Mind Mapping
Research class by Spiros Hadjidjanos
This not-discipline-specific workshop will focus on activities that enhance our research and imaginative capabilities. The synergy of these two skills forms a very powerful tool for any artist. Students will design analogue mind maps, individually or in pairs.
As artists, we strive to convey our ideas and influence others. To achieve this effectively and convince of the relevance and credibility of our ideas, these have to be crafted with the same meticulous care we apply to our materials and techniques. To reach this goal, we should often undertake detailed research, becoming experts in the specific domain relevant to our work. How can we research effectively? Where do we start, and when do we know our research is complete? How can visuals strengthen our ideas and creative research processes?
Research alone can take us to uncharted territories, but to truly excel in our work, we must blend it with imagination. Imagination is the artist's most valuable asset. Recognizing its importance and nurturing it is key. Students will be encouraged to merge their imagination with mind-mapping techniques in order to enhance their problem-solving capabilities.
The primary goal of this workshop is to encourage students who have not previously engaged or have little experience in researching to understand its benefits and integrate it into their practice. Mind Mapping is an advanced technique used in many disciplines outside of the arts; in this workshop we will use mind mapping in creative, unconventional and irrational ways. Our mind maps will start with a few core ideas at their center, branching out to concepts as “distant” to the core idea as possible. Each student will aim to conduct meaningful research that pushes the boundaries of their conceptual knowledge and practice. Additionally, through visual language, students will strive to discover and establish connections between seemingly unrelated research domains, fostering a deeper, interdisciplinary understanding that will drive their work to an enriched and previously unanticipated territory.
Spiros Hadjidjanos
Spiros Hadjidjanos (°1978) is a Greek visual artist who lives and works in Berlin. His practice spans across different media and is informed by his critical reflection on technological processes. Hadjidjanos studied with a DAAD scholarship at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) where he was awarded the Meisterschülerpreis des Präsidenten. He has created set-design for theatres such as the Volksbühne in Berlin and Kammerspiele in Munich and has exhibited his work in galleries and institutions such as the Yerba Buena Center For The Arts in San Francisco, KW Institute For Contemporary Art in Berlin, Städel Museum in Frankfurt, Musée d’Art Moderne and palais de Tokyo in Paris, K20 Düsseldorf and most recently at Kunstmuseum Bonn.
Spiros Hadjidjanos is researcher at the Royal Academy.
spyridon.hadjidjanos@ap.be
>> This research class is part of the Research Week during the annual research festival ARTICULATE.
