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The Fitting Room : Communities of practice and the ambiguity of touch

Østergaard, Charlotte LU (2020) Costume Agency
Abstract
This presentation aims to discuss aspects of the fitting room situation from two theoretical perspectives; communities of practice and the ambiguity of touch (touching, being touched). The theoretical frame is intertwined with reflections form my own practice as designer/maker/educator/researcher and from discussions/interviews with colleagues and students from different disciplines at The Danish National School of Performing Arts and colleagues from the Danish theater industry.

The educational theorist and practitioner Etienne Wenger describes communities of practice as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2004). Using the... (More)
This presentation aims to discuss aspects of the fitting room situation from two theoretical perspectives; communities of practice and the ambiguity of touch (touching, being touched). The theoretical frame is intertwined with reflections form my own practice as designer/maker/educator/researcher and from discussions/interviews with colleagues and students from different disciplines at The Danish National School of Performing Arts and colleagues from the Danish theater industry.

The educational theorist and practitioner Etienne Wenger describes communities of practice as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2004). Using the knowledge of Wenger, I will explore questions such as: How does a newcomer enter a community of practice? How does an experienced educator introduce a student to the intimacy of the fitting room situation? What is articulated and what is not?

The philosopher Miika Luoto writes “This essential aspect of all touching is perhaps most purely present in caress, where we approach the other by being wholly exposed to him or her, where we contact the other’s skin in a way that opens to an unfathomable depth” (Luoto 2018). Based on Luoto’s reflections I will reflect upon how we can enter a dialogue through the caress as awareness of intimacy of touch and the unfathomable as the ambiguity of touch. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Fitting room, Costume, Communities of Practice, Touch
conference name
Costume Agency
conference location
Oslo, Norway
conference dates
2020-08-21 - 2020-08-23
project
Crafting material bodies - exploring co-creative costume processes
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
17bb5c46-d770-49eb-9ee3-8a4a3fe953f5
date added to LUP
2021-04-27 20:59:01
date last changed
2022-09-19 13:36:04
@misc{17bb5c46-d770-49eb-9ee3-8a4a3fe953f5,
  abstract     = {{This presentation aims to discuss aspects of the fitting room situation from two theoretical  perspectives; communities of practice and the ambiguity of touch (touching, being touched). The theoretical frame is intertwined with reflections form my own practice as designer/maker/educator/researcher and from discussions/interviews with colleagues and students from different disciplines at The Danish National School of Performing Arts and colleagues from the Danish theater industry. <br/><br/>The educational theorist and practitioner Etienne Wenger describes communities of practice as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2004). Using the knowledge of Wenger, I will explore questions such as: How does a newcomer enter a community of practice? How does an experienced educator introduce a student to the intimacy of the fitting room situation? What is articulated and what is not?<br/><br/>The philosopher Miika Luoto writes “This essential aspect of all touching is perhaps most purely present in caress, where we approach the other by being wholly exposed to him or her, where we contact the other’s skin in a way that opens to an unfathomable depth” (Luoto 2018). Based on Luoto’s reflections I will reflect upon how we can enter a dialogue through the caress as awareness of intimacy of touch and the unfathomable as the ambiguity of touch.}},
  author       = {{Østergaard, Charlotte}},
  keywords     = {{Fitting room; Costume; Communities of Practice; Touch}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  title        = {{The Fitting Room : Communities of practice and the ambiguity of touch}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}