Introducing Participatory, Arts-based Research Through the Collaborative Poetics Method
Speakers:
Bio: Helen Johnson is a Principal Psychology Lecturer at the University of Brighton, UK, and Co-Director for the University's Centre for Arts and Wellbeing. She is a leading voice in spoken word/poetry slam scholarship and an expert in creative research methods. Helen is particularly interested in the intersections between arts-based research, participatory research and social justice, and has developed the ‘collaborative poetics’ method framed by these concerns. She is also an established spoken word poet/educator, and has been Stage Manager for the Poetry&Words stage at Glastonbury Festival, the world’s largest greenfield music and performing arts festival, since 2008.
This session combines talk; discussion and workshop activities to introduce the participatory; arts-based research method of 'collaborative poetics' (CP). CP uses a range of artistic tools and techniques; particularly spoken and written poetry; to investigate and communicate co-researchers' lived experiences in collaborative 'research collectives.' We will consider how this approach can lend insight into events as social phenomena; communicate key messages to others; and change society for the better. You will also be supported to work through a range of CP activities; drawing on the materials from the 'Collaborative Poetics Resource Pack' (http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/collaborativepoetics/resources/). We will end with an opportunity to share our work and reflect on the methods we have used.