Point of Beginning Mx. Science - Revision history

Saskia: /* The Liminal and the Ethical Space */

2025-08-16T14:41:22Z

The Liminal and the Ethical Space

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 16 August 2025
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	How do we determine who is a scientist, and who is not? How do we meet each other in "scientific" spaces? What are the markers of inclusion, where lie the boundaries, and how do we recognize each other?		How do we determine who is a scientist, and who is not? How do we meet each other in "scientific" spaces? What are the markers of inclusion, where lie the boundaries, and how do we recognize each other?

	At the Annual Science Meeting in Toronto in December 2022, I was not often immediately recognized as a researcher or a scientist. Some attendees thought I was a performing some kind of mythical creature. ~~Other~~ associated me with the "smurfs". The lack of determinable ~~signifiers~~ prompted explorative questions like: are you wearing a costume? Is this a mask? Others were more explicit with their uncertainty: "I feel like I am walking into a minefield, how do I refer to you? Are you a persona? A character? I haven't kept up...", as if my presence was meant to perform a test of their use of language.		At the Annual Science Meeting in Toronto in December 2022, I was not often immediately recognized as a researcher or a scientist. Some attendees thought I was a performing some kind of mythical creature. Others associated me with the "smurfs". The lack of categorically determinable signifyers prompted explorative questions like: are you wearing a costume? Is this a mask? Others were more explicit with their uncertainty: "I feel like I am walking into a minefield, how do I refer to you? Are you a persona? A character? I haven't kept up...", as if my presence was meant to perform a test of their politically correct use of language.

	For others, there was some relief, when they could mark me as an "insider" through my official conference nametag (One side displayed my name and institutional affiliation in print, the other side displayed "Mx. Science in my own handwriting). Such marking as an "insider", was often immediately followed up with questions of my underlying research, my methodology or "what" my presence was supposed to represent. When the request for a ~~re-presentative~~ answer, or ~~pre-determined~~ message about science or scientists, remained unaccommodated, the moment of relief was replaced with various degrees of discomfort.		For others, there was some relief, when they could mark me as an "insider" through my official conference nametag (One side displayed my name and institutional affiliation in print, the other side displayed "Mx. Science in my own handwriting). Such marking as an "insider", was often immediately followed up with questions of my underlying research, my methodology or "what" my presence was supposed to represent. When the request for a representative answer, or predetermined message about science or scientists, remained unaccommodated, the moment of relief was replaced with various degrees of discomfort.

	Explaining that Mx. Science becomes meaningful within encounters like the one we were engaging in then sparked for some a curiosity to explore - often facilitated through the form of a follow-up interview after the conference.		Explaining that Mx. Science becomes meaningful within particular encounters like the one me and my conversation partner were engaging in, then sparked for some a curiosity to explore - often facilitated through the form of a follow-up interview after the conference.

	Each of these interviews was semi-structured around three questions, how did Mx. Science affect you? Do you think Mx. Science was representative of something? What do you think Mx. Science was practicing at the conference? The ensuing conversations indicated that Mx. Science performed a very different material-discursive practice for each person that engaged with them. Whether this practice related to how we engage with the "other" during our research, how we take up space in settler-Indigenous context, or what (unexamined) standards of representability we uphold in scientific spaces.		Each of these interviews was semi-structured around three questions, how did Mx. Science affect you? Do you think Mx. Science was representative of something? What do you think Mx. Science was practicing at the conference? The ensuing conversations indicated that Mx. Science performed a very different material-discursive practice for each person that engaged with them. Whether this practice related to how we engage with the "other" during our research, how we take up space in settler-Indigenous context, or what (unexamined) standards of representability we uphold in scientific spaces.

	<div class="next_choice">You have encountered the presence of a "Great White Beast". Check out the landmark to consider how this figure haunts this Knowledge-Land-Scape.</div>		<div class="next_choice">You have encountered the presence of a "Great White Beast". Check out the landmark to consider how this figure haunts this Knowledge-Land-Scape.</div>

Saskia: /* Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science */

2025-08-16T14:37:32Z

Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science

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	=Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science=		=Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science=

	To better understand the possibilities Mx. Science enables to imagine ethical encounter outside of its conventional institutional structures, I had asked and gained permission from the organizers the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), also known as the ArticNet Conference in Toronto, in December 2022 - to attend as Mx. Science, directly after the final workshops in Nunavut.		To better understand the possibilities Mx. Science enables to imagine ethical encounter outside of its conventional institutional structures, I had asked and gained permission from the organizers the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), also known as the ArticNet Conference in Toronto, in December 2022 - to attend the conference as Mx. Science, directly after the final workshops in Nunavut.

	I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.		I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.

