Drawing Encounters: A practice-led investigation into collaborative drawing as a means of revealing tacit elements of one-to-one social encounter

What might we discover by drawing the spaces between us? Situated in the field of drawing research, the thesis begins to articulate the term dialogic drawing through the development of the Drawing Encounter. Building on David Bohm and Martin Buber’s work on dialogue and encounter, the Drawing Encounter (using drawing rather than speech) is a new method to elicit tacit elements of one-to-one social interaction.

The research is largely situated in the public arena where the author met strangers using collaborative drawing as a means of interaction. The drawings themselves prompted conversations about meeting in this way. Locations for the meetings included several train journeys, an arts therapy centre, an international conference, a drawing exhibition and an art college. Throughout the inquiry drawing was employed to collate, analyse and synthesise the data generated by all the research activities.

The thesis presents significant encounters and drawings with participants’ commentaries and references to Bohm’s model of dialogue and Buber’s notion of the between. The drawing strategies that emerged during the inquiry are discussed in methodological terms in the context of naturalistic inquiry.
The findings propose that by providing a novel means to facilitate and interrogate one-to-one interaction the Drawing Encounter method can enhance existing personal and professional relationships. Findings from researcher facilitated encounters indicate that the method has potential for applications in educational and professional situations where intra- and inter-personal issues are relevant.

The thesis expands our understanding of visual arts processes as methods of creative inquiry by articulating the role of drawing as a research strategy and a materialising practice. It suggests that visual analogy can address pressing questions of human co-existence, by showing how what we do in the spaces between us can help us remain individuals yet still feel connected.