Between scribbling and imaginal writing: The line that is on its way | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 7, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2057-0384
  • E-ISSN: 2057-0392

Abstract

In a series of tiny artistic experiments, I explore the relationship between drawing writing and performing in close collaboration with children and professional dancers. I examine the tight relationship between drawing and writing on the one hand, and the process of sensorial (non-linguistic) sense-making on the other hand. Professional dancers and children engage in the act of imaginal writing. The aim is to come to an embodied understanding of drawing and writing as gestural re-enactments of the line (Ingold 2016). In this paper, I first describe the scribbling of young children, as the exploration of the line in terms of rhythm, movements and affects. Then, the tight relationship between drawing and writing is discussed. It is argued that both drawing and writing use the line as its medium, since ‘the same sort of line which writes also draws’ (Gray in Ingold 2016: 132). This brings me to imaginal writing, i.e. a form of writing that is not concerned with the semantic content of words but instead takes the quality and dynamic of the line as its departure point. Imaginal writing is a form of draw-writing that taps straight into the lived experience. It is an embodied activity that takes movement as the main vehicle for the sense-making process. This process is illustrated by the draw-writings of both children (my own daughter as well as other children) and professional dancers.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/drtp_00078_1
2022-04-01
2024-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Anderson, Rosemary. ( 2001;), ‘ Embodied writings and reflections on embodiment. ’, The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 33:2, pp. 8398.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Baranova, Jurate. ( 2016), Rhythm and Refrain: In Between Philosophy and Arts, Vilnius:: Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences;.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bhroin, Máire. ( 2007;), ‘ A slice of life: The interrelationships among art, play and the Real life of the young child. ’, International Journal of Education and the Arts, 8:16, pp. 124.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bolt, Barbara. ( 2016;), ‘ Artistic research: A performative paradigm?. ’, Parse Journal, 3, pp. 12942.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Coates, Elizabeth, and Coates, Andrew. ( 2016;), ‘ The essential role of scribbling in the imaginative and cognitive development of young children. ’, Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 16:1, pp. 6083.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Deleuze, Gilles. ( 2003), Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation (trans. D. W. Smith.), London:: Bloomsbury Academic;.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Hermansson, Carina. ( 2013;), ‘ Nomadic writing: Exploring processes of writing in early childhood education. ’, Ph.D. thesis, Karlstad:: Karlstad University Studies;.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Ingold, Tim. ( 2013), Making: Anthropology, Archaeology, Art and Architecture, London and New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Ingold, Tim. ( 2016;), ‘ Up, across and along. ’, in T. Ingold. (ed.), Lines, a Brief History, London and New York:: Routledge;, pp. 74107.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Kress, Gunther. ( 1997), Before Writing: Rethinking the Paths to Literacy, London:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Lepecki, André. ( 2010;), ‘ The body as archive: Will to re-enact and the afterlives of dances. ’, Dance Research Journal, 42:2, pp. 2848.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Leroi-Gourhan, André. ( 1993), Gesture and Speech (trans. A. Bostock Berger.), London:: MIT Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Lingis, Alphonso. ( 2014;), ‘ Concepts and colours. ’, in A. Calcagno,, J. Vernond, and S. G. Lofts. (eds), Deleuze/Guattari and the Arts: Intensities & Lines of Flight, Lanham, MD:: Rowman & Littlefield International;, pp. 8397.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Longobardi, Claudio,, Quaglia, Rocco, and Iotti, Nathalie. ( 2015;), ‘ Reconsidering the scribbling stage of drawing: A new perspective on toddlers’ representational processes. ’, Frontiers in Psychology, 6, p. 1227.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Mouritsen, Flemming. ( 1998), Child Culture: Play Culture, Odense:: Department of Contemporary Cultural Studies Odense University;.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Pearce, Mary Jane. ( 1987;), ‘ Early drawing and writing: A study of young children’s products, processes, and perceptions. ’, Ph.D. thesis, New York:: State University of New York;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Pollock, Della. ( 1999;), ‘ Performing writing. ’, in P. Phelan, and J. Lane. (eds), The Ends of Performance, New York:: New York University Press;, pp. 73103.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Sheets-Johnstone, Maxine. ( 2003a;), ‘ Child’s play: A multidisciplinary perspective. ’, Human Studies, 26:4, pp. 40930.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Sheets-Johnstone, Maxine. ( 2003b;), ‘ Kinaesthetic memory. ’, Theoria et Historia Scientiarum, 7:1, pp. 6992.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Sheets-Johnstone, Maxine. ( 2013;), ‘ Movement as a way of knowing. ’, Scholarpedia, 8:6, p. 30375, http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Movement_as_a_Way_of_Knowing. Accessed 13 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Sparrow, Jane. ( 2019;), ‘ Against the new vitalism. ’, New Socialist, https://newsocialist.org.uk/against-the-new-vitalism/. Accessed 13 October 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Wright, Susan. ( 2007a;), ‘ Graphic-narrative play: Young children’s authoring through drawing and talking. ’, International Journal of Education and the Arts, 8:8, pp. 118.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Wright, Susan. ( 2007b;), ‘ Young children’s meaning-making through drawing and telling: Analogies to filmic textual features. ’, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 32:4, pp. 3748.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Hermans, Carolien. ( 2022;), ‘ Between scribbling and imaginal writing: The line that is on its way. ’, Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice, 7:1, pp. 3958, https://doi.org/10.1386/drtp_00078_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/drtp_00078_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/drtp_00078_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error