The Rhizomatic Relations of A_r_tography

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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e Rhizomatic Relations of A/r/tographyRita L. IrwinUniversity of British Columbia

Ruth BeerUniversity of British Columbia

Stephanie SpringgayUniversity of British Columbia

Kit GrauerUniversity of British Columbia

Gu XiongUniversity of British Columbia

See next page for additional authors

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70 Studies in Art Education

The Rhizomatic Relations of A/r/tography

Rita L. Irwin

Ruth BeerStephanie Springgay

Kit Grauer

Gu Xiong

Barbara Bickel

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver

A/r/tographyisaformofpractice-basedresearchsteepedintheartsandeducation.Alongsideotherarts-based, arts-informedandaestheticallydefinedmethodolo-

gies, a/r/tography is one of many emerging forms of inquiry that refer to thearts as away of re-searching theworld to enhance understanding. Yet, it goesevenfurtherbyrecognizingtheeducativepotentialofteachingand learningasactsof inquiry. Together, the artsandeducationcomplement, resist, andechoone another through rhizomatic relations of living inquiry. In this article, wedemonstrate rhizomatic relations in an ongoing project entitled The City ofRichgatewheremeaningsareconstructedwithinongoinga/r/tographicinquiriesdescribed as collective artistic and educational praxis. Rhizomatic relations donotseekconclusionsandtherefore, neitherwillthisaccount. Instead,weexplorea/r/tographicalsituationsasmethodologicalspacesforfurtheringlivinginquiry.In doing so, we invite the art education community to consider rhizomatic

relationsperformedthrougha/r/tographyasapoliticallyinformedmethodologyofsituations.

A/r/tography is an arts and education practice-based researchmethodology(Sullivan, 2004) dedicatedtoactsofinquirythroughthearts andwriting (see Irwin & de Cosson, 2004; Irwin & Springgay,accepted;Springgay, Irwin& WilsonKind, 2005;Springgay, Irwin&Kind, inpress).Thenameitselfexemplifiesthesefeaturesbysettingartandgraphy, andtheidentitiesofartist, researcher, andteacher(a/r/t), incontiguousrelations.1Noneofthesefeaturesisprivilegedoveranother

astheyoccursimultaneouslyinandthroughtimeandspace. Moreover,theactsofinquiryandthethreeidentitiesresistmodernistcategoriza-tionsandinsteadexistaspost-structuralconceptualizationsofpractice(forexampleBickel, 2004;deCosson, 2002, 2003). Byemphasizingpractice, a shiftoccurs fromquestioningwhoanartist, researcher, oreducatormightbe orwhat art, research or education is, towhen is apersonanartist, researcheroreducatorandwhenisanexperienceart,researchoreducation(seeKingwell, 2005). Theseareimportantdistinc-tionsfortheyresideintherhizomaticrelationsofinquiry.

In this article, wewish to describe a/r/tographical inquiry as amethodologyofsituationsandtodothis, wesharethejourneyofacollaborativeprojectundertakenbyagroupofartists, educators, and

Correspondenceregard-ingthisarticleshould

besenttoDr. RitaL.Irwin, AssociateDean,FacultyofEducation,TheUniversityofBritishColumbia, 2125MainMall, Vancouver,BritishColumbia, V6T1Z4, Canada. E-mail:[email protected]

1Theslashesin

a/r/tography(andotherrelatedwords)purposefullyillustrateadoublingofidentitiesandconceptsratherthanaseparation/bifurcationofideas.

Copyright2006bythe StudiesinArtEducationNationalArtEducationAssociation AJournalofIssuesandResearch 2006, 48(1), 70-88


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Studies in Art Education 71

researchersworkingwith a number of families in a nearby city. TheprojectisentitledTheCityofRichgate andexaminesissuesrelatedtoimmigration, place, andcommunitywithinanartisticallyorientedinquiry. Althoughtheprojectitselfwouldbeofinteresttothefieldof

arteducation, thisarticleisdedicatedtotheelaborationofa/r/tographyasamethodologyofsituations. Theprojectprovidesawayofelaborat-ing upon a/r/tography as a methodology that provokes the creationofsituationsthroughinquiry, thatrespondstotheevocativenatureofsituationsfoundwithindata, andthatprovidesareflectiveandreflexivestancetosituationalinquiries. Thesesituationsareoftenfound, created,orrupturedwithintherhizomaticnatureofa/r/tography. Itisonthisbasisthatthearticleispremised: rhizomaticrelationalityisessentialtoa/r/tographyasamethodologyofsituations.

Deleuze and Guattari (1987) describe rhizomes metaphoricallythroughtheimageofcrabgrassthatconnectsanypointtoanyotherpoint (p. 21) bygrowing inalldirections. Through this image theystresstheimportanceofthemiddlebydisruptingthelinearityofbegin-ningsandendings. Afterall, onefailstopursueatangentifaparticularline of thought is subscribed. Rhizomes resist taxonomies and createinterconnectednetworkswithmultipleentrypoints(seeWilson2003).Themetaphorofamap isanother imageused todescriberhizomes,for maps have only middles, with no beginnings and endingsthey

are always becoming. Deleuze and Guattari also suggest that once amapisgrasped, tracingsacrossthemapneedtooccurinordertoresistdualisticthinking. Byinspectingthebreaksandrupturesthatbecomeinvisiblewhenthemorestabletracingislaiduponthealwaysbecomingmap, we are in a position to construct new knowledge, rather thanmerelypropagatetheold (Alverman, 2000, p. 117). Inthisway, mapsand tracingswork together to make connections that may not havebeen noticed through the phenomenon itself and/or the theoreticaltangents. Rhizomesareinterstitialspacesbetweenthinkingandmateri-ality(seeMeskimmon, 2003) whereidentitiesandin-betweenidenti-

tiesareopentotransformations(seeGrosz, 2001) andpeople, locationsandobjectsarealways intheprocessofcreation(seeHasebe-Ludt&Hurren, 2003).

