A/r/tography as Living Inquiry Through Art and Text (Stephanie Springgay, Rita Irwin, andSylvia Wilson Kind) explores expanding methodologies of a/r/tography though six “renderings,” that build on the vast and complex concept of research practice through the lens of living inquiry. We have explored many writings on the subject of living inquiry thus far in our studies of Art Education, but what struck me the most about this paper, was the discussion on the more unsettling aspects of inquiry. The authors speak to the anxiety and nervousness associated with engaging in the lack of linear patterns and coming to concrete conclusions. The act of not knowing and being overwhelmed with the excess of questions and the deficiency of answers is indeed unsettling. Their usage of words like, ruptured, frayed, entangled, and split open in their explorations embellish upon a sense of confusion and non-clarity embedded in the process. I could not help but feel some anxiety as too as I explored these dense ideas. I wondered, how does one keep their composure while in the the thick of the most confusing and overwhelming moments of an inquiry journey? I often think of this journey with more wonder and excitement, but this was first time I thought about the “dark side” of inquiry.
There is also much on the idea of duality, paradox and and doubling, for there is something natural about inquiry as well. “Entering into a/r/tography arises out of a “desire and daily life” (Rasberry, 2001, p. 1) to make sense and create meaning out of difficult and complex questions that cannot be answered in straightforward or linear tellings. “(pg. 902) This process is much like navigating through life in general, which leaves me with more of a feeling of hope and optimism.
