Unravelling Incompleteness with Art Contents

‘The Sirens: it seems they did indeed sing, but in an unfulfilling way, one that only gave a sign of where the real sources and real happiness of song opened. Still, by means of their imperfect songs that were only a song still to come, they did lead the sailor toward that space where singing might truly begin. They did not deceive him, in fact: they actually led him to his goal. But what happened once the place was reached? What was this place? One were there was nothing left but to disappear, because music, in this region of source and origin, had itself disap- peared more completely than in any other place in the world: sea where, ears blocked, the living sank, and where the Sirens, as proof of their good will, had also, one day, to disappear.’ Maurice Blanchot: ‘Encountering the Imaginary’ in The Book to Come, translated by C. Mandell (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003), p. 3. Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DiSSERTATIONS 11/2017 School of Arts, Design and Architecture Aalto artS Books Helsinki books.aalto.fi © Tiina Nevanperä DeSiGn & tYPeSettinG Safa Hovinen / Merkitys tYPeFACES Saga & Alghem by Safa Hovinen PaPer Munken Lynx 100 & 240 g/m2 iSBn 978-952-60-7255-5 (printed) iSBn 978-952-60-7254-8 (pdf) iSSn-l 1799-4934 iSSn 1799–4934 (printed) iSSn 1799–4942 (pdf) Printed in Libris, Finland 2017 Tiina Nevanperä IN the FLESH of SENSIBILITY Unravelling Incompleteness with Art Contents Abstract 6 Acknowledgements 8 introDuction Ghostly Paintings – Unravelling My Research, Its Objectives and Relevance 10 Foundations of the Research and the Research Objectives 12 Context of This Research: the Unknown Masterpiece – Making the Incomplete Mine 15 Aims, Methods and Structure of the Remaining Dissertation 21 1 theoretical hYPotheSeS relatinG to the reSearch Doing Research with Art 28 Developing an Argument 29 Knowledge and Intuition 33 Knowledge and Creativity 35 Incompleteness as a Purposeful Concern of Research 36 ‘It’s My Own Invention’ – on Creativity 40 Practitioner-Researcher Subjectivity as an Asset and How Research on and the Theory of Sensibility Can Be Attained and Communicated 46 Composing Artistic Research 56 Research of Experience: Finding a Way into Incompleteness 62 A Practical Attitude Towards Participatory Philosophy 70 Other Attemps to Frame Artistic Research 74 On Writing: Any Fool Can Get into an Ocean164 79 Closing Words 83 2 towarDS the aeStheticS oF incoMPleteneSS 86 A Brief Parsing of Modern Aesthetics 89 Hume and the Community of Critics 91 A Play of Shapes 97 In the Wake of the Sublime 104 A Plain Fascination with Ugliness 110 Aesthetic Idea and the Spirit of the Genius 116 Theodor Adorno and the Aesthetic Autonomy of Art 119 Closing Words 127 3 in the PreSence oF aPPearinG 132 Openness: ‘Surely Some Revelation is at Hand’ 134 The Edges of the Aesthetics of Appearing 136 Going Down the Rabbit Hole 142 Experiments, Ideas, Musings and Tastings 147 To Actually See an Actual Monster 151 Peek-a-Boo – Painting Takes Over What I Thought Was a Painting 154 Materialization of Materiality 159 Matter Matters 160 Looking for Habit and Hoping Not to Find It 161 Distance of Difference 165 One Life and Chaos 167 Distance: a Space for Difference 169 A Fragment: a Formlessness of Fantasy 171 Appearance, Facing a World of Affectivity and Sensibility 175 Closing Words 181 4 exPerience hitS MY Body like a DeluGe 186 To Begin with 187 Research of Experience – Exploration of Carnal Density 191 The Flowering of a Subject at the Site of Flesh 193 Passing Carnal and Practical Knowledge 204 Experience with a View 212 The Experience of Incompleteness is a Determined Intensity of Indeterminacy 212 Material Resistance 215 Thinking in Movement 221 Emotions Matter 227 Encountering the Strange and Uncanny 236 Closing Words 243 5 the liBeratinG ProMiSe oF SenSiBilitY A Short Theory of Sensibility 246 In Search of Sensibility 248 Sensibility at Play and a Note of Irony 251 On That What Produces Affect 264 Abundance of Suddenness 269 The Imagining Body 273 Fantasy at Play – Tell Me: is It a F(R)Og or is It Me? 280 Closing Words 289 concluSion 292 Discussion 293 Methods and Theoretical Background 295 Findings and Limitations 297 BiBlioGraPhY 302 Other 311 GloSSarY 312 Abstract In recent years, there has been considerable interest in studying creativity, and the wealth of studies and guidebooks on this notion indi- cate its importance in people’s everyday and professional life. Howev- er, less attention has been paid to the subject matters of both sensibility and incompleteness, their ontological nature, their interrelatedness and their impact on creativity. Thus the mechanism of experiencing incompleteness and, what is more, the dynamics of sensibility, has re- mained unclear. The present research aims at filling this lacuna. Sensibility is the key faculty in examining and depicting on creativity. The aim of this dissertation is twofold: first, to