Prose, Place & Purpose
A creative experiment in digital story-telling
A Rootedness in Place is a reflective story about my journey into transformations research. This post tries to explain why I wrote it and what I was trying to achieve.
To preface, I’m undertaking a PhD. An overarching theme and goal of my work is to research how we can help build connections between people and specific places in ways that de-center the human and move toward an ethic of more-than-human concern and governance. My work sits in the research field of Sustainability Transformations.
In this piece, I tried to draw on a whole range of things — here is a summary of the precedents and context that influenced the piece:
Theory: Jack Mezirow developed a theory of Transformative Learning. The theory talks about ‘Disorienting Dilemmas’; moments and experiences that shake us so much they make us question previously unquestioned beliefs and norms. If acted upon, these moments are often key points in time where we assume agency over our worldview. Disorienting Dilemmas are usually large and dramatic events; like personal trauma and the loss of loved ones, it would be abhorrent to force these things in the name of sustainability. Different theories (and common sense) tell us that art does something similar- creating fodder for ‘mini’ disorienting dilemmas which can act as mirrors and levers that help society to self-reflect. Sacha Kagan got me interested in the idea that both creating and experiencing these moments are competencies that we can practice, and that we’ll need them for sustainable futures. To create cultures of sustainability, he calls us to develop an Aesthetic of Complexity; a social habit of reflexivity that can enable better decision making. I wondered if a complex story structure might create moments of useful confusion — encouraging the reader to catch a new perspective and get an experience that affects us beyond the content.
Lived Experience: Writing this piece came at a time when I was slightly irritated and confused at the way academics seem to (or perhaps have to) hide who they really are. It is difficult to include lived experiences in academic work. This is problematic, of course, as we are not objective or rational machines; our experiences and opinions always influence the perspective we bring to our work. I wanted to expose and uncover what I ‘know’ based on personal histories and experiences, and ‘cough up’ some ideas that have influenced me and people like me.
Metaphors and place: When they work, I love metaphors. I wanted to experiment with them. As well as trying a new writing format, I wanted to see if and how I might draw people in-and-out of a metaphor or a maxim by using a structure that unfolds as you read it. The goal was to try and blur the line between humans and nature by keeping people unsure of who the subject was. A central and driving idea influence on my thinking and perspective is in the quote from Simone Weil. I can’t shake the truth it holds for me, and I’m left with the complexity of dealing with the need to feel rooted in a context of colonial injustice. Matthew Colloff talks about this, as do many Australian thinkers.
With three levels of story, early drafts told me things were getting out of hand. I found visual collaboration was needed to give the reader a good experience and fully realise what I was going for.
The end looks great but I’d love to hear what you readers think.
Please read on a desktop or tablet with the show at full screen, and read through at your own pace.
If it ain’t working for you, can read a simplified version of this piece here or you can find the designed version (and other stories) on my website.
References and further reading
Arts-Based Research (Reasons and Methods for doing it)
•Kagan, S. (2011). Art and Sustainability: Connecting Patterns for a Culture of Complexity. Verlag, Beilefeld.
•Kagan, S. (2018). Culture and the arts in sustainable development: Rethinking sustainability research. Cultural Sustainability: Perspectives from the Humanities and Social Sciences. T. Meireis and G. Rippl, Routledge.
•Leavy, P. (2020). Method meets art: arts-based research practice. New York, The Guilford Press.
•Sadokierski, Z. (2020). “Developing critical documentation practices for design researchers.” Design Studies.
On Metaphors & stories (including a few great examples that have influenced me)
•Colloff, M. (2020). Landscapes of Our Hearts: Reconciling People and Environment. Melbourne, Thames & Hudson Pty Ltd.
•Leavy, P. (2013). Fiction as Research Practice: Short Stories, Novellas, and Novels, Routledge.
•Marika, R., et al. (2009). “Leaching the poison — The importance of process and partnership in working with Yolngu.” Journal of Rural Studies 25(4): 404–413.
•Martins, A. A. (2019). “Simone Weil’s Radical Ontology of Rootedness: Natural and Supernatural Justices.” Praxis: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Faith and justice 2(1): 23–55.
•Weil, S. (1987/1952). The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind. New York, Ark.