Rhizomaticrelationalityaffectshowweunderstandtheoryandpractice,productandprocess. Theoryisnolongeranabstractconceptbutratheranembodiedlivinginquiry, aninterstitialrelationalspaceforcreating,teaching, learning, andresearchinginaconstantstateofbecoming(seealsoBritzman, 2003). Fora/r/tgraphersthismeanstheorizingthroughinquiry, a process that involves an evolution of questions. This active

stance to knowledge creation informs a/r/tographers practices makingtheirinquiriesemergent, generative, reflexiveandresponsive(deCossonetal., inpress;2003;Gouzouasis& LaMonde, 2005;Leggo, 2004;Sinner,

TheRhizomaticRelationsofA/r/tography


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2004). Moreover, products and processes are conceived as relational.Processisanactofinventionratherthaninterpretationwhereconceptsemergefromsocialengagementsandencounters(Darts, 2004;Dias&Sinkinson, 2005; Springgay, 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2005). Theorizingandpracticingareverbsthatemphasizetheneedforbeingintheprocessof producing (Irwin, 2003, 2004b, 2006; Springgay & Irwin 2004).Thismovetowarddestabilizingconcepts, objects, andidentitiesisalsofoundincontemporaryartdiscoursewheresiteasafixedgeographicalconcepthasmovedtoarelationalconceptre-imaginedasa situation

withinpolitical, economic, culturalandsocialprocesses. Incontempo-raryeducationaldiscoursesitesoflearningarere-imaginedasplacesinprocess(seeLai& Ball, 2002) orpedagogiesofplacesetwithinpoliti-

cal, economic, cultural, ecological and social processes (Gruenewald,2003). Fora/r/tographers, situationsarerelatedtopedagogiesofplacethroughacommitmenttodisruptingbinaries (e.g. privateandpublicorneither) bycomplicatingunderstandingsasrelational, singular, andrhizomatic. Situatedpracticesemphasize experienceasa stateofflux

whichacknowledgesplaceasashiftingandfragmentedentity (Doherty,2004, p. 10). Moreover, relationalaestheticsworkstoerodemarginal-izationas theroleofartist isshifted tobecomea facilitator, mediatorand/orcreativecontributorwithinacommunity.

Inthefollowingaccountswesharewithyouourrhizomaticjourneythroughana/r/tographicalprojectentitledTheCityofRichgate.2Webeginwithaprelude(awayofimaginingsituations) thatoffersinsightsintohowwefirst conceptualizedtheproject.Wethenintroduceaninter-ludeona/r/tographicalpraxisthatreachesthroughouttheprojectbeforeintroducing an interlude on a/r/tography as a methodology of situa-tions. Thoughthepreludesharestheconceptualizationsthatoccurredinordertoreceivefunding, theinterludesandsituationsarenotwrittenin

anychronologicalorder. Situationsmayseemtooccurchronologically,buttheyarerhizomatic. Learning/creating/inquiringin, from, through,andwithsituationsoccursinthein-betweenspacesthosespacesthatmakeconnectionsthatareoftenunanticipated. Asaresult, theirtimingcannotbeplannedeither. Situationsarecomplexspatialandtemporalprocessesthatreachbeyondlinearandbinarywaysofunderstandingthe

world. Thetentativepostludereinforcestheimportanceofsituationstoa/r/tographybysummarizingthepoliticallyinformednatureofcollec-tiveartisticandeducationalpraxis.Whileourworkiswritteninalinear

fashion here, out of publishing necessity, we encourage the reader toengagewiththeworkasarhizomebymovinginandout, andaroundthework, makingconnectionsinapersonalway.

RitaL. Irwin, RuthBeer, StephanieSpringgay, KitGrauer, GuXiong,andBarbaraBickel

2WewishtothanktheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanadafortheirgeneroussupportofourresearchprogramentitledTheCityofRichgate: ResearchandCreationintoCommunity-Engaged

ArtsPractices(2004-2007).


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A/r/tography: A Methodology of Situations

Prelude to a Situation: The City of RichgateThe City of Rich Gate comes from the translated Chinese and

JapanesenamesfortheCityofRichmond.3

ForChineseimmigrants,theCityofRichGaterepresentsanideologicaldreamofabetterplacethantheirownhomeland. The idea of wealth is an integral part of theTheideaofwealthisanintegralpartoftheearlyhistoryofChinese inCanada. During the GoldRush, ChineseimmigrantsarrivedinNorthAmericatofindaGoldMountain; however,thiswasonlyadream.WhatawaitedtheChineserailwayworkersintheRockyMountainswashardlaborandoftendeath. By2003, the ChineseheChineseimmigrantpopulationinRichmondroseto46%ofthetotalpopula-tion. Under globalization Richmond is the gate to the Pacific region.Under globalization Richmond is the gate to the Pacific region.

