PE15

business education & sports

The collage appears with a striking simplicity. There are six separate elements identifiable. Three images and three text elements. The biggest part of the picture and most background element is a rectangular cut image of white teenagers in a crowd setting. Some are raising their hands above their heads clapping. Others are shouting or are looking upon a stage, which is not part of the picture. The image is subtitled with a big two word phrase: “Generation Zeitenwende” - generation turning point. The two remaining text elements are smaller. One is put on top of the dancing crowd: “rechnen mit allem” - reckon with everything and the other “Das schiefe Bild von Pisa” - The skewed image of Pisa is put beneath a watercolor image of a wrinkled face with big black sunglasses. The last visual element is a drawing of two shaking hands in the upper left part of the image.

Overall the image is working with lots of faces and human gestures, supplemented with written text. The elements are clearly distinguishable from another and do not come together as a new shape entirely. The six elements are structures in a way where the image of the crowd is in the background and the left lower part belongs to the text elements and opposed to it toward the upper right are the visual elements. The elements overlap each other for the most part so that the eye is lead fluently from one element to each other and the different elements are associated with each other.

AK20

cultural sciences

Collage AK 20 exists of four word elements in the form of sentences as well as three visual elements in the form of photograph. These elements are arranged on a DIN4 paper, although they do extent the frame of the paper.

Noticeably, dark colours prevail in the collage; especially in its outer part / the frame. While the center of the collage appears brighter, all colors are dimmed. Colors from the color wheel are only seen in the photograph of the woman on the left.

The collage builds it height through the vertical lines of the buildings in the background. The parallel lines in the buildings give it a sense of wide space and infinite movement. All lines in the background of the collage exist in a form of parallelity to each other, which makes them appear structured and organized. This provides the collage with a sense of stability. The collage seems to work with elements made out of the same kind of material. This gives balance. Thus, texture is mainly created through the material themselves: They are layered on top of each other. Texture is also creaed through the ripping effect on the material. Negative space between the buildings on the photograph in the background creates contrast between the dark framing of the collage and its brighter inside. The Collage appears to be very balanced. Stability is especially provided thorugh the balance in motives. Through the brighter space in the middle of the collage, the whole pictures appears to be divided in a left and right side. On each side, two word element as well as one visual element are placed. The visual elements in the background connects all of them. Imbalance exists only in the size difference of the visual subjects. No movement in the background. The subjects seem to be frozen in their frame which makes the collage appear rather slow.

This collage consists of many smaller components set against a magenta pink/turquoise mountainous landscape. The dominant colours are purple, pink, turquoise and silver. Relatively striking is a neatly cut out IMac with various objects sticking out of its screen. The IMac is on the left and the objects are a disco ball, a few green cut-off cables, copper pipes and wooden strips. Furthermore, there is a perforated strip and a small sculpture made of 4 pink hands. To the right of the IMac is a silver retro-looking robot holding a sign that is tilted downwards with the inscription "I don't want to be a robot". The robot itself is smiling and looks friendly, like something out of a children's movie. At the bottom left of the picture and below the IMac is an old tube TV with a cracked screen. Both the robot, the sign and the TV are cut out precisely and cleanly. In front of the TV is a crudely torn image of an ECG heartbeat, which is tilted slightly upwards to the right. In front of it, again neatly cut out, is a snippet with the words "How long can the PC survive?". At about 2/3 height of the picture, the pink, purple, blue mountain landscape ends and the "sky" comes in. This shows relatively much free space and is only adorned by a few long comma numbers in pink/blue writing. Another roughly orn out snippet is located at the top left of this section and contains the following quote: "The present appears as a void.” Overall, the collage is characterised by the colour scheme, but also by objects and their relationship to each other.

MR12

computer science in economics

extending the frame

A striking majority of the produced collages works beyond the frame of the paper (DIN4). The extent of this varies: In some, there is only a slight overlapping of the paper frame. In others, the space beyond the paper is extensively used. Here, the frame of the paper can be seen as the frame of one’s studies; that is the institutionalization of education. To me, this institutionally given frame appears to be extended by the contents and matters of some studies. Very explicit examples can be seen in the collages for cultural studies and the Studium Individuale. The collages for business administration and computer science in economics are also worked beyond the paper, but less extensive. Only three collages remain in the frame given by the paper: business education and sports, psychology and economics and politics. This may help us to understand how certain studies are perceived by their students: Do they reach beyond the lecture hall? How much space do they take up in a student’s life? Can they be defined in a certain space? Or do they work in the multiple? The space beyond the paper can also be seen as a look into a time after studies: While study programs such as psychology and economics and politics might have more defined job fields and master programs follow them, the same cannot be said for cultural studies and, especially, the Studium Individuale. The outcome of these studies is less clear, harder to imagine in a strict frame. Instead, the studies and their results work in a space that cannot be defined – the space beyond the paper.

