Action Research for Tranformations Documentary

The introduction frames ART as a transformational response at a time of institutional failure.  ARTists make needed transformations happen. It’s a pragmatic science and a constructivist art form. What’s new is bringing inner and outer worlds together; integrating subjectivity and objectivity. Moving from power over to power with, ART is about learning by doing together. Five ARTist Vignettes show how data collection, learning and organizing combine to help stakeholders make transformations happen. You’ll see diversity and creativity in action!

Miren Larrea, a senior researcher in Orkestra institute in the Basque Region of Spain, shows how ART is used as the predominant methodology for policy, planning and citizen engagement in territorial development. Political actors meet and construct the future of greening, social welfare etc., together.

Astrid Kunert of Qualitative Mind Research, Germany, supports a local Kenyan team in grassroots democracy efforts with training a cadre of citizens. She is handing over the participative work of individual and group interviewing from which local citizens' made their needs known and were supported in taking steps toward a future they wanted. They articulated and began to experience what democracy means for them with the normal yet highly unusual first steps of talking with one another.  Changes have begun with a “peace from the soil” program that has massive tree planting underway. Ongoing social research using methods of theatre and song help stakeholders stay engaged.

Nicoline Vackerberg of Jönköping University, Sweden, facilitates a proliferating network in healthcare transformation that centers patients’ needs ("Esthers") in designing and delivering clinic services. Asking the simple powerful question of “what is best for Esther?” has resulted in mobile teams with better health outcomes at lower costs. The innovation has spread far and wide as talking, reflecting and action together proves its benefit to stakeholders.

Aditi Rosegger at University Technology Sydney, brings her ART home to Auroville, an intentional community in Southern India where she grew up.  A wide array of sustainability initiatives are underway from the earliest days, however water resilience is a growing concern as ground water is depleting. A new paradigm of community management is evolving and has resulted in a citizen assembly and a deeper practice of reflexivity within the community.

Alessandra Picoli, in Northern Italy, highlights the embrace of "power-with" organizing among local environmentalist families. She supports their co-creating an eco-social farm where efforts have resulted in a space and place in which vegetables - as well as hearts and minds - are cultivated for a life sustaining society.  Alessandra highlights her work to share, rather than lead, the inquiry. The new community supported agriculture now serves the producers and consumers. The high-quality scholarly data available by being so fully involved has led not just to scholarly output, but also a deeper sense of purpose.

The concluding outro highlights core components of ART: the three spaces of relational, conceptual and experimental work. The ART theory of change is explained with an emphasis on social proliferation of the transformative micro worlds ARTists help make happen. What is daunting becomes exciting!