Migratingindividualspassthroughitsairporteveryday: NewimmigrantsfromHongKong, Taiwan, andmainlandChinaarrivesearchingforanopportunity togainwealthand leadabetter life. In turn, theyvebuiltRichmondasanewChinatownageographicallyandculturallyhybridplace.YetRichmondismorethananewChinatown. Ithasarichhistoryof immigration frommanyothercountries intheworld, mostnotably,thoseinthePacificRim, India, Europe, Scandinavia, andtheUSA. Eachbringstheirculturaltraditionswiththemandeachhascontributedtothecityinimportantways.

TheCityofRichmond isacitystillconsidereda frontiertown inmanyways, repletewith unresolved confrontations, on the edge ofthecontinent, onthevergeofanewbeginning, separatedpsychologi-callyfromtherestofCanadabytheRockyMountains, borderingontheAmericannorthwest, andpoisedonthePacificRim. TheCityofRichmondissituatedinthedeltaoftheFraserRiverandcomprisestwomainislandsand15otherislandsbuiltupandshapedbytheriver. Thecitys history is rooted in fishing, agriculture, shipping and aviation,

withtheairportforminganimportantgatewaytothePacificRim. Intheconstantlyshiftingdefinitionofthisplace, thedisplacementofthe

nativepeople, thehistoryofsettlementbyEuropeans, andtheimmigra-tionofpeoplefromnon-Europeanculturesplaykeyroles. Inthepasttwodecades, thesourceofimmigrationofpeopletoBritishColumbiahasshiftedfromEuropetoAsia. ImmigrantsfromthesecountriesandelsewhereoffertheCanadianeconomyandcultureanotherrichlayertoitsdiversity. InBritishColumbiasocietyandelsewhere, thelanguageof diaspora is increasingly invoked by displaced peoples who feel[maintain/revive/invent] a connectionwith a prior home (Clifford,1997, p. 255). Safran (1991) describesthemainfeaturesofdiasporic

collectiveexperiences: ahistoryofdispersal, mythsormemoriesofthehomeland, alienationinthehostcountry, desireforeventualreturn, ongoingsupportofthehomeland, andacollectiveidentityimportantly

3

RichmondisasuburbofVancouver, BritishColumbiaandisthesiteoftheVancouverInternationalAirportTerminal.


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definedbythisrelationship (citedinClifford, 1997, p. 247). Broadlyinterpreted, elements of this description apply to many residents ofBritish Columbia, who have in common a history of dispersal anddisplacement: theirconnectionwithapriorhomeisstrongenoughtoresisterasurethroughthenormalizingprocessesofforgetting, assimi-latinganddistancing (p. 255). For these individuals, experiencesofloss, marginalityandexilereinforcedbysystematicexploitationandblocked advancement coexist with the skills of survival strengthin adaptive distinction, discrepant cosmopolitanism, and stubbornvisions of renewal (p. 256). Diasporic consciousness is thus consti-tutedbothnegativelybyexperiencesofdiscriminationandexclusionandpositively through identificationwithworld-historical, cultural,or political forces (p. 256). Considered from an upbeat or assured

perspective, diasporaculturecanbeseentocelebratethegoodfortuneof being [Canadian] differently, of feeling global, of being able toshuttle betweenworlds/cultures/locations (Sontag & Dugger, 1998).Diaspora consciousness affects an increasing number of people inBritishColumbia and elsewhere, bringingwith itnew definitions ofnationhoodandnationality. In fact, asClifford (1997) claims, beingunfixed ingeographyand in staticcultures is theexperienceofmostpeople. Site, home, location, canbemore thanoneplace, andmorelikelysomewhereinbetween.

Detouring from notions of consensus and generalization, weexamine the contingencies of individual and community experiencefrom particular situated and located points of view by moving awayfromfinitevisionsofafixedmaporportraittoawayofseeingthroughpedagogicalvisualexperiencesthatare interactiveanddynamicwhilenurturing an understanding of relationships between people, objectsorplaces(Ellsworth, 2005). Thesewaysofseeingarebestdescribedasjourneys rather than static ideas isolated from theirworld (Clifford,1997;Kwon, 2002).

We began our a/r/tographical study by posing two introductoryquestions:Whatartisticproductsmightbecreatedthroughacommu-nity-engaged process examining the Chinese-Canadian experiencein the City of Richmond, a geographically and culturally hybridplace?What is brought forward from a prior place in immigrant ordiasporiccultureandhowisthatcultureandmemorytransformedandmaintainedthroughidentity, placeandcommunity?(SeeBeer, 1999.)Aswill become evident in the interludes and situations below, thesequestions evolved into new yet related questions. This is an impor-

tant distinction between a/r/tographicwork and many other formsof research. Whereas traditional forms of research formulate specificquestionstobeanswered, a/r/tographicinquiryemphasizestheprocess



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of inquiry and therefore questions evolve as the shifting relational-ity foundwithin theproject informs thedirection of the inquiry. Inadditiontothis, a/r/tographyencouragesallthoseinvolvedtobecomea/r/tographers (the extent towhich suits their practices) and begins

withtheintentiontocreateartandwritefordissemination. Artmakingandwritingarecloselylinkedtotheprocessofinquiryandcontinuousquestioning. Thusinquiryissetinmotionandtherhizomaticcondi-tionsforamethodologyofsituationsemerges.

