Lisanne Janssen
What I Have Been Meaning to Tell You
What I Have Been Meaning to Tell You is a collection of short texts, essays and letters in which I try to articulate a working educational ethos that is ‘lived’ rather than ‘fossilized’. I inquire if and how being attentive, tending to, can be a ‘gripping tale’ to tell. How can I honour and articulate what often goes unnoticed?
The answer may not be found in big concepts or theories. What lies in the margins, things such as small gestures or my commitment to the process, tells just as much, maybe even more. Everything I do, I approach with empathy, the feeling of curiosity about who other people are in themselves, and radical openness: the will to explore different perspectives and change one’s mind as new information is presented.
As a designer engaged in education, I have become increasingly intrigued by the way individuals consider and make connections. Especially, how humans experience their place, impact and agency within space, time and its interconnections. In my practice, I therefore pay close attention to human engagement with physical material, form and function. I provide mindful tools and activities that help mend the space between us. A slow and careful process, which requires close attention and care.
With What I Have Been Meaning to Tell You, I attempt to voice my pedagogical approaches and to articulate meaningful aspects of my practice. I invite the reader to slow down and contemplate their own practice, just as I have done: not to examine or to study, but to look with love and to be radically open. We are always in the process of becoming.
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