23-10-2020
Our thoughts are formed of perceptions. Perceptions which have become stable with time, and we operate from those perceptions. But where and how does these perceptions get created? They are formed by our mind, mind having these various flows and connections, that is the reason even our perception keeps on flowing from one to the other. The next thinking tool introduced to me is named as “Water Logic”. This tool was generated by Edward de Bono the father of lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is all about freeing up our imaginations and this tool helps us to do so. It is based on Edward’s hypothesis that “Mind is a self-organizing information system, and it is possible to visualize it”. Mind self organizes our perceptions which are produced by our experiences and capsules of information that we feed ourselves with. Thus, becoming aware of our own perceptions can help us in generating new ideas. If analysed closely there are action points that lies within our perceptions, which are holding a certain set of ideas that are feeding our thoughts. Water logic thinking tool brings out the logic of flow scheme happening in our mind. The technique used for it is called “Flow Scape”. It is a practical technique which shows us the shape of perception that we have about the subject at this point of time. The steps for creating flow scape are as follows:
Step 1: Think of a problem, concern, or dilemma that you want to examine, write it down. Then make a list of things (at least 12-15) that comes to mind starting from the problem that you stated. Write it down as sentences, phrases, or words without being choosy or analyzing it.
Step 2: Imagine each of the item in a list as a jellyfish and each jellyfish can sting only one other jellyfish. It can be stung by many but itself can sting only one. Go from top to bottom and then bottom to top to avoid confusing. Where is the item in list naturally connecting to? Prioritize without analyzing.
Step 3: Make flow scape, identify the alphabets that are stung the most and make the connections using arrows, analyze these connections.
Collector: The alphabet receiving a maximum number of arrows is knows as collector. It is the core of the issue.
Embrace: If a too-fro connection situation happens between two points it is known as embrace. It means the items have affinity towards each other.
Stable Loop: If arrows forms a loop then it is called a stable roof. There should be atleast one stable loop in any flow scape. It is a representation of the concept that we are holding.
Apart from thinking tools, the second method of reading was explored with my peers and Srivi. It is reading by visualizing and illustrating. Here we used visual tools for reading like graphic organizers and drawing or sketching. This reading method helps a lot in understanding how different people read and extract different things from the same topic. The discussion paints a vivid picture of the scenario to arrive at a central theme of the paper. The paper that was collectively discussed was “Interior Horizons: An Ethical Space of Selfhood in South India” by Anand Pandian.
Here the author questions: What is culture and its interpretation of ethic? & How does it affect a person’s ethical conduct and action?. He argues that three forms of exterior life: collective histories of moral transformation, vernacular traditions of ethical conduct, and personal experiences of inhabited landscape, affects and constitutes the internal space of subjectivity. Focusing on a life of a single individual named “Ayyar Thevar”, he addresses this argument through Frierich Nietzche’s “Genealogy of Morals” and talks about how ‘heart’ is an interior terrain of ethical self-engagement. This review was then combined, curated and comprehended as one single visual review in accordance with the chronology of the paper. The goal behind these readings is to critically look at the influence of colonization on each of us, how our knowledge system is homogenized by the dominant narrative of the west and to look back to redefine our own knowledge system.
Along with this visual reading tool another way of illustrating was shared by Srivi. It was a combination of journaling, experience with food and connection with reading. As the studio talks about the notions of Authenticity and reading a lot about the same. I was able to connect with a day back experience of mine of eating a non-authentic papaya. This method or connections let illustrations guide us and our thoughts. After doing this quick exercise, Srivi shared with us the videos of processes of two artists: Robert Bateman & Karl Martens. Their individual processes for creating art is discussed in Prakirnha section of the blog. It motivated and overwhelmed me at the same time, but clearly put on an idea in my mind in terms of where I am in illustrating things today is only at a rudimentary stage of process and I should not stop at this point. Idea is to always go 3 steps further than I think I can.
Crafted Blueprints 