Workshop: Visual Mapping of Participatory Practices
This workshop will introduce a creative method of mapping participatory documentary projects to analyze the process of involving partners, negotiating power relations and instigating different modes of engagement. As both practitioners and theorists we have experienced the multi-nodal, multi-axis “horizontal, iterative, never finished” nature of participatory new media work as empowering, thrilling, and ethically apt. At the same time, because it is not vertical, linear, and “contained,” these projects tend to be unruly. How do we learn from and share the results of participatory practices that are riddled with complex dilemmas, risks and invaluable lessons? How do we make visible the power relations and ethical conundrums that we encounter but are unable to fully articulate? How can we visualize impact? What kinds of tools help us map the path?
Building on the concepts of forensic idea flow mapping (Leith Sharp) we will share our method of mapping a project’s life-cycle and the value of visualizing collaborative processes. We will share maps we have developed thus far and discuss how the visualization of a collaborative process can help articulate or shed light on key decisions, evaluate ethical frameworks, and instigate new ways of knowing and collaborating.
Participants will do preparatory work, which will be presented and discussed with audiences, and we will also do “hands-on” work during the workshop, where the participants in the room contribute to mapping a project, or a couple of projects.
Pre-registration required – sign-up link to come.