Saskia: /* First introductions */

2025-08-16T14:35:56Z

First introductions

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 16 August 2025
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	=First introductions=		=First introductions=

	As a pilot experience, I had first introduced Mx. Science to the school in Coral Harbour. This was initiated by invite of the grade four teacher and with permission from the school ~~principle~~. Mx. Science, being a very colourful and playful character was received positively by the school, students and teachers. Although no formal data was collected, I received informal feedback from the teacher and ~~principle~~ that my presence was very much enjoyed by multiple people in the school, and that there was expressed desire for me to return to the school.		As a pilot experience, I had first introduced Mx. Science to the school in Coral Harbour. This was initiated by invite of the grade four teacher and with permission from the school principal. Mx. Science, being a very colourful and playful character was received positively by the school, students and teachers. Although no formal data was collected, I received informal feedback from the teacher and principal that my presence was very much enjoyed by multiple people in the school, and that there was expressed desire for me to return to the school.

	After this brief but positive experience in Coral Harbour, I introduced Mx. Science during the second day of the pre-workshop in Gjoa Haven, to discuss its potential and the desirability of introducing a playful, yet potentially ~~unsetting~~ element into an important gathering. Again, the persona was very positively received, and the decision was made with sanction from the Gjoa Haven HTA, the BearWatch PI's and the participants of the pre-workshop to ~~host~~ the final gathering as Mx. Science.		After this brief but positive experience in Coral Harbour, I introduced Mx. Science during the second day of the pre-workshop in Gjoa Haven, to discuss its potential and the desirability of introducing a playful, yet potentially unsettling element into an important gathering. Again, the persona was very positively received, and the decision was made with sanction from the Gjoa Haven HTA, the BearWatch PI's and the participants of the pre-workshop to hbe present at the final gathering as Mx. Science.

	[[File:Mx. visiting grade 4.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science visiting fourth grade in Coral Harbour school]]		[[File:Mx. visiting grade 4.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science visiting fourth grade in Coral Harbour school]]

Saskia: /* Mx. Science */

2025-08-16T14:34:06Z

Mx. Science

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:34, 16 August 2025
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	[[File:Mx. Science mindmap (sm).jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science associative mindmap in research diary (de Wildt, 2022)]]		[[File:Mx. Science mindmap (sm).jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science associative mindmap in research diary (de Wildt, 2022)]]

	"Mx. Science", is a situated, playful figure, that invites to reimagine how we make space for "difference" within "scientific" context, like conferences, meetings or the laboratory.		"Mx. Science", is a situated, playful figure, that invites us to reimagine how we make space for "difference" within "scientific" context, like conferences, meetings or the laboratory.

	Mx. Science is performed by me, a non-Inuit researcher conducting research from a western educational institute and as part of the BearWatch team. In the context of BearWatch workshops, or the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) conference, the performance can therefore not be seen as an intervention: a movement from the outside-in. Neither can my use of make-up and choice of clothing and attributes be understood as fitting fully "inside" the social contracts of the spaces within which I have introduced Mx. Science. Mx. science is therefore rather a diffractive event, proposed from the liminal. Acting neither from the inside, nor the outside.		Mx. Science is performed by me, a non-Inuit researcher conducting research from a western educational institute and as part of the BearWatch team. In the context of BearWatch workshops, or the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) conference, the performance can therefore not be seen as an intervention: a movement from the outside-in. Neither can my use of make-up and choice of clothing and attributes be understood as fitting fully "inside" the social contracts of the spaces within which I have introduced Mx. Science. Mx. science is therefore rather a diffractive event, proposed from the liminal. Acting neither from the inside, nor the outside.

Saskia: /* Beyond the Cut */

2025-07-20T12:26:34Z

Beyond the Cut

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 20 July 2025
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	=Beyond the Cut=		=Beyond the Cut=

	[[File:Beyond the cut.png\|thumb]]		[[File:Beyond the cut (sm).png\|thumb]]

	Through my situated performances as Mx. Science I have gained an extended understanding of what shapes self-directed work of un-learning, decentering- and decolonizing can take within the institutional spaces of western "science".		Through my situated performances as Mx. Science I have gained an extended understanding of what shapes self-directed work of un-learning, decentering- and decolonizing can take within the institutional spaces of western "science".

Saskia: /* Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science */

2025-07-20T12:26:02Z

Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 20 July 2025
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	I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.		I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.

