Paper Short Abstract:

The use of drawing to explore community narratives. A case study of a drawing practice that involves walking, listening, and responding to stories. Now focusing on aging, an artist's drawings visualise internal sensations, raising questions about drawing's role in understanding somatic experience.

Paper Abstract:

The artist Garry Barker uses drawing to engage with community issues, blending fine art and anthropology. His work was showcased in 2018 at the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Art, Materiality, and Representation conference, where he led a panel on using drawing to explore urban realities. Initially developed through his involvement with the community organisation Newton Futures, Barker’s drawings documented narratives and facilitated collective reflection. His research culminated in a book chapter, Drawing as a Tool for Shaping Community Experience into Collective Allegory, analysing how drawing evolved into a practice informed by walking, listening, and engaging with individual stories.

Now in his seventies, Barker’s focus has shifted to aging and “interoceptive” experiences—internal sensations and feelings. His work explores how shared experiences of aging reshape community narratives, shifting concerns from public spaces to personal health. Drawing remains a vital tool for visualising these lived experiences and fostering empathetic engagement.

While drawing offers transformative potential for creating visual narratives that transcend cultural barriers, its subjective nature introduces challenges, including personal biases and ethical concerns of representation. Despite these complexities, Barker’s collaborative approach demonstrates how drawing can adapt to evolving personal and social contexts, providing new pathways for understanding and action.