Labyrinth as transformative technology in theory and practice
My thesis work on the unicursal medieval labyrinth as a transformative technology within a community setting is the culmination of my extensive research into its origins in the classical and scholastic traditions, its mathematical substructure, the access it provides to embodied and tacit knowledge, and the impact of its current and potential applications on the individual and the community. Understanding the Labyrinth [PDF].
Current projects
The Labyrinth: A vehicle for spiritual care in the health care setting
The Labyrinth: A vehicle for spiritual care in the health care setting [PDF].
SHRTN Spiritual care Community of Practice.
Researcher orientation and perspective
I identify myself as an educational researcher, with a broadly-based perceptual, analytical, and creative skill set. My research focus is in the area of transformative education and experiential learning; preferred inquiry methods are narrative, phenomenological, and arts-based. My research perspective is grounded in the principles of holistic and reflective practice: balance, inclusivity, and connection.
My research focuses on the function of the imagination and embodied knowledge in the creation of individual and social identity as the staging ground for multiple perspectives, critical analysis and social change. In connection with teaching, I have presented papers and published on the subjects of experiential and transformative education, development of self-concept in the adolescent Hot Metal Hot Words [PDF], and the reflective practitioner Incubating Imagination and Meditation [PDF]. Drawing on my experiences with clients in transition, my presentations and publications use arts-informed and phenomenological methodologies to focus on the significance of image and interpretation in meaning-making during periods of shift, disequilibrium, illness and trauma.
The overarching theme is the importance of image and language as tools and the embodied imagination as "Home", in the knowledge-creation repertoire of learners, teachers, citizens and communities at an historical junction crucial to our nation and species. I am particularly concerned with the development of an "aesthetics of compassion" in support of social cohesion within diversity.
My purpose-the "so what?" of any research venture-is to illuminate and support the spiritual dimension of the social and ecological fabric connecting us all. Experience teaching in academic and industrial contexts, and familiarity with collaborative envisioning drawn from an extensive background in the design profession, and in volunteer community development, has taught me the wisdom of unlocking the potential of individuals, groups, organisations, and situations.