	[[File:~~20221207 152641~~.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM, photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022]]		[[File:Mx. Science at ASM I (photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022).jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM I (photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022)]]
	[[File:~~20221207 152657~~.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM, photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022]]		[[File:Mx. Science at ASM II (photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022).jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM II (photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022)]]

	=The Liminal and the Ethical Space=		=The Liminal and the Ethical Space=

Saskia: /* Mx. Science */

2025-07-20T12:21:08Z

Mx. Science

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:21, 20 July 2025
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	=Mx. Science=		=Mx. Science=

	[[File:~~20221020 122351~~.jpg\|thumb\|~~concept~~ sketch Mx. Science in research diary]]		[[File:Mx. Science sketch.jpg\|thumb\|Concept sketch Mx. Science in research diary (de Wildt, 2022)]]
	[[File:Mx. Science mindmap.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science ~~accossiative~~ mindmap in research diary]]		[[File:Mx. Science mindmap (sm).jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science associative mindmap in research diary (de Wildt, 2022)]]

	"Mx. Science", is a situated, playful figure, that invites to reimagine how we make space for "difference" within "scientific" context, like conferences, meetings or the laboratory.		"Mx. Science", is a situated, playful figure, that invites to reimagine how we make space for "difference" within "scientific" context, like conferences, meetings or the laboratory.

Saskia: /* Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science */

2025-03-18T12:09:21Z

Annual Scientific Meeting Mx. Science

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:09, 18 March 2025
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	I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.		I had informed the organizers that I would only be present, and did not require a stage or a timeslot as Mx. Science. During the 3-day conference, I attended as Mx. Science, and observed how people responded to me, as I moved through the conference space.

	[[File:20221207 152641.jpg\|thumb]]		[[File:20221207 152641.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM, photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022]]
	[[File:20221207 152657.jpg\|thumb]]		[[File:20221207 152657.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science at ASM, photographed by Andrew Bateman 2022]]

	=The Liminal and the Ethical Space=		=The Liminal and the Ethical Space=

Saskia: /* Re-orientations */

2025-03-18T12:08:11Z

Re-orientations

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:08, 18 March 2025
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	"Mx. Science" invites non-indigenous researchers (including myself) to rethink and reflect on their presence and the positions they take up in different contexts. As a figure that can unsettle taken for granted terms of engagements in multiple ways, Mx. Science holds the potential to open up a liminal space within which new relationships can be sensed or "felt" out, and provoke conversations about how we encounter each other across our differences. As a situated performance it is both an exercise in new ways of engaging each other through genuine curiosity, as well as an effective tool to que(e)ry where and when differentiated bodies dis/connect in space.		"Mx. Science" invites non-indigenous researchers (including myself) to rethink and reflect on their presence and the positions they take up in different contexts. As a figure that can unsettle taken for granted terms of engagements in multiple ways, Mx. Science holds the potential to open up a liminal space within which new relationships can be sensed or "felt" out, and provoke conversations about how we encounter each other across our differences. As a situated performance it is both an exercise in new ways of engaging each other through genuine curiosity, as well as an effective tool to que(e)ry where and when differentiated bodies dis/connect in space.

	[[File:Mx science without background.png\|thumb]]		[[File:Mx science without background.png\|thumb\|Portrait Mx. Science, photographed by co-PI van Coeverden-de Groot in Coral Harbour, 2022]]

	=Drag as a Diffractive Method=		=Drag as a Diffractive Method=

Saskia: /* First introductions */

2025-03-18T12:07:18Z

First introductions

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:07, 18 March 2025
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	After this brief but positive experience in Coral Harbour, I introduced Mx. Science during the second day of the pre-workshop in Gjoa Haven, to discuss its potential and the desirability of introducing a playful, yet potentially unsetting element into an important gathering. Again, the persona was very positively received, and the decision was made with sanction from the Gjoa Haven HTA, the BearWatch PI's and the participants of the pre-workshop to host the final gathering as Mx. Science.		After this brief but positive experience in Coral Harbour, I introduced Mx. Science during the second day of the pre-workshop in Gjoa Haven, to discuss its potential and the desirability of introducing a playful, yet potentially unsetting element into an important gathering. Again, the persona was very positively received, and the decision was made with sanction from the Gjoa Haven HTA, the BearWatch PI's and the participants of the pre-workshop to host the final gathering as Mx. Science.

	[[File:Mx. visiting grade 4.jpg\|thumb]]		[[File:Mx. visiting grade 4.jpg\|thumb\|Mx. Science visiting fourth grade in Coral Harbour school]]
	[[File:Mx cabin.png\|thumb]]		[[File:Mx cabin.png\|thumb\|Mx. Science at Gjoa Haven pre-workshop]]

	<div class="next_choice">If you arrived at this cross-road after visiting the Coral Harbour school, and wish to continue wayfaring the Bearwatch project, '''"Return"''' to Cut 3.		<div class="next_choice">If you arrived at this cross-road after visiting the Coral Harbour school, and wish to continue wayfaring the Bearwatch project, '''"Return"''' to Cut 3.