Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

example, my works are most often staged in the
For
i.e., audience members don’t sit in one
‘promenade’
and watch a performance on a stage. Instead, they
place
between dierent, unconventional performance
walk
(kitchens, bathrooms, trees, passageways) and
sites
dierent stories through movement. To me,
encounter
notion of moving the audience is an allegory for
this
… . To show the audience, experientially,
complexity
they need to ‘work’ to learn about the complexities
that
conict. That they can’t just sit in a comfortable chair
of
expect to be informed … that they need to move, to
and
to ‘work’, in order to better understand.
walk,
idea that I work with a lot is ‘fragmentation’.
Another
who are more accustomed to Realism expect a
Folks
overarching narrative in a theatrical work. You
certain
the introduction, the rising action, the climax, the
know,
this section we have explored significant
In
personal and cultural practices that take
material,
in the process of producing art, collectively
place
to as “methods”. Before we move on to
referred
pairs, small groups, or as a class consider the
In
questions.
following
To what extent is it necessary to follow a
1.
method in order to produce art?
certain
How does following or not following the
2.
of art affect the quality of the
methods
tools of art—pigments, brushes, but also
The
sets, musical instruments and, recently,
stage
technological tools—participate
increasingly
essential ways in knowledge in the arts.
in
in arts is a deeply material engagement;
Knowing
is not just about knowing how to use tools, but
it
how to work with materials. Artists shape
also
bake clay, chisel and polish stones, melt and
and
metals, take and develop photographs,
mould
paints and apply them to different surfaces
mix
action, and all of that. In my work, I intentionally
falling
apart that linearity—once again because I wonder
break
linear narratives facilitate a problematic outcome of
if
being seen as ‘understandable’ … while the
something
with conict is that so many parts of it escape
trouble
understanding.
our
I work a lot with duration. Chronicles from
Finally,
is a 24-hour long immersive experience where
Kashmir
and actors live together for a day … .
spectators
too, helps me unravel complexity in more
Duration
ways. To bring in narratives from the ‘gray
evocative
while also taking the time to contextualize those
zones’
within the larger fabric of the conict that is being
voices
with. dealt
the tools of art production more closely,
examine
some time to examine this idea of methods,
take
What kinds of knowledge are involved in
3.
methods and how does the artist
artistic
In which ways does method play a similar
4.
different role in art as compared to
or
an embodied experience—arguably to a greater
also
than the other areas of knowledge. We
extent
think of artistic knowledge as requiring
might
whole selves, and especially our bodies—to
our
kinds of knowledge might be unique to
What
arts as a result of its material and embodied
the
Are there any exceptions—among the
nature?
art forms—where tools and instruments
different
a lesser role? And how is the knowledge
play
in the arts different from knowledge
produced
using different tools and methods in
produced
other areas of knowledge?
the
III. Methods and tools
III. Methods and tools
Nandita Dinesh is a 2002 IB graduate.
using the questions that follow.
For discussion
The role of methods in art
acquire them?
science, history or mathematics?
artwork?
III.3 Tools and instruments in art
act, dance, sing or play instruments.
in order to produce art. Knowing in the arts is
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