deux cultures épistémiques clairement distinctes (Knorr-Cetina 1999). Les arts et l'anthropologie sociale entretiennent un rapport ambigu à la reproduction, une notion qui a suscité des questions à la fois dans les arts (Debord 1994 ; Benjamin 1969) et dans les sciences (Baker 2016). L'objet de notre contribution entend aller au-delà de cette ambiguïté. Celle-ci s'étend ainsi à la recherche des conditions mêmes de la reproductibilité, en prêtant une attention particulière aux paramètres qui la rendent opérationnelle dans un contexte donné, en considérant avec réflexivité les diverses opérations que requiert sa réalisation. Ce faisant, nous interrogeons le rôle de la diversité formelle qui résulte des variations à l'œuvre dans le processus de fabrication en identifiant leur influence sur l'esthétique du matériau et sur les qualités expressives de celui-ci. Quelles étapes sont alors indispensables pour aboutir à des résultats reproductibles ? Quels sont les formes de bricolage et les moyens utilisés pour apprendre et documenter des processus qui révèlent les possibilités esthétiques et expressives des matériaux ? Comment l'environnement influence-t-il les apports nés de la pratique ? Un dialogue pluridisciplinaire entre la pratique du design en textile et matériaux et l'anthropologie des techniques vient ici contextualiser les images préenregistrées afin d'interroger l'influence qu'exerce la négociation fluctuante entre le matériau, l'environnement et la praticienne sur les apports issus des processus de transformation du matériau. Nous considérons qu'il s'agit là d'une forme souple de contrôle. À partir de la notion de recette, nous examinons la chaîne opératoire et les séquences d'action (Gourhan 1993 ; Lemonnier 1992 ; Sellet 1993 ; Coupaye 2009) qui participent à la compréhension du comportement du matériau, en prêtant attention à la manière dont celles-ci sont façonnées par l'expérience sensorielle de la matière.
... A partir de la introducción al campo de la ciencia de materiales de actuadores poliméricos retorcidos y enrollados sensibles al calor (Haines et al., 2014), su investigación explora la aparición de formas filamentosas y los cambios reversibles que estas exhiben en respuesta al calor, con el objetivo de ampliar las oportunidades disponibles para diseñar con materiales flexibles activos en el ámbito textil (Piñeyro, 2020). Entablar un diálogo espontáneo y directo con la materia, como medio para ampliar el espacio creativo (Piñeyro, 2019) exige la formalización posterior de las transformaciones materiales que surjan con el fin de posibilitar su futura aplicación, lo que plantea la cuestión epistemológica de la replicabilidad de los resultados (Popper, 1959). La replicabilidad, como una condición del conocimiento científico, invita a considerar los aspectos performativos de la práctica y, por tanto, a abordar su contingencia de manera reflexiva (Pickering, 1995). ...
Este ensayo video.able, en el que se entrelazan los trabajos de la diseñadora Ana Piñeyro y del antropólogo Joffrey Becker, presenta una arqueología de los procesos que intervienen en la transformación de la materia y la manifestación de su comportamiento. Nuevas actitudes respecto a la materia, como las defendidas por las posiciones filosóficas de los nuevos materialismos (e.g., De Landa, 1997; Braidotti, 2000; Barad, 2003), han motivado a investigadores y diseñadores a explorar el desempeño y el comportamiento de los materiales aprovechando sus capacidades morfogenéticas y autoorganizativas inherentes (Leach, 2017; Menges, 2006). Este es el camino que sigue la diseñadora Ana Piñeyro. A partir de la introducción al campo de la ciencia de materiales de actuadores poliméricos retorcidos y enrollados sensibles al calor (Haines et al., 2014), su investigación explora la aparición de formas en el filamento y los cambios reversibles que estas exhiben en respuesta al calor, con el objetivo de ampliar las oportunidades disponibles para diseñar con materiales flexibles activos en el ámbito textil (Piñeyro, 2020). Entablar un diálogo espontáneo y directo con la materia, como medio para ampliar el espacio creativo (Piñeyro, 2019) exige la formalización posterior de las transformaciones materiales que surjan con el fin