Co-creativity involves “a focus on shared process, the absence of a single author or outcome (and instead the idea of shared ownership), inclusivity, reciprocity and relationality […]. Co-creativity necessitates and creates openness, receptivity and imaginative space. Above all, it contrasts with restrictive notions of the lone creative ‘genius’ that have tended to dominate views of creativity" (Zeilig et al. 2019).
Joy
|
In the air. Sometimes we cannot ask directly but can observe and sense moments of genuine joy.
The co-creative sessions created many different feelings, such as confusion, uncertainty, excitement and joy. People living with dementia are often deprived to engage in creative activities, the feeling of being useful for the community and becoming a citizen as someone who is part of the larger world. |
Sensing
|
On the canvas. If we do not know each other from before we needed to improvise, become flexible and embrace serendipity. Here we can learn a lot from people living with dementia who have to tackle this situation many times every day.
|
Creative chaos
|
In interaction. The paintings became much more colourful, multilayered and composed by diverse artistic expressions than we could anticipate. This was possible because the task was unclear and the situation somewhat un-structured. Even so, the group immersed in improvisation, art experimentation and co-creativity.
|
Sharing materials
|
In intra-action.The arrangement of materials created a need to share acrylic, brushes, waters, cups and canvas. Being used to work in one's own space, on individual paintings, the 120x80cm canvas invited to work across barriers, bend over and ask each other for help.
|
Post-verbal communication
|
Beyond words. After about halv an hour we started to work more silently, listened to the music and concentrated on what happened on the canvas. We interacted increasingly beyond language, communicated through movements, smile and creative expressions that each of us could bring equally to the canvas.
|
Thinking and creating with music
|
In music. During our creative sessions we listened to the album Mundo by Mariza. The music was chosen collectively by the artists-cum-researchers during the preparation session. Our choice build primarily on taste, was driven by coincidence and collective decision making. We searched for music from Portugal that everyone knows and that might be appealing to the community. After the session we found a connection between our arts-based research practices and this specific album called Mundo which is the Portuguese word for world.
|
Exploration
|
With materials. The materials invited people to take chances and to experiment with in different ways. They made the hooks and eventually put them into a fishing line. Longlines are a characteristic fishing gear in Sesimbra and part of the street life. Not everybody, particularly women, have however had the chance to experiment or mount a longline. Personal creations were obvious in the construction.
|
Entanglements
|
In entanglement. Working on the same fishing line is tentacular thinking in practice. Disentangling curled fishing lines from several ends connects people, emotions and materials in co-creative practice . It demands patience and is a good conversation-starter about coastal cultures, who we are and what we are proud of.
|
Livelong learning
|
Intergenerational. On the second day the seniors worked together with the youth. Inter-generational communication, creativity and knowledge transfer is something that we need for living good lives. Life-long learning can happen everywhere and with SAI we created a setting, atmosphere and space for possibilities in which mutual learning, understanding and questioning can take place.
|
Technology
|
Multimodal. Communicating across disciplines, generations, regions, nations and other markers of difference can be challenging and takes time. In European projects such as the Centre for Costal Cultures funded by EEA Grants Portugal (2021-2024) we worked across Portuguese, Norwegian, English, Bengali, Russian, Hungarian, Sengali, French and German languages and learned together with fishermen, museums staff and the community how to use translation software in various forms and build-in apps. This made the OceanCreation project exiting for us.
|
ADLab Film 2.0
|
Multimedial. A film team followed the sessions and at the end of the first day we recorded four short interviews. One of them was made with the 94-year old fishermen Arthur who was connected through a fishing line with Jorge who asked some questions. The footage will be used for a new ADLab Film.
|
Collective analysis
|
Collectively. At the end of the second day, we came together in the studio where we had just created the artworks. We re-captured what we had experienced, what it means and how the same situations mean different things to us. This work continued in later conversations and writings after we had left the site.
|