D'Arcy Norman, PhD

Creative and Performing Arts

Nelson, R. (2013). Practice as Research in the Arts

Nelson, R. (2013). Practice as Research in the Arts: Principles, Protocols, Pedagogies, Resistances. Palgrave Macmillian UK. DOI 10.1057/9781137282910

Much of the book is dedicated to legitimizing PaR as a field.

Documentation is often conflated with evidence – not the same thing. Documentation of a performance or practice is not the performance itself. (Well, duh). Examination? Audit?

Practice as research provides a way to “house the mix” of research methods and data – combining textual and discourse as well as other methods to tell a full(er) story of the performance.

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Finn, P. (2015) Critical Condition

Finn, P. (2015). Critical Condition: Replacing critical thinking with creativity. Wilfred Laurier University Press. Waterloo.

“…critical thinking does not lead to truth’ instead, it leads to stronger and stronger versions of what you want to believe.” (P. 19)

“Simply put, older models of computation were built like arguments from the traditions of critical thinking; newer models are more creative and dynamic and use less control.” (P.25)

“If language matters – and surely it does – then what does it mean that most of our information now comes to us through open, active systems that grow organically?” (P. 25)

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