The multi-sensory experiences of mobile research encounters

Nicola Ross, Sally Holland, Emma Renold and Alex Hillman

Qualiti, Cardiff University

ContentContent

Multi-sensory mobile research Multi-sensory mobile research encountersencounters

Overview of the (Extra)ordinary Lives Overview of the (Extra)ordinary Lives project project

Young people in care and cultures of Young people in care and cultures of communicationcommunication

Mobile methodsMobile methods– Car journey interactionsCar journey interactions– ‘‘Guided’ walksGuided’ walks

The multi-sensory in mobile methods: The multi-sensory in mobile methods: some considerationssome considerations

Multi-sensory mobile research Multi-sensory mobile research encountersencounters

Mobilities paradigm in social sciences Mobilities paradigm in social sciences (Sheller and Urry 2006; Binnie et al 2007)(Sheller and Urry 2006; Binnie et al 2007)

Multi-sensory research …Multi-sensory research …– as interaction of senses, dynamicas interaction of senses, dynamic– embodied experiential encounters, embodied experiential encounters,

performativeperformative (see Teather, 1999; Harrison, 2000)(see Teather, 1999; Harrison, 2000)

– may be mobile: immediacy and now-may be mobile: immediacy and now-ness of walking, driving, passengeringness of walking, driving, passengering (see de Certeau, 1984; Thrift 2004)(see de Certeau, 1984; Thrift 2004)

– place-making practices and placed place-making practices and placed encounters: a ‘constitutive encounters: a ‘constitutive coingredience’ coingredience’ (Casey, 2001, p684)(Casey, 2001, p684) of people of people and placesand places

(Extra)ordinary lives: project (Extra)ordinary lives: project overviewoverview

Longitudinal, Longitudinal, participatory research participatory research with 8 young people in with 8 young people in carecare

Using visual and mobile Using visual and mobile methodsmethods

Young people develop Young people develop own multi-media own multi-media accounts and accounts and representationsrepresentations

Researchers conducting Researchers conducting an ethnography of this an ethnography of this processprocess

Working Working collaboratively collaboratively with new with new technologies technologies during project during project sessionssessions

Between Between session session contacts: guided contacts: guided journeys, journeys, conversations in conversations in a range of a range of settings.settings.

Multi-media project sessions and out-of-session contacts

Note: Some images removed from web-version

Central substantive aimCentral substantive aim To takeTo take a collaborative ethnographic a collaborative ethnographic

approach to explore the ordinary everyday approach to explore the ordinary everyday relationship cultures, identities, social relationship cultures, identities, social relations/networks (over time, in different relations/networks (over time, in different spaces and contexts) of young people in carespaces and contexts) of young people in care

Central methodological aimCentral methodological aim To explore the ethical and analytic issues that To explore the ethical and analytic issues that

are potentially raised and challenged by are potentially raised and challenged by enabling young people to choose and define enabling young people to choose and define their own modes of representation and their own modes of representation and authorship authorship

(see Holland et.al. (2008) for further details)(see Holland et.al. (2008) for further details)

Summary:Summary: Central aimsCentral aims

Young people in care: social Young people in care: social locationlocation

Self-directed, multi-media data Self-directed, multi-media data generation encouraged by participants’ generation encouraged by participants’ social location:social location:– Assessed , reviewed, monitored (individual)Assessed , reviewed, monitored (individual)– Measured for performance indicators (group)Measured for performance indicators (group)– May be in ‘special units’ in schools or risk May be in ‘special units’ in schools or risk

exclusionexclusion– May not wish to share difficult experiencesMay not wish to share difficult experiences

Young people’s cultures of Young people’s cultures of communicationcommunication

Often: on the move, in short bursts, Often: on the move, in short bursts, fast-moving and changeable fast-moving and changeable conversations, punctuated by conversations, punctuated by technologiestechnologies

Engagement with research varied Engagement with research varied across the group and over timeacross the group and over time

Evolving styles of data generation Evolving styles of data generation affected our insights into the affected our insights into the participants’ everyday lives participants’ everyday lives

