Using empathy to research creativity: collaborative investigations into distributed digital textile art and design practice

Abstract

This paper presents examples of collaborative practical investigations undertaken with a textile artist and textile designer. The findings are interwoven and supported with references from current literature on creativity from the fields of neuroscience, psychology and human computer interaction. The paper contends that collaborative investigations can be used as an appropriate research tool for empathically engaging with issues directly arising from related case study research.

The investigation as a whole examined the ways in which digital imaging technology influences creative cognition, its impact on practice and the created artefact. Collaborative practical investigations were used to acquire data to illuminate the creative process and highlight significant issues concerning the use and future development of technology.

The research was presented to a wider interdisciplinary audience through this paper, including computer science, HCI and psychology. The paper was internationally peer reviewed under a selection process in which 23% were accepted, and published in a conference proceedings volume (June 2007). It was one of the 6 papers selected from the 24 presented at the conference for publication in a special issue on creativity for the journal Leonardo (to be published in 2008).