An Interlude about A/r/tographic PraxisAlthougheachofusknewofoneanotherbeforethisprojectbegan,

wehadneverworkedtogether. Throughasequenceofevents, inspiredby the newly instituted Research Creation grants through the SocialSciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, we cametogetherto imagineaprojectthatbroughtforwardourmutualinter-estsand strengths. Inchoosinga focus, weexplored ideas inculturalstudies, visual culture, a/r/tography, adolescent culture, educationalchange, community-engaged practices, andotherideasbeforearrivingattheprojectbrieflyoutlinedintheprelude. Allofuswereartistsandeducatorsinterestedincollaborativeinquiryandwefeltwehadafocusforourdeliberations. Yet, itwasntassimpleasthat. Uponreceiptofthe funding, challenges began to emerge. Some of these challenges

were resolvedwhile others have persisted. Throughout this interludewedescribetheprocessoftheprojectandinterjectwiththechallengeswe faced. These challenges are inevitable in an a/r/tographic inquiryfora/r/tographersrecognizetheneedtopayattentiontotangents, tointerruptions, and to unsettling conversations. Furthermore, itwasthroughrhizomaticchallengesthatwewereforcedtofaceourunder-lying assumptions and beliefs before redirecting the inquiry inways

wehadntanticipated. Wewerebeginningtolearnthattherhizomaticnatureofa/r/tographyoffersamethodologyofsituations.

ThetitleofourprojectcamewhenGuXiong, aChineseCanadian,

sharedwith us that the translation for Richmond into ChinesewasTheCityofRichgate.GiventhedemographicsofRichmond, wefeltChinesefamiliesshouldbeemphasizedinourprojectbutweappreci-ated how other cultural groups should also be represented. Our firstchallengewastolocateimmigrantfamilieswhowouldconsiderjoiningourproject.WecontactedtheRichmondArtGalleryandonOctober29,2004,weworkedwiththemtoofferacommunitysymposiumentitledTheLayoftheLand: LookingataChangingLandthroughGeogra-phy, ImmigrationandtheCreativeImpulse. Thiseventwasadvertised

in localEnglish and Chinese newspapers. The symposium addressedissues of demographics, geography, history, immigration and art astheyarerelatedtolandscapeandchangingcities. Twomembersofour


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researchteamgavepresentationsontheirartworksatthesymposium.Attheendofthiseventwe introducedtheprojecttothose inatten-danceandinvitedthemtocontactthegalleryiftheywereinterestedin

workingwithus. Gallerystaff, actingasourinterlocutor, providedthe

participantswiththeethicalreviewformsrequiredbyourUniversity.Thiseventanditsrelatedpublicitybroughtforwardfourfamilieswho

wereinterestedinworkingontheproject. Thoughweknewwewantedtoworkwithintergenerationalimmigrantfamilies, wealsoknewthatasa/r/tographersweneeded topositionourselveswithin the project.

WeneededtoexamineourrelationshipswiththeCityofRichmond,ourstoriesofimmigration, andourrelationshipswithourfamilies.Wechallengedourselvestoquestiontheapparent lackofarepresentativesampling of ethnicities among the participants and our relationship

withtheparticipants. ThefourfamiliesthatcameforwardrepresentedthreeChinesefamiliesandoneEstonianfamily, andthoughtheydidnotrepresenttherangeofethnicities inthecity, weagreedthattheirself-nominationdefinedourresearchcommunity.

While these challengeswere being met, we also questioned ourpositioning in theproject. As a/r/tographers, we knewwe needed topursue our own artistic and pedagogical inquirywithin the project.Each ofus began to imaginehowour relationshipswith theCityofRichmondcouldofferrhizomaticconnectionsforourproject.Wesoon

realizedthattwomembersoftheresearchteamhadverystrongconnec-tionswiththeCityofRichmondeventhoughneithercurrently livedinthecity. Itwasdecidedthatwewouldincludethesetwofamiliesinourresearchcommunity.Wehopedthiswouldstrengthenourconnec-tionswiththeotherfamilies. Althoughthisdecisionprovedsuccessfulindevelopingrapportitalsocausedsomeconfusionastothefocusoftheprojectanditcausedustothinkaboutpowerrelations. Howcould

weensureall families feltequally included inthedecisions?Wasthisevenpossible?Asa/r/tographers, wecametotheprojectwithafacilityin education and art. Only one of the other family members had abackgroundinartandeducation. Whatpowercouldthefamilieshaveintheproject?Thesequestionswouldcauseustobemorereflectiveandreflexiveastheprojectprogressedsincethecomplexityoftheprojectdemandedthislevelofawareness.

We believed that one benefit of the projectwas the chance tobe represented as a member of the Richmond community and as aCanadian. Wehopedthefamilieswouldbeinterestedinhavingtheirstories and their project artifacts kept in the city archives. Althoughmostcityarchivesmaintainalibraryofthemostimportanteventsand

people inthecommunity, theyareopentocollectingothermaterialsfrom thecommunity. Webelieved that sharing the stories (interviewtranscriptsandothermaterialscollectedandcreatedduringtheproject)



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ofimmigrantfamilieswasavaluablecontributiontothearchives. Thisturnedouttobeimportanttoeachofthefamilies.

