Short Abstract:

This lab experiments with multi-modal methods to make ethnographic sense of space. Using hands-on, transdisciplinary methods like camera-less photography, collecting trinkets, and AI art, we explore different dimensions of ethnographic experience and generate interconnective ways of thinking.

Long Abstract:

This lab invites participants to jointly examine how we make sense of and capture spaces, beyond text. Challenging the notion of ‘field-notes’, it aims to re-imagine their form and construction, through innovative, multi-modal methods.

Every researcher has their own relationship constructing ethnographic space. How can we reform traditional fieldnotes and reflect on what is collected and meaningful, in today’s context of poly-crisis? We explore how this can be done creatively, safely, and ethically.

As a group, we will explore a nearby location on Montjuic Hill and experiment with three interrelated approaches to multi-modal ‘field notes’:

(1) Engaging with space by creating your own effective reflection of it in a digital collage, using AI and social media.

(2) Collecting trinkets and mementos (souvenirs, rocks, found objects) that tell a story of the city.

(3) Creating camera-less photographs that unearth the city’s materiality, by collecting plants and litter and using sunlight to trace objects onto paper.

The lab culminates in a group discussion where participants share insights based on their experiences, and how these processes can ignite multi-layered thinking in ethnography.

Please prepare for note-taking and using a smartphone, and check your accessibility requirements. This is an outdoor workshop with numbers limited to 10. Please register your interest here (https://forms.gle/f6FHnkANAQuHQLg46).