Marjolijn van den Berg
Open (Up) Writing
Look over there. Do you see that group of students, looking at their feet, sighing by turns? They have just been told that they need to write a self-reflective document.
‘I can’t believe we need to do this.’
‘I know man; we are not going to learn anything from this.’
‘Writing is not just “challenging”, it’s oppositional to making art,’ replies another.
They nod their heads in agreement. When the teacher says it’s time to start the class, they shuffle in, their bodies tense with reluctance.
As a writer, I believe that language can be a powerful tool. But the thing is, you have to know how to wield its power. A lack of insight into the writing process and not knowing how to overcome obstacles can make you feel like writing is inherently difficult and ‘just not for you’. But I think writing is a good addition to anyone’s pallet, including those students we just looked at. So, I asked myself the following question: How can didactic approaches informed by artistic and creative writing strategies contribute to making art and design students more comfortable with writing?
In my research, I explore what being comfortable (and uncomfortable) with writing means to me and others and how it is apparent in my students. I look at the work of artists and writers like Kenneth Goldsmith, Maria Fusco, Thomas Hirschhorn et al and combine their practices with strategies from creative writing in order to construct writing workshops, which I have tested with multiple groups of students. Besides looking for answers, I also try to illustrate the potential of language, not by just using the voice of teacher and researcher, but by making my voice as a writer equally present in this research.
Thesis: