Collaborative Poetics Network: A Pilot Study Exploring the Potential of Collaborative, Arts-based Research

This paper presents the findings from a pilot study, conducted as part of a wider network activity to realise the potential of Collaborative Poetics (CP). CP is a participatory arts based research method, informed by the combined expertise of artists and academics, and by co-researchers’ lived experiences. The method has generated widespread interest, inspiring scholars from multiple disciplines, arts practitioners, representatives from local government/third sector groups, and business professionals. We describe the activities of a core CP network, who met to develop methodological resources in a series of action-oriented, collaborative workshops, which sought to embody CP principles and practice. Two activities are shared. These were workshopped by individuals from wide-ranging academic and artistic backgrounds, with a view to considering both a personal, reflexive response, and the wider application and development of CP methods. Insights from these workshops are used to explore effective collaborative working across wide-ranging fields and sectors, to examine interactivity issues with the activities, and to highlight possibilities for further refinement and development, with a view to exploring the transferability of these resources into new business, education and community contexts.