Data collection
Data has traditionally been collected using 2D methods and as a creative and neuro-diverse person, this proves to be challenging and finding guides on how to do it were difficult, so I asked for help from someone used to doing it to help me by talking through the responses. If we are tackling social justice, we need to be activists if we’re embracing neuro diversity and inclusivity – It’s no good just showing pie-charts, graphs and lists of words because they don’t describe the human senses touch, listen, see and smell. Think of this like a restaurant menu which can only go so far to create the vibe compared to when you walk into a restaurant and feel the warmth, see the dishes, hear the sizzle and catch the smells which stimulate a reaction.
I took inspiration from my students, many of whom have English as a second language and who express themselves visually, and saw how they created art installations to show their work and thinking. Our students also present through portfolios and catwalks having the option to write less words and balance that with having to generate more ‘looks’. A 3D presentation makes a lot of sense to me because I think in 3D, see shapes and outcomes as images and rarely use writing which makes less sense to me. The third intervention took the form of an interview which was recorded. I taught myself how to get a transcript using digital software, but it was garbled, so I then listened to it a number of times starting and stopping to make quick bullet points to briefly show the outcome. My ‘transcript’ is the actual recording, which is far better than a written one because it allows the listener to appreciate the tone of the conversation, to hear the anecdotes and laughter and to allow the listener to more accurately make their own deductions. Next time I might see if it’s possible to ask a peer to video it!
This made me think how I could present the data I’d collected from the 3 interventions and decided that a video is a valid way of showing the outcomes effectively. So I set up an art installation in my garden from the responses which included the written questionnaires, mind-maps, a sari-length of feedback, key words from mind-maps onto plain white shirts as well as the collages and drapes from the shirt workshop.
A purely digital exhibition, email or digital presentation is easy to swipe away. It’s also less memorable.
One the other hand, a 3D exhibition or presentation stimulates more of our senses. It allows us more choices in how we interpret the information and makes it accessible to more people.
Data collection as a collage
Data Collection as a video of an ART INSTALLATION