de posibilitar su futura aplicación, lo que plantea la cuestión epistemológica de la replicabilidad de los resultados (Popper, 1959). La replicabilidad, como una condición del conocimiento científico, invita a considerar los aspectos performativos de la práctica y, por tanto, a abordar su contingencia de manera reflexiva (Pickering, 1995). Para ello, aportamos perspectivas sobre la búsqueda de resultados replicables mediante el cruce de los campos de las artes y el diseño con el de la antropología de las técnicas. El trabajo analítico que presentamos plantea cuestiones al menos a dos niveles, tradicionalmente vinculados con dos culturas epistémicas muy distintas (Knorr-Cetina, 1999). Las artes y la antropología social tienen una relación ambigua con la replicación, una noción que ha planteado problemas tanto en las artes (Debord, 1994; Benjamin, 1969) como en las ciencias (Baker, 2016). El alcance de nuestra contribución va más allá de esta ambigüedad. Se extiende a la búsqueda de las condiciones mismas de la replicabilidad, prestando especial atención a los parámetros que pueden hacerla operativa en un contexto determinado, considerando de manera reflexiva las distintas operaciones implicadas en su consecución. Al hacerlo, examinamos el papel de la diversidad formal que surge de las variaciones que permean el proceso de fabricación, identificando su influencia en las cualidades estéticas y expresivas del material. ¿Cuáles son los pasos necesarios para conseguir resultados replicables? ¿Qué formas de experimentación y qué medios se utilizan para conocer y documentar los procesos que revelan el potencial estético y expresivo de los materiales? ¿Cómo influye el entorno en los resultados de la práctica? Un diálogo multidisciplinar entre la práctica del diseño textil y de materiales y la antropología de las técnicas, que contextualiza imágenes pregrabadas para reflexionar sobre la influencia de la negociación fluctuante entre el material, el entorno y la investigadora en los resultados de los procesos de transformación material. Es lo que consideramos una forma de soft control [control blando]. Partiendo del concepto de receta, examinamos las cadenas de operación y las secuencias de acciones (Leroi-Gourhan, 1993; Lemonnier, 1992; Sellet, 1993; Coupaye, 2009) implicadas en la comprensión del comportamiento material, centrándonos en las maneras en que estas se configuran a través de la experiencia sensitiva de la materia.
... The shape change behaviour of the textile structure is engineered at the intersection of hygromorphic fbres, yarn twist, and knit structures which enable shape change behaviour to be expressed when exposed to moisture (Fig. 11, left) and is applied in a garment context (Fig. 11, right). In industry, these fbre properties are considered detrimental and something to be minimised (see also: [128]), however, in Programmable Knit the natural behaviour of cellulose and protein-based fbres is tuned through yarn twist and knit structures to develop surprising interactive experiences that are entirely biodegradable. ...
... An error may be perceived as a failure, or an opportunity. Embracing these as opportunities requires an open-minded focus "on processes of transformation rather than outcomes" (Piñeyro, 2019(Piñeyro, , p.1880. To accept the possibility of error, and to see it as opportunity, is to fully embrace the workmanship of risk. ...
As a definition of craft practice, the workmanship of risk emphasises the judgement and skill of the crafter, as they engage with materials, tools, and techniques to produce artefacts. Through experimental design research methods, self-forming three-dimensional textiles were created with the aim to develop both the use of digital and automated tools for weaving, and language to describe the process of textural forming in weaving when hand and machine meet. Examples of experimental work illustrate the potential of industrial looms as tools for crafting complex textile systems and expressions. The results include a method for crafting at the intersection of the workmanship of risk and CAD/CAM, providing a framework for this hybrid practice, while a new language of textile forming for craft including industrial and CAD/CAM tools emerges.