Wenowhadsixfamilies(representingseveralgenerations) toworkwith us on our a/r/tographic inquiry. Over the next six months, weinterviewedeachfamilyseveraltimesandcollectedimagestheybelievedrepresented their journeys. These interviews could be characterizedasconversational interviewsas the focuswas intentionallybroadandallowedforanemergenceofideas. Thoughwefirstenvisionedoneortwo interviews (about 2 hours in length), the result depended uponthefamily. Somewantedtosharemorewithusthancouldbecoveredintwosittings(andthusthreeorfourwereneeded) whileotherspre-selectedwhattheywantedtoshareandtwovisitswereenough. Whilevisiting the families, we took our own photographs of their homes

andfamilymembersandkeptourownfieldnotesreflectinguponourobservationsandengagements, yetwealsocollectedmanyphotographsandmemorabiliathefamilieswishedtoshare.Wealsoheldlargegroupgatheringsforallofthefamiliesevery2 to3 months. Atthesegather-ings, thefamilieswereabletomeetoneanotherandthroughdialoguebegan to form community linkages. Meanwhile, as the university-basedresearchers,wediscussedwhatwewerelearning, startedtocreatecollaborativeartworks, andreadtheoreticalworkrelatedtotheproject.If the familieswanted to pursue these lines of inquirywith us, they

wereencouragedtodoso, andinfact, twoofthefamiliesbecameveryinvolved in our collaborative art project. Initiallywe had hoped thefamilieswouldbecomea/r/tographers inwaysthatsuitedtheir inter-ests. This turned out to be a challenge. One could claim that somefamily members worked a/r/tographically alongside the university-baseda/r/tographersas theycollaborated on the creationofart, toldtheirstoriesandexaminedsomedifficultissues, butthecommitmenttoa/r/tographyremainedwiththosetimesinwhichtheywereengaged

withtheuniversity-basedresearchers.

InkeepingwiththeintentionoftheResearchCreationGrantProgram,wewantedtocreateworksofartcomingfromoura/r/tographicinquiry.WithGuXiongsconnectionstoChina, andwithsomeofourfamilieshavingextendedfamilyinChina,wedecidedtocreateanexhibitionthat

wouldfirsttraveltoChinabeforebeingshowninCanada. Furthermore,oneChineseuniversity(whereGuXionghadworkedbeforeimmigrat-ingtoCanada) washostingaCanadamonthandinvitedustoshowourwork. Knowingwewouldbeexhibiting theworkatoneuniver-sity,wepursuedpersonalconnectionsatanotheruniversitythatleadtoanotheropportunitytoexhibitourwork. Moreimportantly, however,

wasthefactthatbothsiteswereclosetoextendedfamilymembers(twofamiliesinChongqingandtwofamiliesinBeijing). Thisallowedusanopportunitytoengagewiththeextendedfamiliesasawayoflearning


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about their families, their understandings of immigration, and theirreactionstothevisualstoriesoftheirfamilymembers.

Conceptualizing The City of Richgate exhibition inspired manyrhizomaticpossibilitiesastheuniversity-basedresearchersreviewedthedataand imaginedpossibilities forcreatingart. Onemetaphorstoodout: the metaphor of gates representing each familywith a collec-tionofgatesrepresentingaflowof immigration, amarkingofplace,identityandtransformation, andacityof(rich)gates. Astheuniversityresearchers, wemayhavechosenthesymbolofgatesbutthefamiliessupportedit. Inagatheringofallofthefamilies, theexhibitionplan

was presented and discussed. Familieswerewilling toworkwith useven if theywere not confident as artists themselves. As the processunfolded, largeimage-basedgates(outsidescale: 12 feetwideby12 feet

highwitheach individualbannerbeing3 feetwide) werecreatedforeachfamily. Eachgateportraysonefamilysexperiencesofimmigrationor profound change. Each tells a visual narrative of a familys strug-glestounderstandanadoptedhomeland, and, inabroadersense, theimplicationsofdual/multipleculturesandpast/presentdimensionsonidentity, place and community. Creating the gates as a collaborativeeffortwasoftenchallenging. Beingcarefulnottoexpectmoreofthefamilies than theywished to provide, we attempted to balance timecommitmentswith decision-making. Working together, families and

artistsmadedecisionsontheimagestobeportrayedoneachgatebasedon the story to be told and the aesthetic features to be emphasized.When families could not be involved, the decision restedwith theartiststhoughthefamilieswereconsulted.

Astheuniversity-basedresearchers, wecametogetheronaregularbasis throughout the inquiry to engage in collaborative discussions.Thisoftenmeantreadingandanalyzinginterviewtranscripts, aswellasliteraryortheoreticaltexts. Wheneverpossible, itincludedanengage-mentwith current art exhibitions or contemporary artists and their

works. Italsomeantacollaborativeinterdependentengagementaroundthedevelopmentof ideas for inthisproject, arthadasocialpurposeandeducationwasaboutsocialunderstanding. A/r/tographyisbasedin relational aesthetics, relational learning, and relational inquiring.Relationships are not free of tension. Togetherwe planned, changedplans, learnedandrelearned. Itwasofteninthesedialogicalcollabora-tivespacesthatsurprisinglyrichconnectionsandruptureshappened.

