It could have been worse - by Brice Catherin

These slides were presented by UNESCO RILA Affiliate Artist Brice Catherin at the UNESCO RILA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating 2024 (Word Springs) on 20 May 2024. For more information about the event, please visit https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/events/springschool/

1. It could have been worse Brice Catherin

2. 1) Hi! 2) I’m Brice Catherin. I’m an intermedia artist and a researcher. I’m interested in participatory methods, AI as a tool of subversion, and art-based enquiries. 3) I’ll speak today about the concept of ‘blossoming’ in participatory action research, specifically in the context of my project it could have been worse . 4) Then, I’ll discuss some nuts-and-bolts.

3. It could have been worse a series of intermedia portraits that I made with refugees and welfare recipients in Geneva (Switzerland). Using interviews, videos, texts, paintings, photos, etc. The technics had to adapt to each participant. First exhibited in an institutional art gallery, and since then, available online.

4. Blossoming in Participatory action research Blomfield’s key points (2018): Mundane aspect , collaboration, informed consent, anonymity, and editing as political act . Lenette’s principles (2022): disruption of traditional research approaches, reciprocal benefits, trust, deep engagement, social change, intersectionality, co-researchers’ agendas, and challenge to power differentials . My additional principle: blossoming. By blossoming, I mean becoming a different person after a collaborative experience; having a meaningful, constructive moment as a human being. Ways of allowing the participants to blossom: being at their service; bringing pride; bringing a sense of achievement; Letting the participants be the self-curator of their narrative. How does it translate in It could have been worse ?

5. Victor Offering him the time to record his poems in front of a green screen. Follow him and film him while he performs his own role around Geneva. Designing his portrait together.

6. Febronia Sharing her stories, her recipes, her art… and her rants! Helping her to ‘not lose her identity’.

7. Nuts-and-bolts Informal meeting at their favourite place, or a place they want to show me. Possibly for a coffee, but not necessarily. Making it clear that they can tell me anything in confidence. We will decide together what we share publicly. (There is no phone or camera during the first meeting. Just my notebook.) Adapting to their timetable and availability. Walking. Finding the best means to tell the stories (texts? Photos…) and to share the stories (what is convenient for the participants?) Highlighting what they’re great at: humour, singing, poetry, sports, dancing, taking photos… or even being angry and pontificating. (It’s also part of their identity, and it’s also data.) Giving them the right to be outrageous or unfair… within the limits of their safety.

8. References Blomfield , I., & Lenette , C. (2018). Artistic Representations of Refugees: What Is the Role of the Artist? Journal of Intercultural Studies , 39 (3), 322–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2018.1459517 Dancis , J. S., Coleman, B. R., & Ellison, E. R. (2023). Participatory Action Research as Pedagogy: Stay Messy. Journal of Participatory Research Methods , 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.35844/001c.75174 Devereux, G. R. M. (1980). Basic problems of ethnopsychiatry . https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:141680107 Lenette , C. (2022b). Participatory Action Research . Oxford University Press.