Transformation through aesthoecology: affectivity, connectivity, and the role of art in promoting transdisciplinarity

Abstract

Creative thinking relies on the rupture of conventional thinking. Aesthoecology is an onto-epistemological theory that speculates on this assertion by interrogating the vital importance of affectivity and connectivity in understanding transformational events in education. This involves the exploration of notions such as liminality, emergence, and affective anticipation, all of which are features of dynamic and autopoietic systems. These are implicit in art and design pedagogy but, in addition, are transferable to the skill sets required by other disciplines. If this is the case, then art and design as a subject area have a significance not only in their own right but also in promoting, supporting and enhancing transdisciplinary learning. Rather than being progressively marginalised, our proposal sets art and design, as a manifestation of aesthoecology, ‘centre stage’ as one significant solution capable of transforming our responses to the needs of students and society, particularly in these volatile and unpredictable times.