Whenwefirstconceptualizedthisproject, weenvisionedacommu-nityoffamiliesveryengagedinourcollectiveefforts.Yetastheprojectevolved, it became apparent that most of the familieswanted some

involvementwhileotherspreferredless. Typicallyonememberofthefamilyhad moreenergy for the project than others. Whereweonceenvisioned a community-engaged project, we realized the project



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evolvedintoaworkingwithacommunityproject. Whileweweredetermined to establish rapportwith the familieswe also needed torecognizeourownillusions.Wequestionedourcomplicity, thatis, howourassumptions, actions, beliefs, andpracticescouldhavecreatedthis

differentorientation(seealsoDavid& Rogoff, 2004;Doherty, 2004).Wealsobegantorealizethesignificanceofsituationstotherhizomaticrelationalityofa/r/tography. Inaworkingwithacommunityproject,

whenisapersonanartist, researcherand/oreducator?Inotherwords,howcana/r/tographersworkwithotherswhoarenota/r/tographersastheypursuetheirinquiries?ThesequestionsbroughtustotheworkofKwon(2002) whotalksabouttheimpossibilityofcommunity, thatis,theimpossibilityoftotalcoherencewithinasocialgroupingorinstitu-tion. Manycommunity-basedartprojectsareunderstoodasadescrip-

tivepracticeinwhichthecommunityfunctionsasareferentialsocialentity. Incontrast, collectiveartisticpraxisisaprojectiveenterprise(italicsinoriginal;p. 154). A collectiveartisticpraxisresonateswithour

workforitbeginsinspecialcircumstancescreatedbyagroupofartist-educatorsawareofthesocialconditionsandallowingforthecomingtogether and coming apart as a necessarily incomplete modeling or

working-outofacollectivesocialprocess. Here, acoherentrepresenta-tionofthegroupsidentityisalwaysoutofgrasp (p. 154). Wecouldonlybeacommunityifwequestionedourlegitimacyasacommunity.ForKwonthisnecessitatesaredefining[of]community-basedartascollectiveartisticpraxis (p. 155). Workingwiththefamilies, wewere

workingwithaninventedcommunitythroughacollectiveartisticandeducational praxis known asa/r/tography. Ourcoming together andcomingapartmarked situational turningpoints inourmethodologyandleadustoseeinga/r/tographyasamethodologyofsituations.

An Interlude about A/r/tography as a Methodology of SituationsA/r/tographyisalivinginquiryofunfoldingartforms4andtextthat

intentionally unsettles perception and complicates understandingsthrough its rhizomatic relationality. In so doing, space and time areunderstoodindifferentways. Inthevisualarts, rhizomaticrelationscanbe seen in shifting relations among artists, art productions and theirlocations, andaudience involvement. Forseveraldecadesmanyartistshavebeeninterestedinsite-specificworkandmorerecentlyhavebecomeconcernedwithadaptationstothisideathroughsite-determined, site-oriented, site-referenced, site-responsive, andsite-relatedworks(Kwon,2002). Eachoftheseconceptualizationsisconcernedwitharelationshipbetweentheartworkanditssite, thatis, howthecreation, presentation,andreceptionofanartworkissituatedinthephysicalconditionsofa

particularlocation.Yet, asKwon(2002) argues, thetermsite needstobere/imaginedbeyondaparticularlocationifwearetounderstandthecomplexityoftheunstablerelationshipbetweenlocationandidentity.

4Thoughanyartformmaybeperformedorproducedin

a/r/tography, forthepurposeofthisarticle,visualformsareemphasized.


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In this sense, sites are not geographically bound, but informed bycontext, where context [is] an impetus, hindrance, inspiration andresearchsubject fortheprocessofmakingart (Doherty, 2004, p. 8).Thisrelationalunderstandingisconstitutedthroughsocial, economic,

culturalandpoliticalprocessesinwhatBourriaud(2001, 2002, 2004)calls relational aesthetics. Like Kwon and Bourriaud, Doherty (2004)contendsthatsite-specific artorsituations encourageprocessesandoutcomesmarkedbysocialengagementsthateffectivelychangeconven-tionalrelationshipsbetweenartists, artworks, andaudiences. AsBourri-aud states: The forms that [the artist] presents to the public [does]notconstituteanartworkuntiltheyareactuallyusedandoccupiedbypeople (2004, p. 46). Rather than simply interpreting art, audiencemembersbecomeanalyzersorinterlocutors. Inmanyinstancesaudiences

areactuallycalledtoaspecific timeandplacewheretheybecomeactiveparticipantsintheartworkandthusarguesBourriaud(2004) alternativemodesofsocialityarecreated.

TheCityofRichgate installationwasexhibitedattwouniversitiesinChinainJune2005: SouthwestNormalUniversity(SNUinChongq-ing), nowChongqingNormalUniversity, andBeijingNormalUniver-sity (BNU). Thoughall of thegateswere exhibited ateach site, they

werenotdesignedforeithersitenorweretheyexhibitedinsimilarways.Wewereawareofthecircularformatforthefirst gallerybutunaware

ofwhatwaspossibleinthelattersite. Aseachexhibitionwasinstalled,decisionsweremadebaseduponaesthetics, institutionalconcerns, andprofessionalrelationships. Fortunately, extendedfamilymembersoftwofamiliesrepresentedbyourgatesvisitedtheexhibition.