Intertwining the work of designer Ana Piñeyro and anthropologist Joffrey Becker, this video.able essay presents an archeology of the processes involved in the transformation of matter and the manifestation of its behavior. Renewed attitudes toward matter, as framed within the philosophical stances of the new materialisms (e.g., De Landa 1997; Braidotti 2000; Barad 2003), have prompted researchers and designers to explore the performance and behavior of materials by tapping into their inherent morphogenetic and self-organizing capacities (Leach 2017; Menges 2006). Designer Ana Piñeyro follows this path. Building on the introduction of heat-responsive, twisted, and coiled polymeric actuators in the field of material science (Haines et al. 2014), her research explores the emergence of filament forms and their associated shape-change behavior in response to heat, with the aim of broadening available opportunities to design with active flexible materials in the field of textiles (Piñeyro 2020). Engaging in spontaneous, hands-on dialogue with the material as a means to expand the creative space (Piñeyro 2019) calls for a subsequent formalization of arising material transformations in order to enable their further application, thus raising the epistemological issue of the replicability of results (Popper 1959). As a condition of scientific knowledge, replicability invites the consideration of the performative aspects of practice and thus addresses its contingency in a reflexive manner (Pickering 1995). To this end, we provide insights on the search for replicable outcomes by bringing together the fields of arts and design with that of the anthropology of techniques. The reflexive work we present raises questions on least at two levels traditionally linked to two very distinct epistemic cultures (Knorr-Cetina 1999). Arts and social anthropology have an ambiguous relationship with replication, a notion that has raised issues in both arts (Debord 1994; Benjamin 1969) and sciences (Baker 2016). The scope of our contribution goes beyond this ambiguity. It extends to the search for the very conditions of replicability by paying particular attention to the parameters that can make it operational in a given context by considering the various operations required in its achievement in a reflexive manner. In doing so, we reflect on the role of the formal diversity that arises from variations that permeate the making process, identifying their influence on the material's aesthetic and expressive qualities. What steps are required to achieve replicable results? What forms of tinkering and what means are used to learn about and document processes that reveal the aesthetic and expressive potentials of materials? How does the milieu influence the outcomes of practice? A multidisciplinary dialogue between textile and material design practice and the anthropology of techniques contextualizes prerecorded visuals to reflect on the influence of the flowing negotiation between material, environment, and practitioner on the outcomes of material transformation processes. This is what we regard as a soft form of control. Setting off from the notion of the recipe, we consider the chains of operation and sequences of actions (Leroi-Gourhan 1993; Lemonnier 1992; Sellet 1993; Coupaye 2009) involved in understanding material behavior, focusing on the ways in which the former are shaped through the sensory experience of matter.
Chance plays an acknowledged role in creativity, but taking it seriously challenges traditional notions of talent and expertise as well as the importance of agency and intentionality. Chance without skill is not enough on its own to support creativity. The phenomenon of serendipity requires both luck and the skill to make the most of it. This review argues that it can provide a lens through which to understand how individual, emotional and environmental factors interact in the creative process. However, serendipity is acknowledged to be a complex phenomenon that is not easily investigated from an empirical perspective. This review addresses some of the complexities, offers methodological recommendations and surveys some emerging findings.
Digital tools such as computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) have expanded the nature of craft practice, offering new means of design and making. However, in weaving, handmaking continues to be privileged, despite the acceptance of digital design and computer-controlled lifting mechanisms. Through experimental design research methods, self-forming three-dimensional textiles were designed in CAD software and woven on a computer-controlled jacquard power loom (a CAM tool). The textiles’ three dimensionality arises from the combination of materials (contrasting shrinking and stiff yarns), structure and finishing. They are contextualized as craft objects through Pye’s concept of ‘the workmanship of risk’. As outcomes of a craft process, they illustrate the potential of industrial looms as tools for producing complex textile systems and expressions. The results include a method for crafting at the intersection of the workmanship of risk and CAD/CAM, providing a framework for this hybrid practice. The concept of emergent behaviour is discussed as a craft strategy when the workmanship of risk is focused on material forming rather than the tool or technique. This concept is contextualized beyond weaving, suggesting its applicability to other craft fields and practices, whether produced by hand or with the use of digital tools.
In this chapter, Samantha Copeland explores the research into the nature of sagacity in instances of serendipity—the particular kind of wisdom that allows some individuals to see the potential value in an unexpected, accidental encounter with another person, place or thing. She takes on the problem of what an “art of serendipity” could be, and uses the lenses of episteme, techne and metis to reveal what expertise, talents, perspectives and relationships should constitute the practice of such an art. In particular, a focus on metis, commonly known as “cunning wisdom”, and an exploration of recent research on integrating serendipity into practice are found to highlight the importance of standpoint, responsiveness and relational support as the key elements that practitioners of the art of serendipity seem to bring together when they generate opportunities out of chance.