Mobile methodsMobile methods Shared, experiential journeys generating Shared, experiential journeys generating

meaningful understandings of everyday livesmeaningful understandings of everyday lives Placed and place-making interactions, rooted Placed and place-making interactions, rooted

in young people’s everyday localesin young people’s everyday locales Exchanges full of interruptions and Exchanges full of interruptions and

disruptions: the intimate is interspersed with disruptions: the intimate is interspersed with the mundanethe mundane

Movement and interactivity allow Movement and interactivity allow participants and researchers to experience participants and researchers to experience closeness and distancecloseness and distance

Multi-sensory research encounters as Multi-sensory research encounters as experienced experienced andand as recorded as recorded (note: data/data-(note: data/data-record distinction, see Emmison and Smith, 2000; Dicks et al record distinction, see Emmison and Smith, 2000; Dicks et al 2006)2006)

‘‘Guided’ walksGuided’ walks Shared, experiential journeys in locales of Shared, experiential journeys in locales of

significance to young peoplesignificance to young people Conveyed young people’s strong sense of Conveyed young people’s strong sense of

place and locally based relationsplace and locally based relations Research encounters ‘rooted’ in the Research encounters ‘rooted’ in the

everyday, yet opening avenues for everyday, yet opening avenues for memories and imagined futures memories and imagined futures

Multi-sensory research encounters: being Multi-sensory research encounters: being there and experiencing there and experiencing (ambience, sights, (ambience, sights, sounds, smells…)sounds, smells…)

Motion, talk, recording and the meshing of Motion, talk, recording and the meshing of these these

‘‘Guided’ walk: belonging and Guided’ walk: belonging and caringcaring

Short video edit of ‘guided’ walk with one young person, Ruth (aged 11) out with Nicola (researcher) in her locality, conveying some of the multi-sensory experiences of the walk through the visual and audio. This piece opens out the term ‘placement,’ common in social work discourse, to convey Ruth’s strong sense of belonging, her rootedness to place and the centrality of locally based social relations and animals in her life. The shared journey generates insights into Ruth’s views on belonging and caring revealing the affordances of the ‘guided’ walks in creating time and space for the generation of meaningful research interactions.

‘‘Guided’ walk: disrupting Guided’ walk: disrupting research interactionsresearch interactions

Audio extract from a ‘guided’ walk with one Audio extract from a ‘guided’ walk with one young person, Kate (aged 15) out in her young person, Kate (aged 15) out in her locality with Nicola (researcher) that focuses locality with Nicola (researcher) that focuses attention on the soundscapes of the journey. attention on the soundscapes of the journey. This section draws attention to disruptions to This section draws attention to disruptions to the ‘guided’ walks and particularly the the ‘guided’ walks and particularly the sharing of narratives, as the researcher’s sharing of narratives, as the researcher’s perceptions of immediate risks impact on the perceptions of immediate risks impact on the research interactions. research interactions.

Car journey interactionsCar journey interactions

Regular routine journeysRegular routine journeys

Audio recordings of in-car interactions Audio recordings of in-car interactions capture journey soundscapes (talk, capture journey soundscapes (talk, singing, radio, car-sounds, streetsounds)singing, radio, car-sounds, streetsounds)

More enabling and less intimidating than More enabling and less intimidating than ‘formal’ face-to-face interview settings: ‘formal’ face-to-face interview settings: young people controlling recording young people controlling recording

The mobile experience informs and The mobile experience informs and disrupts interactionsdisrupts interactions

Car journey interaction: audio Car journey interaction: audio extractextract

Audio extract from car journey Audio extract from car journey interaction taking place as Keely interaction taking place as Keely (aged 13) and Emma (researcher) (aged 13) and Emma (researcher) make one of their regular make one of their regular journeys to a fieldwork session. journeys to a fieldwork session. The audio recording captures The audio recording captures some of the soundscapes of the some of the soundscapes of the journey and highlights Keely’s use journey and highlights Keely’s use of the radio as a means to bring of the radio as a means to bring to an end some intimate talkto an end some intimate talk

