| Session | |
135 (I): Arts-based research in urban geography: Re-imagining urban lifeworlds (I)
| |
| Session Abstract | |
|
Urban public spaces are dynamic social, cultural, and political arenas that are filled with meaning and that are constantly evolving as individuals and communities interact with them. In this way, urban spaces are living texts, where each street corner, park, and building tells a story shaped by myriad interactions and histories that have unfolded over time. They are, however, also marked by unequal power relations that manifest in diverse ways, leading to varying perceptions and experiences among individuals and groups. To make these multiple, differing meanings accessible, it is crucial to employ inclusive and creative research methodologies that aim to break with long-established hierarchies. While qualitative and quantitative research methods have traditionally been used to generate knowledge about urban spaces, arts-based research methods hold the promise to create new perspectives for research, to chart alternative pathways for knowledge creation, and to highlight aspects of lived urbanity that have been unnoticed or under-researched. They expand the toolkit of the urban geographer by making urban spaces accessible through aesthetic approaches and by providing means to express complex emotional and affective meanings. Arts-based research methods can foster citizen participation, give marginalized people a voice, and create new spatialities in different media that transform our traditional way of seeing things. Hence, they can provide the means and media to re-imagine urban lifeworlds and re-invent the ways we live together in shared urban environments. For this session, we invite research that has developed innovative, arts-based research approaches to examine how lived experience and individual life trajectories influence our understanding of urban spaces and the complex layers of identity and belonging defining our cities. We welcome contributions on the following topics: – Arts-based research as a method and/or research perspective within urban studies, advancing the toolkit of geographical research and providing insights into innovative research techniques – Research focusing on the plurality of voices, meanings, and experiences inscribed into the urban fabric. – Research that prioritizes marginalized voices, aiming to make research more inclusive. – Research that emphasizes citizen participation and the co-creation of urban spaces. | |
| Presentations | |
Sex workers’ experiences and utopias of self-representation in city space in Finland University of Helsinki, Finland In my paper, I present a research design for the participatory art workshops which will be implemented as a part of the data collection of my dissertation on sex workers’ possibilities to impact the discourse about themselves in public city space. Despite the challenges of being excluded in the public sphere, we know multiple examples when sex workers have reclaimed and occupied the city space. In Finland, suring the previous years, sex workers have been actively arguing for their rights in city spaces e.g., in demostations and exhibitions. However, hegemonic social norms and moral geographies, which are not usually in favor for sex workers, play a significant part in managing access to urban space and the safety and livelihoods of sex workers. Access to public space impacts the possibility of expressing stories that maintain an understanding of the historically marginalised and stigmatised group and shape societal inclusion and the possibility of claiming rights. This makes it vital to pay attention to changes in the ways through which sex work is articulated in public spaces. The participatory art-based workshops of the study are mainly based on theater and puppet theater methods and utilize other related artistic ways of expression, such as moving, singing, and writing, that the participants feel most comfortable with. The participants are sex workers based in Finland. The aim is to bring the lived experiences and utopias onto the stage and discuss the themes that are brought up. In the workshops, sex workers are welcome to express (1) their experiences of achieving visibility, becoming heard, and reshaping shared imagination on sex work in city space and, (2) their experiences of barriers that limit their possibilities to participate or be heard in the public discourse and (3) visions of how they would like to become heard in public space. The method aims to break the prevailing hierarchies between the active researcher and the passive research object. Art-based and theatrical methods are new in sex work research even if they have been considered useful in the study of marginalized groups' identity narratives, social positions, and power relations. Participative multimodal research across micro-urbanities in an inner-periphery 1German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), Berlin, Germany; 2Paris Lodron University Salzburg In the project “VISION: Envisioning Convivial Europe” we work with migrant and cross-border workers in a multiplicity of small cities on both sides of the Polish-German border, using creative collaborative workshops and other sensory and multimodal methods. This paper presents insights derived from these artistic and creative research practices. Drawing from the theories of the play ethic and conviviality, our collaborative approach pushed us to have confidence to be spontaneous, creative and empathic, and centre our research methodology around the passions and enthusiasm of all involved. We aimed to advance a convivial research approach, which integrates methods of cooperative knowledge production while enhancing a deeper understanding of how people can live together and cooperate despite differences. Through a series of art workshops we engaged in a dialogue with our research participants/ partners. Key topics of activism and engagement, identities, recognition, and fluid perspectives on the future emerged organically during these sessions. Moreover, the influence of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the relationships formed with Ukrainians in the small cities in which our participants live, appeared to play a pivotal role in shaping the their narratives and perspectives. Through this paper we approach on the one hand the question of opportunities created by collaborative, art-based methods, and on the other hand the question of limits and possible alternative routes of what we call urban research. Having ourselves a longstanding experience of urban research in the context of big cities which are full of activities, diverse communities and opportunities for research, we often find challenging our new field of multiple small cities in regions considered “inner peripheries” that suffer from remoteness and are nothing as lively as cities on which urban research usually focuses. Through art we explore what it means to live in such a city, how different lifeworlds intersect in these places, and how they can be sensibly explored using multimodal, multisensory and engaged research methods. Urban Crossings: Post-Migration Spaces and Artistic Encounters in Istanbul Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkiye This paper explores how transcultural artistic events within Istanbul's post-migration spaces contribute to the reimagination of migrant identities and foster community cohesion. Focusing on the "Spaces of Everyday Solidarity" initiative within the Hubban project, the research examines how public spaces such as grocery stores, cafes, and barbershops—widely used by migrants—are transformed into venues for cultural interaction through exhibitions, performances, and workshops. This collaborative effort, led by two urban-focused organizations, aims to investigate the evolving dynamics of refugee communities in major cities across Turkey. Employing Participatory Action Research (PAR), this study captures the dynamics of these artistic encounters, emphasizing their role in facilitating cultural dialogue and social integration. Researchers actively participate in and document these events, analyzing the interactions between migrant and local communities. The project involves in-depth interviews with artists, organizers, venue owners, and participants, along with on-site observations and feedback collection to assess the impact of these transcultural practices on community dynamics. The study aims to provide insights into how art, as a form of expression and communication, transcends language barriers and socio-cultural differences, creating a platform for political engagement and community building. By focusing on the transformative potential of art in migrant-dense and transforming Istanbul neighborhoods such as Laleli, Sultanbeyli and Küçükçekmece, the research contributes to broader discussions on the role of cultural practices in shaping social interactions and promoting integration in urban settings. The findings are expected to inform future initiatives that leverage public spaces for fostering cultural exchange and resilience within migrant communities. | |