Biomodd: The integration of art into transdisciplinary research practices

Kuchner, Ulrike; Nasser, Mona; Steyaert, Pieter; Maranan, Diego S.; Birsel, Zeynep; Haines, Agatha; Peeters, Ann; Vermeulen, Angelo C.J.

Abstract

Biomodd is an artistic project with the potential for supporting transdisciplinary practices in blended virtual and in-person environments. After describing the project components, we discuss the collaborative process of idea generation and participant engagement.

In this paper, we argue for the integration of collaborative art practice in transdisciplinary (TD) research to generate ideas and engage researchers and non-academic stakeholders. We draw on the virtual and in-person (hybrid) participation of members of the TD collective Space Ecologies Art and Design (SEADS) during Biomodd, an art installation that addresses global challenges in ecology, humanity, technology, and technological waste. Using survey responses, diaries, and meeting minutes, we reflect on the process, methods and ideation during Biomodd and map them to the concept of the “idea journey” discussed by Jill E. Perry-Smith and Pier Vittorio Mannucci. We find that while in-person ideation was driven by utility, materiality, and emergence, the hybrid mode provided favorable conditions for a feedback loop of expansive, individual experimentation and online sharing.

Citation

Kuchner, U., Nasser, M., Steyaert, P., Maranan, D. S., Birsel, Z., Haines, A., …Vermeulen, A. C. (2023). Biomodd: The integration of art into transdisciplinary research practices. GAiA, 32(1), 144-153. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.32.1.12

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 20, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 20, 2023
• Publication Date: May 20, 2023
• Deposit Date: May 30, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 31, 2023
• Journal: GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
• Print ISSN: 0940-5550
• Electronic ISSN: 2625-5413
• Publisher: Oekom Publishers GmbH
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 144-153
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.32.1.12
• Keywords: Art-science collaborations; co-creation; community art; e-waste; hybrid creation; idea generation; innovation; transdisciplinary sustainability research
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/20842026