Accidental encounters can positively impact creative processes, taking them in unexpected directions. Whilst accidental events are by definition unintentional, their potential for positive impact has motivated practitioners to develop strategies that purposefully seek to allow the accidental to permeate the creative process. This chapter outlines examples of accidental encounters that have enhanced creative processes in art practice, allowing practitioners to explore previously unforeseen territories. Reflection on my own experience of an accidental event in the context of practice-based design research, shows how this event pivoted the research and informed the methodological approach subsequently adopted. Contextualised within neo-materialist perspectives, this reflection suggests that promoting material expression within practices of making may open creative processes to unpredictability and uncertainty, enhancing opportunities for unexpected, generative outcomes to emerge.
Qualitative research on creativity often highlights the role of accidents in creative process, but there is little research that takes these as its main topic. Perhaps because a model that relies on accidents undermines the meaningfulness of creativity; perhaps because the phenomenon itself is too complex to underwrite an entire research program. This paper suggests the framework of serendipity to better understand the interaction between a person and chance occurrences. Serendipity is a fortuitous accident, the enactment of environmental luck by a prepared mind. Current research on serendipity proceeds from a mainly retrospective position, centring the experience of the person. This creates a serendipitous narrative without necessarily telling us more about the moment itself. It is thus harder to consider the role of accidental moments and the nature of their contribution to the creative process. We argue that these moments, viewed outside of the person’s narrative account, are worthy of study and offer some suggestions for how that might occur. We use the term “microserendipity” to designate moments which arise from distributed creative agency. We suggest we can support current research in both creativity and serendipity by undertaking detailed analysis of observational data to scaffold understanding of these complex phenomena.
‘Serendipity’ is a category used to describe discoveries in science that occur at the intersection of chance and wisdom. In this paper, I argue for understanding serendipity in science as an emergent property of scientific discovery, describing an oblique relationship between the outcome of a discovery process and the intentions that drove it forward. The recognition of serendipity is correlated with an acknowledgment of the limits of expectations about potential sources of knowledge. I provide an analysis of serendipity in science as a defense of this definition and its implications, drawing from theoretical and empirical research on experiences of serendipity as they occur in science and elsewhere. I focus on three interrelated features of serendipity in science. First, there are variations of serendipity. The process of serendipitous discovery can be complex. Second, a valuable outcome must be obtained before reflection upon the significance of the unexpected observation or event in respect to that outcome can take place. Therefore, serendipity is retrospectively categorized. Third, the primacy of epistemic expectations is elucidated. Finally, I place this analysis within discussions in philosophy of science regarding the impact of interpersonal competition upon the number and significance of scientific discoveries. Thus, the analysis of serendipity offered in this paper contributes to discussions about the social-epistemological aspects of scientific discovery and has normative implications for the structure of epistemically effective scientific communities.
The aim of our research is to develop socially ac-ceptable behaviours for non-anthropomorphic robot home com-panions acting as personal assistants. We describe an exploratory study to investigate how simple movements influence perceptions of the sociability of such robots. In order to improve development time of human-robot interaction studies we develop and analyse an online-video survey. Methodological issues of this approach are discussed and investigated in a pilot and a validation study. Results show that even simple yet consistent movements mim-icking social behaviours created a positive perception of robots sociability in the user. If participants can perceive adequately different robot social behaviours in a video survey, we argue that this effect will be greater in a real face-to-face interaction study.
Toward an Artificial Muscle
In designing materials for artificial muscles, the goals are to find those that will combine high strokes, high efficiency, long cycle life, low hysteresis, and low cost. Now, Haines et al. (p. 868 ; see the Perspective by Yuan and Poulin ) show that this is possible. Twisting high-strength, readily available polymer fibers, such as those used for fishing lines or sewing thread, to the point where they coil up, allowed construction of highly efficient actuators that could be triggered by a number of stimuli.
