Collage and Zine-Making
After tracing along the BearWatch project for about two years, visiting Gjoa Haven twice and Coral Harbour three times, I had substantial notes, recordings, observations and literature to conduct an explorative exercise of meaning-making with. I decided to employ the creative method of collaging to conduct an initial analysis. My goal of this exercise was to figure out if any emergent themes and new connections and relationships would reveal themselves by employing this methodology.
Collaging is in essence about encounter and about the reconfiguring of meaning and matter when elements are brought together in new and unexpected ways. For me it was a way to see how all the material that had emerged through my responsive encounters in the communities and while thinking from the road in the South, related to the boundaries and the possibilities of ethical research practices (including knowledge conciliation) in accordance with the Ethical Space of Engagement (Ermine, 2007).
I ended up converting my collages into a shareable zine which I scanned and made digitally accessible below. I also printed 60 black and white copies for distribution to project partners and community collaborators. A very small edition of colour copies was kept for personal use.
Zine tactile/text/ure by gingertheworld
Detour Cut 2: Point of Beginning Mx. Science
Fall 2022 Coral Harbour
To prepare for the final workshops the project had scheduled 10 days for me in Coral Harbour and 14 days in Gjoa Haven. Part of this trip was to set up a relationship with the school, as per the original terms of collaboration between Coral Harbour and the BearWatch project.
Detour to Cut 2:Coral Harbour Workshop
School Visits
I returned to Coral Harbour for 10 days and then to Gjoa Haven for 14 days in late fall of 2022, to prepare for the upcoming final workshops of the BearWatch project. And, in the case of Coral Harbour set up a connection with the local school as per the research design of the Coral Harbour, Queen's University collaboration.
I was invited by the teacher who I had met during my previous visits (Lisa Marie Thomas) to spent three consecutive days in her grade 4 class. During those days, I introduced myself, got to know the students and shared information about my homecountry; the Netherlands. BearWatch co-PI Peter van Coeverden de Groot joined for the 3rd day and taught a short lesson on polar bear monitoring. This third day was also used to pilot a "persona" I they intended to introduce at the final workshops; A more-than-human, playfull fictional character called Mx. Science. To read more on this persona, detour to Cut 2.
This pilot, was conducted with permission of the teacher and the school principle, and was taken up with overwhelming positivity by both the kids, teachers and principle.
The pre-gathering activities with the school principal and teacher led to inclusion of sessions within the final workshop design for school participants only. included Qamutik building and science-based bingo and presentations.