Egil Ovesen

4.21 Workshop da Vinci: Inviting Pupils to Become Co-creators and Co-researchers (Paper)

Egil Ovesen – University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

Trine Isaksen – Ålesund Municipality, Ålesund, Norway

Mariann Bjørkavoll Lervåg – Ålesund Municipality, Ålesund, Norway

Abstract:

Through collaborations with national, regional and local partners, Workshop da Vinci in Ålesund, Norway, provides art workshops for all schools in their municipality. The present study invites lower secondary school pupils to become co-creators and co-researchers in developing interdisciplinary art workshops for their own age group. The activities of Workshop da Vinci let pupils work hands-on with various techniques and artistic expressions. Each workshop is jointly led by two artists representing different forms of the arts. These interdisciplinary workshops are designed to be an integral part of the schools’ tuition in several subjects. 

The current study takes the inclusiveness and participation of pupils at Workshop da Vinci further. Within a framework of action research and participatory paradigm, we invite a group of pupils and teachers to be co-creators and co-researchers in a study to develop new workshop concepts, to integrate these in the everyday praxis at schools and to investigate what short and long-terms effects participation in the workshops can have. To make sure that the workshops will be accessible for all, we involve the local council for people with disabilities. This creative and collaborative inquiry encompasses, just as art practice does, experiential, presentational, propositional and practical knowing. 

The experiential knowing is the fundamental experience of our presence in the world and mutual encounters with things and other beings. This experiential knowing can be expressed and made sense of as presentational knowledge – taking the shape of various art forms – and as propositional knowledge formulated as statements about the world. Practical knowing is an embodied fulfilment of the other kinds of knowing. Our educational system has a tradition of emphasising propositional knowledge, while the present study explores how art-based workshops can provide learning experiences that includes a fuller set of the human forms of knowing.

5.25 The Videogame Journey: Sublime Experiences and Social Connectedness (Paper)

Egil Ovesen – University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

Abstract:

When it comes to videogames as art, the prizewinning game Journey (2012) is often among the first mentioned. The game features allegories, metaphors, and symbols that make it well-suited for use within several school subjects, and there are teaching materials available for its use within the Norwegian educational system.

The present study uses computational methods to analyse over 8,000 public reviews written by gamers after playing Journey. The visuals of Journey borrow heavily from prototypical elements of the sublime in European Romanticism, including images of snowcapped mountains, forlorn ruins and the player as a small figure in an overwhelmingly large landscape. The notion of the sublime is strongly linked to the experience of awe. Many reviews of Journey describe a strong connection to other players met in the game – despite the absence of verbal communication. Previous research indicates that experiences of awe may lead to feelings of stronger connectedness to others and the surrounding environment and may even enhance prosocial behaviour and well-being.

The present study uses a computational method called text mining to investigate how and to what extent players’ reported awe and connectedness are linked with the formal qualities of the videogame, and particularly its use of elements prototypical of the sublime. Text mining extracts insights from large volumes of unstructured text. Recent technological developments have made it possible to integrate Generative Large Language Models with text mining using the open-source R programming environment. The present study aims to reveal some of the mechanisms behind awe and enhanced feelings of connectedness by producing a graphical network analysis that maps the emotions, reactions and reflections described by the gamers.