LECTURE 8 - creative rhetorics

Objectives; It's good to talk
- clarify how creativity is talked about

Threads
Introduction the blank sheet project
Genealogy a history of the term creativity
Aesthetics philosophy of creativity
Education facilitating creativity
Contemporary global discourses and practices

'Different artists often have quite divergent conceptions of what they are doing'

Illustrated; The Blank Sheet Project
- Rutger Hauer
- Sir John Hegarty
- Renzo Rosso
- Neville Brody
- Kati Howe 28/11/12

Creative flow
- The Blank Sheet Project: Rutger Hauer - Ch. 1: I Almost Gave Up Acting

Renzo Rosso's Creative Rhetoric - The Blank Sheet Project: Renzo Rosso Chapter 1 How Rosso talks about creativity - practice-based beginning (school of fashion) art and crafts/Bauhaus  - best idea: always next creativity 'dynamic' George Dickie art is beyond definition constantly changing (history of aesthetics) - be stupid: using heart not head expressionist theory - linked to Romanticism idea that creativity is a knowledge: obtaining activity opposition to rational sciences - Rosso: Romantic genius? - work in teams: creative process Diesel - collaborative Mimesis - Plato's problem with creativity - Republic - ideal society (critique of democracy) - metaphysics - forms - physical world mimics the real - art imitates an imitation - art mimics the sensory world - creativity merely a technical skill  - denied creativity's knowledge - producing capability - dichotomy physical not mental activity Why start in Europe and with Ancient Greeks - Gombrich (1950) the popular view is that Western civilisation begins with Ancient Greeks - Bernal (1991) argues classical civilisation has deep roots in Afroasiatic cultures - history suppressed since 18th century - Classical Greeks did not see their philosophy as original but derived from the East and Egypt Evidence classification of Greek art - striving to imitate nature better 1. Archaic e.g. Marbel kouros from Attica 530 B.C. life size 2. Classical e.g. The Victory from Samothrace 190 B.C. 3. Hellenistic Classicism - Roman Art (315 AD) Constantine - republic period realism after greek, imperial period stylised - art followed spirit of Greeks Academics talk about creativity as... - complex and dynamic concept - subjects of history of art and aesthetics - evidence in Banaji et al (2006) nine 'rhetorics of creativity' contemporary review of literature 1. Romantic genius - found in aeshetics - area of philosophy - originates mid 18th century - derived from aethesis - romanticism, Kant wrote bout artistic movement - redefined status of the artist - artist a creator - not imitator - artist should stand aside from rules - artist is rule breaker and definer 2. Democratic and political - empowering properties, groups - FutureEverything 2012: abundance research new media profound change on creatives and citizens - people can collaborate across networks to create or participate in social revolutions - art and design education changed - Brown (2012) digital technology, event horizon, shift in knowledge, global community create the cloud - single body of knowledge - ownership of knowledge has changed implications of art and design education - eStudio: online extension studio, mimics professional studio in its online form and creative collaborations, year tutor; curriculum development - VCOP - e.g. SHOWstudio ...a way of being creative 3. Ubiquitous creativity 4. Creativity for social good - Only The Brave Foundations: Brave Actions For A Better World 2008 - Corporate Social Responsibility, OTBF seen as an example of CSR - creative ways to be socially responsible - involving co-operative activity and as socially and personal empowering - Banaji et al 2006 - D&AD student awards: unilever open brief link campaign of brand to a social or environmental issue 5. Creativity as economic imperative - Digital Britain 2009 - creative skills particularly important to UK economy - facilitating creative skills particularly important - today's most innovative companies...succeed by designing their organisations to maximise collaboration (Sawyer 2008) - Google and Ideo (dominant creative models) - creative teams practice improvisation, on and offline 6. Play and creativity - divergent thinking activities - image surfing - brain storming - improvisational theatre - 100 mile and hour thinking - free thinking - creativity as a type of thinking 7. Creativity and cognition - Csikzentmihayli (1990) Flow - psycho-cultural perspective of creativity - refers to psychological condition of being creative - enjoyment changes perception of time - occurs when challenges and skills are high - Sawyer (2008) posits flow essential ingredient to creativity - most common place flow is experienced is when one is in conversation - flow illustrated by working methods Studio Ghibli: Spirited Away  8. The creative affordances of technology - new model of creativity - influenced creative curriculum - creative classroom - flattening social hierarchies, empowering and connecting creatives - communities of practice across disciplines and geography - new initiative launched next summer by D&AD called connect, richer deeper engagement education and industry 9. The creative classroom - survival of creativity (2000) - traces of history of state-funded art and design education - classical rules perspective, orders of architecture - scholarly activity 'fine' - Italian model Visualising creativity - creative affordances/possibilities technology - capturing creativity in real time - creativity is now massive, open and online - Blank Sheet Project - objectives to expose creativity - D&AD new initiative Making Your Mark similar thinking - installation help to summarise the threads of lecture Talking about creativity - what is the source of a creative idea? - installation collaboration with David Adjaye - visitors enter with screens and discussions How do you talk about your creativity?