Bringing Things to Life (Ingold, 2010)

In his article “Bringing Things to Life: Creative Entanglements in a World of Materials”, Ingold (2010) seeks to overthrow a hylomorphic model of creation whereby form is seen to be “imposed, by an agent with a particular end or goal in mind, while matter - thus rendered passive and inert - was that which was imposed upon” (p. 2) in favour of a more generative method of creation: the form-giving relationships between materials and forces. Specifically he seeks to establish “an ontology that assigns primacy to processes of formation as against their final products, and to flows and transformations of materials as against states of matter” (pp. 2 - 3).

In establishing this argument Ingold (2010) discusses a number of key components that are significant for Artist Teachers who are seeking to adopt a more wayfaring pedagogy in the classroom. Firstly he states that the world is inhabited by ‘things’ rather than ‘objects‘ (p. 3)  and distinguishes between them, before going on to highlight the significance of this in terms of the way in which we view and interact with this inhabited world - occupation or inhabitation: “though we may occupy a world full of objects, to the occupant the contents of the world appear already locked into their final forms, closed in upon themselves. It is though they had turned their backs on us. To inhabit the world, by contrast, is to join in the process of formation” (pp. 5 - 6). 

Thus, fostering a perception in students of themselves as inhabitants in a world of things is vital to the development of a wayfaring pedagogy. Inhabitants are not connecting up set points of knowledge in a prescribed learning journey but are working with and relating to the things they encounter, to develop their understanding along flexible, multi-ended paths of learning. In an educational setting, viewing oneself as an inhabitant in a world of things opens up a world of possibilities and lifelong learning where understanding and knowledge are not stagnant but are always evolving in a relational process of discovery. This viewpoint is very contrary to the transmission pedagogy and banking model of education that is often promoted in schools whereby knowledge is seen as a commodity (Goodson, 2005). Objects are seen as a means to attain to a previously established point of understanding before moving on to the next point.

References:

1. Goodson, I., 2005. Towards an Alternative Pedagogy [online] Available at: <http://www.ivorgoodson.com/towards-an-alternative-pedagogy?p=1 > [Accessed 21st Jan 2013].
2. Ingold, T., (2010). Bringing Things to Life: Creative Entanglements in a World of Materials [online] Available at: <http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/morgancentre/realities/wps/15-2010-07-realities-bringing-things-to-life.pdf> [Accessed 21st Jan 2013].