Embracing Uncertainty
Whether it be local incidents, global events or regulatory changes, stakeholders in arts and design education are constantly adapting their approaches and activities within societal contexts that one can label “uncertain.” Recently, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and socio-cultural and political challenges, we have responded to rapid and often unexpected shifts in education ecologies to provide some continuity. It appears that continuous efforts to design new ways of embracing uncertainty will remain ongoing.
Creative disciplines often celebrate ‘not knowing’ as a distinct characteristic of creative practice and an integral and valuable element of its process of inquiry. Practitioners in arts and design are therefore experts at embracing, rather than mitigating, uncertainty.
How do arts and design educators respond to uncertainty? What are the hybrid/digital means offered by art and design to tackle the unexpected? To what extent can we use our disciplinary relationship with uncertainty to remain nimble and responsive to uncertainty? How might we remain resilient as we work/teach/learn in constantly shifting contexts? What may we have to learn to meet students and other stakeholders where, and how, they may now be learning, working and/or practicing?
Submissions
For DEL 2021 we are inviting submissions which explore and reflect responses to teaching and learning embracing uncertainty.
Submissions may include:
- Examples of where responding to crisis/change has been constructively incorporated into educational contexts
- Reframing making practices, material exploration, and studio practice in rapidly shifting hybrid contexts
- Designing location-agnostic teaching within fluid sites of learning and practice
- Considerations, explorations and speculations on/of the future shape of education in the creative disciplines
Contact us
For any information regarding the Digitally Engaged Learning conference, please contact Hannah at delconference@arts.ac.uk