Car journey interaction: audio Car journey interaction: audio extractextract

Audio extract from car journey Audio extract from car journey interaction taking place as Angel interaction taking place as Angel (aged 10) and Sally (researcher) (aged 10) and Sally (researcher) travel together on one of their regular travel together on one of their regular journeys home from a fieldwork journeys home from a fieldwork session. The audio recording relays session. The audio recording relays the interspersion of intimate talk the interspersion of intimate talk shared by Angel about the places shared by Angel about the places passed and associations with events passed and associations with events that took place there involving her that took place there involving her family, with the mundane talk of family, with the mundane talk of driving and passengering.driving and passengering.

The multi-sensory in mobile The multi-sensory in mobile methods: some considerationsmethods: some considerations

The affordances of and relations between:The affordances of and relations between:– different media in ‘capturing’ multi-sensory different media in ‘capturing’ multi-sensory

research encounters research encounters (video and audio)(video and audio)

– Mobile methods in generating multi-sensory Mobile methods in generating multi-sensory data data (‘guided’ walks and car journey interactions)(‘guided’ walks and car journey interactions)

Research-in-context: young people’s Research-in-context: young people’s cultures of communication and ‘placed’ cultures of communication and ‘placed’ research interactionsresearch interactions

Further representing the multi-sensory … Further representing the multi-sensory … (link to film) Place in Me(link to film) Place in Me

ReferencesReferencesBinnie, J., Edensor, T., Holloway, J. Millington, S. and Young, C. (2007) Binnie, J., Edensor, T., Holloway, J. Millington, S. and Young, C. (2007)

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de Certeau, M (1984) de Certeau, M (1984) The Practice of Everyday LifeThe Practice of Everyday Life, Berkeley, University of , Berkeley, University of California PressCalifornia Press

Dicks, B., Soyinka, B. & Coffey, A. (2006) Multimodal ethnography, Dicks, B., Soyinka, B. & Coffey, A. (2006) Multimodal ethnography, Qualitative ResearchQualitative Research 6, 1, 77-96 6, 1, 77-96

Emmison, M. & Smith, P. (2000) Emmison, M. & Smith, P. (2000) Researching the Visual: Images, Objects, Researching the Visual: Images, Objects, Contexts and Interactions in Social and Cultural Enquiry, Contexts and Interactions in Social and Cultural Enquiry, London, SageLondon, Sage

Harrison, P. (2000) Making sense: embodiment and the sensibilities of the Harrison, P. (2000) Making sense: embodiment and the sensibilities of the everyday, everyday, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 18, 497-51718, 497-517

Holland, S., Renold, E., Ross, N.J., Hillman, A. (2008) Rights, ‘right on’ or the Holland, S., Renold, E., Ross, N.J., Hillman, A. (2008) Rights, ‘right on’ or the right thing to do? A critical exploration of young people's engagement in right thing to do? A critical exploration of young people's engagement in participative social work research, Qualiti Working Paper 006 participative social work research, Qualiti Working Paper 006 http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/qualiti/WorkingPapers/Qualiti_WPS_006.pdfhttp://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/qualiti/WorkingPapers/Qualiti_WPS_006.pdf

Sheller, M. & Urry, J. (2006) The new mobilities paradigm, Sheller, M. & Urry, J. (2006) The new mobilities paradigm, Environment and Environment and Planning APlanning A, 38, 207-226, 38, 207-226

Teather, E.K. (1999) Teather, E.K. (1999) Embodied Geographies, Embodied Geographies, London, RoutledgeLondon, RoutledgeThrift, N. (2004) Driving in the City, Thrift, N. (2004) Driving in the City, Theory, Culture & Society, Theory, Culture & Society, 21, 41–5921, 41–59

Further InformationFurther Information

For more information about the For more information about the (Extra)ordinary Lives research project (Extra)ordinary Lives research project contact contact

QualQualiti, Cardiff School of Social iti, Cardiff School of Social SciencesSciences

www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/qualitiwww.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/qualiti

qualiti@cardiff.ac.ukqualiti@cardiff.ac.uk