Pas: Trans_form

The writing of this webpage was structured in terms of the the Nine Dimensions Tool, which was developed as part of the CreaTures project.

Because Pas: Trans_form is X, it influences Y within projects.

Co-creative (X) (Y) the ways in which power is shared

Embodying (X) (Y) the ways in which meaning is created individually and together

Organising (X) (Y) the ways in which participants connect.

Co-creative (changing power)

In our creative practice, co-creation happens through the application of a limited number of strategies. These strategies are the results of our own co-creative creative practice and as such a unique way to develop specific kinds of interaction skills, such as acting/reacting, communicating clearly, leading/following and dealing with uncertainty. Strategies are applied during specific phase(s) of a project to influence interaction and they do not constrain the overall course of a project. They form a basis for ensuing choices regarding methods and actions, but do not dictate the methods or actions. The strategies function like emergent paths that do not specify (and are not specified by) the goals or purposes of a project or a general process.

The ideas, experiences and perspectives of every participant is included as material for concurrent exploration in pairs, quartets and larger groups. This makes the strategies and their application pluriversal. The strategies shape the process, but do not limit the notions or the topics that are explored in a specific project, and for this reason topics and views on topics can be diverse without interrupting the process. The strategies are designed to improve the understanding of the topics of each and every participant by that participant and by others in the group. This makes the strategies and their application solidaristic. The strategies tolerate and even encourage diversity and support participants in reaching many goals – different or even diverse goals – in the same group at the same time.

Embodying (changing meanings)

Our creative practice is in its essence an embodied practice with improvisation as its foundation. It can be considered as the shaping of meaning through ‘participatory sense-making’. The core of our practice is formed by the overlaps and dialogues of sound and movement. Overlaps are experienced when, for example, a sound and a movement start simultaneously or when a change in the intensity of a movement and of a sound coincide. Dialogues are experienced, for example, when movements and sounds do not happen at the same time, or when changes are not mirrored and even contradicted. Dialogues are also experienced when a characteristic of a sound has to be interpreted (in a non-intuitive way) as the characteristic of a movement, and vice versa.

When working with the overlaps and dialogues of movement and sound, we start from concrete experiences (sometimes building on Conceptual Metaphor Theory) and move towards more abstract understanding. Because movement and sound can be easily differentiated, we can design for ‘oscillating agency’ by stipulating when movers should lead and when sounders should lead. This allows for real-time reading and shaping&sharing of each participant’s embodied thinking in direct relation to the embodied thinking of others. This forms a more-than-rational and collaborative cognition. We shape interaction by limiting the means and clarifying the structure of activities so that they become a limited set of differentiated strategies.

The unique core of our creative practice (almost) ensures that participants will have new experiences. Because sound and movement are so basic to being-in-the-world these experiences will (almost) certainly move participants emotionally. Because of the novelty of the experiences and of this way of interacting, participants will likely struggle to identify, understand and integrate experiences – essential aspects of sense-making.

The presence of musical instruments (gongs, drums, cymbals, etc.) and our preference for working in venues that have some connection to artistic practice complement and complete the embodied experience.

Organising (changing connections)

When leading a project through its whole ‘life-span’, we organise by following multidimensional paths. A catalogue of such projects can be accessed here. When we cooperate in projects lead by others, we choose circumscribed roles and employ a set of strategies to organise shared experiences into a basis for collaborative actions and reflection. Our catalogue of strategies can be accessed here.

We see our practice as a specialised “organism” in a large and complex network of cultural actors. Refining our understanding of the specialised nature of our practice opens up new views on our potential roles and actions when we (plan to) interact with other artists, and in wider contexts. This allows us to adapt to our “ecosystem” and evolve our approach.

The specialised nature of the strategies that we are developing, as well as the limited range of the roles that we can play in existing sustainability networks allows us to function as a central connection or link in complex webs of interrelated parts, and to understand and take responsibility for our ideas and actions within chains of causation. Our clear understanding of our roles and actions facilitate our efforts to amplify the potential and actions of other artists and to help represent and “explain” the potential of specific creative practices and practitioners in wider contexts.

Our strategies facilitate the gathering of people who are connected in meaningful ways and motivated to collaborate on projects. The embodied nature of our practice supports connection in multidimensional ways, and exploration with ways to structure co-creation. The strategies that participants learn and the skills they acquire can be applied when they connect to their target publics.