At Southwest Normal University (see Figure 1 and Figure 2),hundreds of people attended the exhibit and asked questions relatedtoCanadian lifestyles, economics, andculturalrepresentation. Thoseintheartswereinterestedintheuseofphotography, ourinterestintheeverydaylivesoffamilymembers, andtheformatofthegates. Peoplepassedthrough, around, between, andbythegates. Peoplelingeredwitheachponderingtheirmeanings. Thereversesideofeachgate, softenedbythewhitenedveilsofthetransparentimages, evokedotherreactionstothestrongphotographicimagesontheotherside.

Whatwas taken for granted at Southwest Normal UniversitywastestedatBeijingNormalUniversity.Withourfirstlocationbeinginade-quateatBNUwesetouttofindanotherlocationonthatcampus. Wefoundanothersiteinthesenioradministrativebuildingwhichallowedustosuspendthegatesfromafourthfloorwalkwayintoalargeopenconcourse (seeFigure3). The resultwasanexhibition structure that

gavetheillusionofanevenlargergate-likestructure. Thiswasfurtherexemplifiedinthearchitectureofthebuildingitselfbeingreminiscentofan imposinggate. Individualswitnessing theexhibitpassedunder



14/21


thegateswhile lookingup through the gates, around the gates andpastthegates.Thoseinattendanceaskedaboutourfamilies;Canadaas a country and our standard of living in Canada; immigration;andperhapsmost importantly,theywantedtopractice theirEnglish

languageskills.The circumstances around the BNU exhibitionwere politically

fraughtwithadministrativeconcern,while theSNUexhibition, inauniversitygallery,was freeof suchconcerns.AtBNU,every levelofuniversity governancewas called upon to secure permission for theexhibition,andintheend,wewereallowedtoexhibittheshowfor3daysoveraweekendwhenfewpeoplecouldseetheshow.5AtSNUtheexhibitwasupforaweek,withhundredsofvisitors,andcouldhavestayedmuchlongerhadourschedulepermitted.Alternativemodesof

socialitywerecreatedateachsiteandeachsitecreateditsowncomplexsituation.Asa/r/tographerswecametounderstandthesecomplexitiesassituationsforinquiry.Oneartexhibitiontakentotwoplacesinone


Figure 1. Richgate Exhibition, installation photograph. Art Gallery of SouthwestNormal University, Chongqing, China. Beer, R., Xiong, G., Irwin, R., Grauer, K.,

Springgay, S., Bickel, B. (2005).

5 GuXiongandaChineseadministratoronsiteexplainedthissituationtous.


15/21


countrybroughtaboutcompletelydifferentengagementsandreactions.Otherquestionsinourinquiryemerged:Wastheresultanart/educa-tion exhibition, apolitical statement about immigrating toCanada,and/oraninvitationtoconsiderthe livesofextendedfamiliesintwocountries?Howdidtheexhibition influencethethinkingofthose inattendance?

To some, ourwork at BNUwas seen as politically charged. Forothers, itwas an opportunity to meet English-speaking individuals

withwhomonecouldpractice theirEnglish.AtSNU,manypeoplewereengagedwiththeimagesinthoughtfulandoftenpedagogicalwayswhileothersquestioned the installation as art.Andalmost certainly,these dichotomous descriptions are overly simplified for thereweresomesimilarreactionsateachsite.Asa/r/tographers,werealizedtheexhibitionscreatedmethodologicalsituationsforinquiry.

Upon our return to Canada,we attempted to map out our a/r/

tographicjourney.Asmentionedatthebeginningofthisarticle,mapsareagoodmetaphor for rhizomes for theyonlyhavemiddleswithnobeginningsorendings.Inmappingourprocess,wecouldseehow

RitaL.Irwin,RuthBeer,StephanieSpringgay,KitGrauer,GuXiong,andBarbaraBickel

Figure 2. Richgate Exhibition, installation photograph. Art Gallery of SouthwestNormal University, Chongqing, China.Beer, R., Xiong, G., Irwin, R., Grauer, K.,

Springgay, S., Bickel, B. (2005).


16/21


relational inquirywas importanttotheprojectwhether itwasrepre-sented in thechronologicalhistoryoftheproject; thenetworkingofindividualswithin and outside theproject; the storytelling of timespast,present,orenvisionedforthefuture;andthesharingofimagesas away of understanding experience.Aswe traced some of thesepathways,we cameupon visible and invisible ruptures and connec-tions.Theinterruptionsformedimportantsituationalturningpoints.For instance,onesituationalturningpointoccurred intheconversa-tionalinterviews.EachimmigrantfamilycametoCanadafordifferentreasons:educationfortheirchildrenorthemselves;economics;abetterqualityoflife;thecleanairandbeautifulcountry;politicalreasons;the

Westernculture.Throughtheconstantcomparativemethod,commonthemesdidnotemergewiththeexceptionthatthepoliticalaffectsthe

personalandboththepersonalandpoliticalareimportant.Thiswasasituationalturningpointbecausemanyofthereasonssurprisedus.

Weneededtoshiftourunderstandingsofindividualimmigrants.We


Figure 3. Richgate Exhibition, installation photograph. Beijing Normal University, Beijing,China. Beer, R., Xiong, G., Irwin, R., Grauer, K., Springgay, S., Bickel, B. (2005).