This paper considers how craft and research can join in the enterprise of craft research, reflected in the new journal of Craft Research. The rationale is that craft research – i.e. research into, for and through craft practice – is still relatively new, and that craft is traditionally associated with the creation of artefacts as a source of experience and emotion while research is devoted to the production of knowledge. The paper sets out the context of craft as a discipline and activity, which is bound to the sensibilities of material and material understanding, making and haptic perception as well as to the production of emotional values. It introduces the need for creative research in the crafts, which contrasts with the current strictures of research, and proposes experiential knowledge as the unifying conceptual underpinning of both. The outcome and contribution of the paper is a better understanding of the relationship between craft and research, which will help makers overcome the opposing perceptions of craft and research. It explains the potential and value of research for the development of craft, both as practice and as discipline, and thus for advancing craft as a discipline that is viable and relevant for the future.
Making offers a series of profound reflections on what it means to create things, on materials and form, the meaning of design, landscape perception, animate life, personal knowledge and the work of the hand. It draws on examples and experiments ranging from prehistoric stone tool-making to the building of medieval cathedrals, from round mounds to monuments, from flying kites to winding string, from drawing to writing. The book will appeal to students and practitioners alike, with interests in social and cultural anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art and design, visual studies and material culture.
Interaction design is distinguished from most other design disciplines through its temporal form. Temporal form is the computational structure that enables and demands a temporal expression in the resulting design. Temporal form is what enables poetry. In music, temporal form is the composition of tones, pauses, and timbre arranged into harmonies and rhythms. In interaction design it is, for instance, the behaviors of pixels on a screen or the movements in shape-changing interfaces. In this paper we show the power of working explicitly with temporal form in designing computational things. We give a nuanced account of what temporal form is in interaction design, and we look at related work synthesizing what we already know of the temporal concerns in interaction design and HCI. In the second part we present a design experiment through which we explore the experiential qualities of a set of 11 simple temporal forms by letting a series of expert designers reflect upon them. We borrow a framework from Boorstin’s film theory in which he distinguishes between the voyeuristic, the vicarious, and the visceral experience. We show how to use rhythms, complexity, gentle or forceful behavior, etc., to create experiences of “being alive,” being entertained, or being something that we empathize with. We end the paper by arguing how the temporal form in computational things enables richer experiences than static objects do.
Among robots, non-anthropomorphic robotic artifacts are in an interesting position: the fact that they do not resemble living beings, yet impart a sense of agency through the way they move, motivates to consider motion as a source of expressivity in itself, independently of any morphological cues. This problematic is considered in parallel to the question of movement notation and the different levels of abstraction that one may consider when reflecting on movement and its relation to a spatial, temporal and social context. This is through a twofold perspective, drawing on both dance notation and cognitive psychology, that we consider the question of movement notation, and its relation to expressive gestures and psychological attributes. To progress in the direction of a system of notation that could integrate the qualitative, relational, and behavioral aspects of movement, we propose different typologies and a model of constraints to analyze, conceive and implement behaviors in robotic artifacts.
Serendipity is not an easy word to define. Its meaning has been stretched to apply to experiences ranging from the mundane to the exceptional. Serendipity, however, is consistently associated with unexpected and positive personal, scholarly, scientific, organizational, and societal events and discoveries. Diverse serendipitous experiences share a conceptual space; therefore, what lessons can we draw from an exploration of how seren-dipity unfolds and what may influence it? This article describes an investigation of work-related serendipity. Twelve professionals and academics from a variety of fields were interviewed. The core of the semi-structured interviews focused on participants' own work-related experiences that could be recalled and discussed in depth. This research validated and augmented prior research while consolidating previous models of seren-dipity into a single model of the process of serendipity, consisting of: Trigger, Connection, Follow-up, and Valuable Outcome, and an Unexpected Thread that runs through 1 or more of the first 4 elements. Together, the elements influence the Perception of Serendipity. Furthermore , this research identified what factors relating to the individual and their environment may facilitate the main elements of serendipity and further influence its perception.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of serendipity and approaches to its study particularly in relation to information studies.
Design/methodology/approach
– The origins of the term serendipity are described and its elaboration as an exploratory and explanatory concept in science and the social sciences are outlined. The distinction between serendipity and serendipity pattern is explained and theoretical and empirical studies of both serendipity and the serendipity patterns are explored. The relationship between information encountering is described. Empirical studies of serendipity using Citation Classics and other research approaches in information studies are described.
