Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence
Here is the latest iteration of the introduction for the Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence book project.
Introduction
“Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence is not just a how to book, about creativity or creative process. Instead, Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence takes the creative process, more specifically, my creative process and dissects it. Throughout this book I will reveal the ideas and concepts for various photo projects, exhibitions, and learning programs that first emerged on the pages of what I call my idea books / studio journals, studio sketchbooks and even from my old notes. I then want to provide the evidence of how these ideas and concepts have been realized in the various photo projects, art exhibitions, and learning programs offered to the public. Before I present this evidence, however, I first want to emphasize how Integral these idea books; journals and studio sketchbooks have been and continue to be, in my practice as both an artist and community educator. I should also let you know that as you leaf through the pages of this book you will discover that this book very much mirrors my idea books, studio journals and sketchbooks in its design. You will not find a table of contents, and there are no chapters.
In fact the ideas and evidence presented in this book are in no chronological order, but instead the way this book is designed, you will move back in fourth in time as the ideas and concepts jump back and forth between the most recent projects and those of the past. As for the my idea books, studio journals and sketchbooks I will tell you more about these at the end of this book.
The evidence of my creative processes presented in this book can be found both in the photo and photo - based works that I have created over some thirty years and the twenty plus years of designing and facilitating community based education programs.
Over the decades, the creative process that I have utilized in my image making has evolved into an ongoing dialogue between the found and the constructed image. Because the medium of photography is more often than not a medium of the found image, but there is also a long history of manipulating and transforming photographic images, today I find myself straddling the fence between these two aesthetic practices.
As my primary subject matter is the urban landscape, these landscapes seem to hide and reveal themselves. I can walk down the street one - day and see nothing. I walk down the same street a couple of days later and multiple images emerge. Some of these images will remain unchanged or un-manipulated, while other images will be transformed, either digitally or physically, into the constructed images. How I determine which photographs will be manipulated and which photographs will remain unchanged is very much an intuitive thing.
I believe that teaching is every bit a creative act as making images. In many ways the ever - evolving creative processes utilized in my practice as an artist, has also found its way into my practice as a community educator. Instead of working with found and constructed images however, my practice as an educator consists of working with existing theories and methods from life long learning and art education practices, as well as constructing new programs through the fusion of theories and methods from life long learning and art education practices with other disciplines such as disability facilitation, social innovation, and community engagement. These constructed or fused learning programs are different from the found and constructed images. The viewers of my images may be fully engaged with my images, or they can just ignore them. How these viewers are impacted by my images is not always known. The learners in the programs I design and facilitate have been, and will continue to be affected at some level through their learning experience. As a result of this I have to ensure that the learning programs are inclusive and always put the learner at the centre, to ensure an optimal learning experience.
As I said in the beginning of this introduction, this book was never meant to be a how to, about creative process, but rather to function as evidence of my own creative process. I hope, as you flip through this book that you will reflect on and ask questions about your own practice. Maybe one of these questions to start with is, how am I creative in the work I am doing right now?
Below are several images of my idea books, studio journal, studio sketchbooks and old notes. These are not just journals and sketchbooks to me. These idea books, studio journal, studio sketchbooks and old notes were and continue to be an integral part of my practice as both an artist and educator.
Here is the latest iteration of the introduction for the Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence book project.
Introduction
“Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence is not just a how to book, about creativity or creative process. Instead, Visual Connections: Ideas and Evidence takes the creative process, more specifically, my creative process and dissects it. Throughout this book I will reveal the ideas and concepts for various photo projects, exhibitions, and learning programs that first emerged on the pages of what I call my idea books / studio journals, studio sketchbooks and even from my old notes. I then want to provide the evidence of how these ideas and concepts have been realized in the various photo projects, art exhibitions, and learning programs offered to the public. Before I present this evidence, however, I first want to emphasize how Integral these idea books; journals and studio sketchbooks have been and continue to be, in my practice as both an artist and community educator. I should also let you know that as you leaf through the pages of this book you will discover that this book very much mirrors my idea books, studio journals and sketchbooks in its design. You will not find a table of contents, and there are no chapters.
In fact the ideas and evidence presented in this book are in no chronological order, but instead the way this book is designed, you will move back in fourth in time as the ideas and concepts jump back and forth between the most recent projects and those of the past. As for the my idea books, studio journals and sketchbooks I will tell you more about these at the end of this book.
The evidence of my creative processes presented in this book can be found both in the photo and photo - based works that I have created over some thirty years and the twenty plus years of designing and facilitating community based education programs.
Over the decades, the creative process that I have utilized in my image making has evolved into an ongoing dialogue between the found and the constructed image. Because the medium of photography is more often than not a medium of the found image, but there is also a long history of manipulating and transforming photographic images, today I find myself straddling the fence between these two aesthetic practices.
As my primary subject matter is the urban landscape, these landscapes seem to hide and reveal themselves. I can walk down the street one - day and see nothing. I walk down the same street a couple of days later and multiple images emerge. Some of these images will remain unchanged or un-manipulated, while other images will be transformed, either digitally or physically, into the constructed images. How I determine which photographs will be manipulated and which photographs will remain unchanged is very much an intuitive thing.
I believe that teaching is every bit a creative act as making images. In many ways the ever - evolving creative processes utilized in my practice as an artist, has also found its way into my practice as a community educator. Instead of working with found and constructed images however, my practice as an educator consists of working with existing theories and methods from life long learning and art education practices, as well as constructing new programs through the fusion of theories and methods from life long learning and art education practices with other disciplines such as disability facilitation, social innovation, and community engagement. These constructed or fused learning programs are different from the found and constructed images. The viewers of my images may be fully engaged with my images, or they can just ignore them. How these viewers are impacted by my images is not always known. The learners in the programs I design and facilitate have been, and will continue to be affected at some level through their learning experience. As a result of this I have to ensure that the learning programs are inclusive and always put the learner at the centre, to ensure an optimal learning experience.
As I said in the beginning of this introduction, this book was never meant to be a how to, about creative process, but rather to function as evidence of my own creative process. I hope, as you flip through this book that you will reflect on and ask questions about your own practice. Maybe one of these questions to start with is, how am I creative in the work I am doing right now?
Below are several images of my idea books, studio journal, studio sketchbooks and old notes. These are not just journals and sketchbooks to me. These idea books, studio journal, studio sketchbooks and old notes were and continue to be an integral part of my practice as both an artist and educator.