As the work of the ‘Taking Yourselves Seriously’
project develops we continue to use arts
methodologies as a way of thinking about and supporting social cohesion. Five
themes have emerged from our work within the three projects;
knowledge, co-production, roles, voice and ethics. Our work with the women’s
project in Rotherham has developed and as the artist reflects, she is immersing herself in the space and time that she is
capturing on canvas. As she immerses herself in this space and time, in the
sight, sound and smell of Pakistan, we have realised that we need things. Lorraine Daston (2007:9) reflected:
‘Imagine a world without things. It would be not so
much an empty world as a blurry one. Nor would there be anything to describe,
or to explain, remark on, interpret, or complain about -just a kind of porridgy
oneness. Without things we would stop talking.’
At that start of this project we perhaps did not
did not envisage objects and things having such important significance.
However, artefacts and objects are therefore important tools for research as
Rowsell, (2011:332), argues ‘putting artefacts in the centre of the
methodology, as an optic [is] to get an insider emic gaze of individuals, their
communities, and lived histories’. She further emphasises on the power that
artefacts hold in allowing researchers to access information that might not be
possible through other methods, such as observations, document analysis and
even interviews. As we felt for our mother’s journey we needed images of
objects to help us to narrate their stories of migration.
“I remember
playing under mango tree with clay pots and marbles
I use to help
my mum and aunties in the corn field
I remember my
grandma milking cows and making lassie in a gadget called Madani
Grandmother
grinding flour in chakki
We had
tandoor in our yard; women neighbours use to come to make roti
During kite
flying season we children get together and make kites at school and then take
them home and fly them from the top of our house roofs, it was our social
activity
I remember
the house roof leaking at night and putting buckets under the leaks.
Decorating
hand held fans with moti”’ Interviewee
One
We wonder how the artist will capture those
emotions of home on canvas? Using objects and artefects to recall the emotional
aspects of memory helps us recall and re-imagine our memories, to reconnect with the multicolour
tapestries of our multiple identities. The arts
offer a way of seeing what might not always be visible, which we consider
within the projects. Investigated within the projects is the idea that the
quality of arts based research lies in the process of its creation. Arts based
approaches can be understood as a process, or a product. Arts based approaches
can be a social journey through which a new understanding emerges.
Using arts
methodologies for social cohesion is complex, integrated and emotional. Issues
of power and trust are located in conversations around inequality, identity and
diversity. Using arts methodologies for social cohesion is to ask questions and
create connections from an alternative angle. Indeed, arts methodologies
enliven our minds, bodies and emotions, recognising the multiplicity of our
knowledge and identities. In conclusion, arts methodologies have the potential
to empower the process of social cohesion through an alternative lens (Eisner,
1997). They offer an opportunity to build dialogue and reflect alternative
knowledges.