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Expanded Notions of Artmaking Through New Materialism

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Expanded Notions of Artmaking Through New Materialism Artmaking as Entanglement: Expanded notions of artmaking through new materialism Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ramya Nathan Ravisankar, M.F.A. Graduate Program in Arts Administration, Education and Policy The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee Dr. Jennifer Richardson, Advisor Dr. Jack Richardson Dr. Melinda Rhoades 1 Copyrighted by Ramya Nathan Ravisankar 2019 2 Matter and materiality are integral to the artmaking process, but research into materiality in this realm has been largely unexplored. Instead, discussions and explorations of artmaking practice are articulated with the assumption that the artist is the primary active agent. This dissertation interrogates how artmaking and philosophical inquiry can expand current understandings of the concepts of matter, material, and materiality in artmaking. This study looks to the philosophies of Heidegger and Merleau- Ponty and their reaction to the pervasiveness of Cartesian dualism in Western and their contributions to notions of subjectivity, Being, being-in-the-world, embodiment, and perception, and these ideas form the basis from which this study develops. New materialist thought offers a significant contribution to the discussion of materiality and artmaking practice enacted through this study. This dissertation is expanded through an engagement with the new materialist theories of the feminist philosopher and theoretical physicist Karen Barad. Particularly, Barad’s concept of entanglements as they pertain to her theory of agential realism and her notion of onto-epistemology, or knowing in being, inform the research process in this dissertation. Moving away from merely reflexive accounts that privilege the artist and researcher as the prime subject in artmaking, this study instead embraces a diffractive methodology. This methodological direction is inspired by Donna Haraway and developed by Karen Barad and entails reading insights ii through one another to generate and attend to the differences and interferences enabled. By diffracting the theories that undergird this research through artmaking practice and philosophical inquiry, differences and new understandings are generated. In this study, artmaking practice and philosophical inquiry serve as methods through which insights on the role of matter, material, and materiality in artmaking practice develop. Attending to the insights emerging through the diffractive approach to artmaking and philosophical inquiry enables a reconceptualization of the materiality in and of artmaking practice so that the very notion of what constitutes materiality in artmaking is in flux. iii I extend heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for the work of mentors, professors, and peers who guided me through this process. Dr. Jennifer Richardson, thank you for providing the perfect amount of understanding, patience, and guidance to help me finish this project. To my dissertation committee, Dr. Jack Richardson and Dr. Mindi Rhoades, thank you for being a part of this process. A special thank you to Dr. Sydney Walker, your input helped me improve and grow as an artist, researcher, and writer. Dr. Patty Bode, your presence and friendship have been unparalleled. Dr. Deborah Smith-Shank, thank you for being a wonderful mentor. Thank you to everyone in the Arts Administration, Education and Policy department at The Ohio State University, especially Kirsten Thomas, Lauren Pace, Brian Javor, and Michelle Attias. And finally, A huge thank you to my friends and family for your support. iv 2004................................................................B.A. Linguistics, The Ohio State University 2004................................................................B.F.A. Painting and Drawing, The Ohio State University 2007................................................................M.F.A. Studio Art, Pratt Institute 2012 to 2015 .................................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, The Ohio State University 2017 to Present ..............................................Art Instructor, Department of Art, Capital University Publications Hur, H., Ravisankar, R., Smith-Shank, D., & Turk, R. B. (2016). The nest as metaphor: Reflections on mentoring, growth, and material culture. Visual Inquiry, 5(3), 393– 405. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1386/vi.5.3.393_1 Fields of Study Major Field: Arts Administration, Education and Policy Specializations: Art Education v Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Biographical Wave/Strand 1 ........................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem (the Intersections of Waves/Strand 2) ................................... 6 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 9 Artmaking and Materiality (Theoretical Wave/Braid) ................................................. 11 Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty ...................................................................................... 12 New Materialism ........................................................................................................... 19 Methods of the Study (or The Braiding and Unbraiding) ............................................. 20 Post-Qualitative............................................................................................................. 21 Diffraction ..................................................................................................................... 22 Waves and Braids ......................................................................................................... 24 Outline of Chapters ....................................................................................................... 26 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2: Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty ........................................................................ 31 Dualism ......................................................................................................................... 32 Issues with Dualism ...................................................................................................... 35 Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Dualism ...................................................................... 40 Heidegger ...................................................................................................................... 43 Technology, Handlability, Artmaking, and Materiality ................................................ 53 vi Merleau-Ponty............................................................................................................... 60 The Body in Perception ................................................................................................ 66 Art, Artmaking, and the Body....................................................................................... 72 Merleau-Ponty’s Philosophical Development Through Art and Artmaking ................ 74 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 81 Chapter 3: Artmaking, Material, Materiality, New Materialism ...................................... 83 Situating Materiality: Probing Materiality/Material through Artmaking ..................... 85 New Materialism: Entanglements that matter ............................................................. 100 The new materialism of Karen Barad ......................................................................... 105 Making sense of Barad through Art ............................................................................ 119 Art, Art Education, and New materialist thinking ...................................................... 124 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 132 Chapter 4: Methodology ................................................................................................. 134 On arts-based research ................................................................................................ 136 On naming: Why call it artmaking-research/artmaking-research-philosophical inquiry? ..................................................................................................................................... 139 Post-qualitative,
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