examine and specify how the experience of incompleteness in creating manifests itself and how it amounts to creativity; and, second, to define the agency of sensibility as identifying the presence of incompleteness and to explore how sensibility is taken into account in creative making as a corporeal readiness, attentiveness, a postural attitude and anticipation. The animated body of the maker as well as action are in focus throughout this research; attention is also paid to the dynamic interaction between experience, matter and movement in all expres- sion and making. The dichotomies between the subject and the object, between the body and the mind, have been mused on, questioned and ruminated upon. The main method adopted in this dissertation is artistic research. In addition, the phenomenology of the body and research of experience are used to provide a critical juxtaposition. This dissertation introduces and identifies artistic research as a valid method and emphasizes experience-based standpoints as a research strategy. Artistic research is understood as a complex of making and researching that inexorably affect each other. The research was conducted and data col- lected during the making of artworks for three exhibitions between 2011–2015. The author’s diaries from that period are used as research material. 6 The results of this study show that even though the experience of incompleteness withdraws from our rational grasp for control, understanding, and certainty, it is lived through bodily experience and directed by the faculty of sensibility. Incompleteness refers to carnal knowledge that the practitioners can recognize to be their own and that is based on their genuine experience gained by sensibility. The organic and relational nature of incompleteness as a useful and valuable phenomenon keeps the creative work in flux. This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of both incompleteness and sensibility, as well as of their roles in creating. This dissertation opens a vast and largely unresearched field of sensibility. In order to understand creativity, the present study argues that incompleteness needs to be detached from the contexts of understanding and reasoning. Instead, the outcome of this research emphasizes the need for both considering incompleteness from the viewpoint of sensibility and as a positive creativity-enhancing factor. keYworDS artistic research, incompleteness, sensibility, affect, experience, body, emotion, matter, appearing 7 Acknowledgements I am very grateful to many people. Most importantly I owe my gratitude to my supervisors. First, I want to express my deep gratitude to Professor Jussi Kotkavirta for his courage and insight in supporting me with this challenging research project and topic that in the beginning was rather obscure and that towards the end turned out to be quite a marathon. Second, I want to thank Professor Mari Rantanen for her wholehearted focus on my making and for her guidance and encouragement. I am very grateful to Aalto Professor Juha Varto. His support has been significant and his sharp and eye-opening comments have clari- fied many aspects of this study. Special thanks go to Distinguished Professor Edward S. Casey for his insightful guidance and kindness during my stay as a visiting researcher at The State University of New York at Stony Brook. I am also in debt to Professor Peter Osborne, from whose wisdom I have been privileged to learn despite all the academic obstacles that I had to overcome in order to become acquainted with aesthetics and art theory. I thank Professor Harri Laakso who set me off on this journey in the first place. I wish to express many thanks to my pre-examiners, PhD and Do- cent Martta Heikkilä, Professor Tarja Pitkänen-Walter and Professor Annette Arlander, for their supervisory work. Their comments have been valuable. The task of writing my research report in English and conducting parts of my studies abroad was a hard effort to me. I am very lucky to have Susanna Jaskanen as my friend. She has polished my grammatical- ly incorrect English and formulated some clear rules for me to follow that I nevertheless managed to muddy along the way. I can but admire her high professional expertise, her sensibility and the precision of her work. I take full responsibility for any remaining mistakes and flaws. 8 The peer support from my colleagues Riikka Mäkikoskela, Mimmu Rankanen and Matti Tainio, who set a good example when defending their dissertations, has been valuable. I want to thank doctoral candi- date Henrika Ylirisku for the discussions that we have had. For the wonderful layout of this publication my thankfulness ex- tends to editor Sanna Tyyri-Pohjonen and graphic designer Safa Hovi- nen. Many thanks are owed to study secretary Kirsti Niemensivu for always being ready to help. I want to thank Aalto University and Fulbright Center for supporting this research financially.

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