Unpacking collaboration: non-human agency in the ebb and flow of practice-based visual art research

Abstract

ABSTRACTPractice-based visual art research is a field that inadvertently recognises the role of non-human actors in the creative process. Generally, the relation is described in terms of the artist’s skilful manipulation of objects and materials and the symbolic interpretation of these actions. This paper uses an actor-network approach to argue for a reconsideration of non-human actors as vital collaborators and explores how such relations disrupt assumptions of artistic control. I conclude with a description of how intention, motivation and knowledge are generated in these crucial relations.