Findings
– The discrepancy between occurrences of serendipity in studies using Citation Classics and reported serendipity in philosophy of science, research anecdotes, information encountering and information seeking by inter-disciplinary researchers is highlighted. A comparison between a process model of serendipity and serendipity as an emergent behavioural characteristic are indicates directions for future research.
Originality/value
– The paper provides and original synthesis of the theoretical and empirical literature on serendipity with particular reference to work in information studies and an indication of the methodological difficulties involved in its study.
Contemporary discussions of art and technology continue to work on the assumption that making entails the imposition of form upon the material world, by an agent with a design in mind. Against this hylomorphic model of creation, I argue that the forms of things arise within fields of force and flows of material. It is by intervening in these force-fields and following the lines of flow that practitioners make things. In this view, making is a practice of weaving, in which practitioners bind their own pathways or lines of becoming into the texture of material flows comprising the lifeworld. Rather than reading creativity 'backwards', from a finished object to an initial intention in the mind of an agent, this entails reading it forwards, in an ongoing generative movement that is at once itinerant, improvisatory and rhythmic. To illustrate what this means in practice, I compare carpentry and drawing. In both cases, making is a matter of finding the grain of the world's becoming and following its course. Historically, it was the turn from drawing lines to pulling them straight, between predetermined points, which marked the transition from the textilic to the architectonic, debasing the former as craft while elevating the latter as technology. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.
Given curiosity's fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being, we sought to refine the measurement of trait curiosity with an improved version of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004). A preliminary pool of 36 items was administered to 311 undergraduate students, who also completed measures of emotion, emotion regulation, personality, and well-being. Factor analyses indicated a two factor model-motivation to seek out knowledge and new experiences (Stretching; 5 items) and a willingness to embrace the novel, uncertain, and unpredictable nature of everyday life (Embracing; 5 items). In two additional samples (ns = 150 and 119), we cross-validated this factor structure and provided initial evidence for construct validity. This includes positive correlations with personal growth, openness to experience, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, psychological flexibility, positive affect, and positive social relations, among others. Applying item response theory (IRT) to these samples (n = 578), we showed that the items have good discrimination and a desirable breadth of difficulty. The item information functions and test information function were centered near zero, indicating that the scale assesses the mid-range of the latent curiosity trait most reliably. The findings thus far provide good evidence for the psychometric properties of the 10-item CEI-II.
Practice based research in art and design is so designated when creative practice constitutes a vital part of the research methodology. This paper proposes that documentation of studio practice is the core issue for a better understanding and articulation of practice based research. It examines a range of recent student documentary activity in relation to studio practice and comments on the potential of this methodology to function as the location within which theoretical and practical concerns can be negotiated.Postgraduate programmes in art and design are currently evolving explicit approaches to research in the creative fields. It is now widely accepted that there are some fundamental differences between the research orientations of studio-based artists/designers and other academic researchers. These differences do not mean that the research activities have less value or are inherently less accessible. However, the evidence of this practice based analytical and critical thinking has not been well articulated in the past. More so than in other academic fields, the relationship between theory and practice can be complex and sometimes problematic. When ideas that inform practice are artificially disconnected from the theoretical concerns, the result can be fragmented scholarship in relation to the making of the work. This dilemma leaves the research field vulnerable to misunderstanding from outside.The framework within which artists and designers create and refine their work can reveal much about the work itself and about the core issues of importance to the artist. These insights allow the process to become more accessible to others and in this way open the work to critique. Appropriate forms of practice documentation are the best hybrid tools for critique, strategic planning, decision-making and writing up an exegesis.There is a critical need now for art and design researchers to address this issue and in particular, to work towards a common vocabulary and well articulated methodologies.
Introducing the new materialisms
- D Coole
- S Frost
Coole, D. & Frost, S. (2010) Introducing the new materialisms. In D. Coole and S. Frost (eds.), New
Materialisms. Ontology, Agency, and Politics. Durham, NC: Duke University Press [Online]. pp. 1-43. Available from: doi:10.1215/9780822392996
Biomimetic spatial and temporal (4D) design and fabrication
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- A Toomey
- R Oliver
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