17/21


hadtofaceourstereotypicalviews.ItwasalsoaturningpointbecausewebegantorecognizethetransnationalidentitiessomeoftheChineseimmigrantsheld.SeverallivedinRichmondandBeijing,andalthough

severalothers

lived

inboth

countries,

they

belonged

toneither

for

they

were transnationals.Theybelonged to anew identity that surpassedborders:asenseofbelongingthatisnotboundtoanyspecificlocationbuttoasystemofmovement(Kwon,2004,p.38).Furthermore,wehadtorecognizethatfamilieswerereticenttosharesomeexperiencesordifficultissues.Becauseprojectmemberswerenotanonymous,somedifficultissuescouldnotbebroached.Yet,inspiteofthis,muchwasshared.ThiswasespeciallyevidentwhenwesharedourexperiencesinChinauponourreturntoCanada.Thefamilieswerecuriousastothereactionsoftheirextendedfamiliesandthegeneralpublic,aswellastheinstitutionsand,interestingly,didntquestionourinterpretationoftheevents.

WhileourChinesefamilieswereproudtohavetheirgatesondisplayin their countryofbirth, theywere alsoproud tobe represented asbothCanadiansandChinese.Theyinterpretedthegatestometaphori-callyrepresentopeningsandclosings,transitionsandtransformations.Membersoftheirextendedfamilieswerelessinterestedinthegatesasobjectsandmore interested in theirvisual stories.Thegatesbecameinvitationstowitnesstheirrelativesnewlives,theirstandardofliving,their prosperity and their accomplishments. The gates representedstoriedliveslivedelsewhere.Yetnotallfamilymemberswereinterestedintheimageorideaofgates.ThoseadultswhoimmigratedtoCanadaappreciatedthemetaphorofthegatebuttheirchildren(adolescentsandinearlytwenties)envisioneddifferentmetaphorssuchasvirtualspaces(theWebortheInternet).Wehopetopursuethechildrensperspectivesinfutureinquiries,forrecognizingtheintergenerationaldifferenceshascausedanothersituationalturningpoint,anotherrhizome.

Workingthroughacollectiveartisticandeducationalpraxis,wehave

come to appreciate the interruptions and surprises thathave lead tosituationalturningpoints.A/r/tographyasamethodologyofsituationsissteepedindivergentrhizomaticrelationalitiesthatquestionassump-tions and invite new understandings of collaboration.The City ofRichgateprojectcontinues.Wehavemovedintothenextphase.Weveaddedfamiliesofdifferentethnicitiesandarefinalizingtheirgates.WehavealsocollectedstoriesandimagesofsignificantsitesinRichmondforeachfamilyandweareplanningseveralcollectiveartisticandeduca-tionalpraxiseventsthatcouldoccurayearfromnow.Thesituations

derivedfromtherhizomaticrelationalitiesdiscussedinthisarticlehavecausedustochallengeourassumptionsanddirections,andeachtimeemergentunderstandingshavetakenustoanotherlevelofawareness.



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A Tentative Postlude Within an Ongoing InquiryFor educators Terrance Carson and Dennis Sumara (1997) the

meaning of images and texts is contingent upon the relationshipsbetweenandamongartist,artwork,text,andaudience,aswellasthe

social,cultural,economic,andpoliticalcontexts,and theways theserelationsarealteredbywhatDerrida(1978)callstheasyetunnamable

whichbeginstoproclaimitself(p.293).Thus,relationalityismorethanthecontextsinwhichsituationsoccurbutratherthepotentialitiesthatconstantlyevolveandprovokemeaning(Springgay,2004b).

Bypausingforatentativepostludewithinourongoinga/r/tographicproject,wearerecognizingtherhizomaticnatureofourinquiry.Withrhizomaticform,thisarticlebecomesanothersituationinthejourney.Itisaneventoranencounterwithmultiplicitiesthatdislodgesfixedways

ofperceivingtheworldandoffersusemergentideasandperceptionsthatre/createmultiplicities.Thoughapreferredrhizomaticcomposi-tionwouldhaveofferedsimultaneousadmittancetotheprelude,inter-ludeandeachsituation,whatremainspossiblenowisare/visitinginrhizomaticfashion.Are/considerationofthisarticlemaythenechothekindsofdialogicandrhizomaticconnectionsorrupturesfoundamongthose involved in theprojectaswellas the ideas thathaveemerged.Insteadofpreconceivedcoherence,theemphasisbecomesamethodol-ogyofsituations.

Whatdoes

this

teach

usabout

a/r/tography?

While

much

has

been

written in a/r/tography about theneed for autobiographical inquiry(Irwin,2003;2004a;Irwin&deCosson,2004)moreneedstobewrittenaboutthechallengesandinsightsgainedthroughcollectiveartisticandeducationalpraxis.TheCityofRichgateprojecthasunderscoredthepoliticalnatureofa/r/tographyasamethodologyofsituationscreatedthrough rhizomatic relations.These situations are challenges to thepowerrelationsbetweenandamonga/r/tographers,allthoseinvolvedintheprojectandthecontextsinwhichtheprojectsareshared.Thesesituationsacknowledge thedifficulties in sharing thatwhichhasnot

beenrevealedbefore.And,thesesituationsenablethepoliticaltooccur.Forwithouta/r/tographicalinquiry,someofthesesituationsmayneverhaveoccurred.A/r/tography is,afterall,amethodologythat inspiressituationalinquirythroughrhizomaticrelations.

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Documents

The Rhizomatic Relations of A_r_tography