words over motifs

The collages differ in many aspects – one them being the use of words versus the use of visuals, such as photos and illustrations. All collages use words to a certain extent, but some rely more on them than others. Words, in comparison to visuals, are more concrete to me. They not only express something (a feeling, a metaphor, an aesthetic) but say something: They make the implicit explicit. I am not trying to say that there is no room for interpretation in words; there very much is. But in comparison to visuals, they are read the same by everyone; more so than pictures are seen the same by everyone. Having this in mind, it is interesting to see, how some collages work with the explicit (words) much more than the implicit (visuals). This counts specifically for the more technical study programs, such as economics and politics, computer science in economics and business administration. They also all use words that, in some way or another, are directly and explicitly related to their field of studies. An example is collage RD1, that uses words that are primarily used in relation to economics, such as Konzern, Mikroökonomie, Subvention und Geld. In collage SD34 Google, Elon Musk and nerds are mentioned. N53 mentions Erfolg, vermarktet, Wohlstand and Verschuldung. They appear to refer explicitly to the contents as well as the stereotypes of their studies. This is also expresses the character of the study programs as such: They can be explained with words, they work in certain discourses; their contents are as clear and explicit as the words that describe them in the collages. There are also differences in the way the different collages use words. While the latter can be read and understood in direct relation to the studies they refer to, other collages use words in a manner that is less clear. For example, collage PE15 uses the words/sentences Generation Zeitenwende, Das schiefe Bild von Pisa, and rechnen mit allem. Collage AK20 uses the sentence Erkennen von Fälschungen in the upper part of the collage, almost making it appear as a title. SA30 simply puts Der Utopist in the center of the collage. All of these can, of course, be interpreted in relation to the studies. For example Das schiefe Bild von Pisa can be understood in relation to educational studies and the Pisa test while Erkennen von Fälschungen could relate to the embeddedness of critical theory in cultural studies.. More importantly though, is that the different study programs are either understood in concrete or abstract manners. This also is telling for how they identify with their studies: Do they view their studies in a similar way to what they are perceived as from the outside? Or are they understood on a more subjective level; as an abstraction of values embedded in the individual themselves?

(human) space

The collages work with living and human visuals, as well as with the depiction of objects. Some collages center around individual humans and/or human body parts (see AK20 & BR8), other collages do not show humans or living things at all (PC2). In NA53, the Self is depicted and labelled as such (“Me”). KT1 shows the silhouette of a human, cut out of a photo of a bookshelf. To sum up, the collages differ in how much and in what way space is given to humans and living things. This is not only true for the collages, but also for the study programs themselves. Some focus more on subjective, human qualities, some are centered around objective quantities. The way in which human subjects are positioned within the collage also tells about the meaning they have for the study program: In AK20, we see two individuals in contrast. One I read as a young, Black woman, the other I read as an old, white man. They are positioned in opposite sides of the collage. The man appears disproportionately large, his hand pointing towards the woman in a warning, authoritarian manner. The dichotomy between the man in a position of power and the marginalized woman as the one being educated is broken in the collage by the use of words. The used sentences describe doubts and the need to question contradictions. This presents a disciplinary identity that is built around deconstruction and the aim to disrupt traditional ways of creating knowledge that reinforce patterns of dominance. Human identity is also created in collages, that use no human visuals per se. Such is the case with collage MR12 that shows two computer screens and one robot that holds up a sign saying: “Ich will kein Roboter sein” (‘I don’t want to be a robot’). Here, the relation between studies and the human self is explicitly visualized. This creates another layer of meaning and poses the question: How do study programs shape one’s identity in terms of what they do not want to be? In this case, the focus on machines seems to create a disciplinary identity, that longs for more humanity within their studies.

Alana (she/her) is in the final stages of her Studium Individuale studies. During her time at Leuphana, she focused mainly on the crossovers of politics, (pop) culture and gender studies. That is also why she is writing her Bachelor thesis on Feminist Foreign Politics. Prior to this project, she only ever collaged “for fun”, to decorate her room or make small gifts for friends - but never with any specific thoughts in mind and only with a mere focus on aesthetics.

The Collage presents the viewer with a clear structure and lines. Main Element of the Collage is the assemblage of small pieces into the shape of a rocket, whose tip is tilted toward the upper right corner like it is about to leave the frame. The engine and the tip of the rocket appear as their original shapes and frame the body of the rocket. The body is filled however with three sequential pictures picturing a human body which is pushing something forward. What exactly remains unclear. Following the image sequence, which makes up the biggest part of the body, appears some lettering almost like the name of the rocket: “Der Utopist” - the utopian. The tip of the rocket appears not to be attached completely anymore but opens like a hatch and reveals the passenger: a young male-read human with its eyes closed and a green transparent silk scarf upon its face. It is unclear whether the lettering below them belongs to the rocket or whether the young person is “the utopian”. The background of the collage are many clearly separated fragments which origins or original meaning are unclear. In the upper left and lower left corner are fragments of what appears to be a black picture frame or book cover and behind the rocket is a square cut blurred black and white picture ripped from a page and still showing the white frame that originally surrounded it. Behind the tip of the rocket is a picture of white clouds infront of a black background. Like fog which is light with bright lights at night. The fog also leaves the frame of the DIN A4 page. Its the only object which leaves the frame intensively. Furthermore in the background appears a thinly cut out in straight lines and a right angle a green picture where fingers are identifiable. Important to mention is a second text on the picture which appears like the second focal point after the rocket. It is a sentence in quotation marks “Aufräumen macht alles nur noch schlimmer” - Cleaning up just makes things worse.

Overall the collage works with a limited color pallet and a lot of white space. Dominant is the color green in the silk scarf of the person and in the abstract fragment in the background. Secondly some shades of blue appear in the rocket. The rest of the image are rather greyscale and low saturation. The white space appears mostly around the edges of the frame while the middle of the collage feels rather clustered. The collage has a dynamic feeling to it because of the tilted nature of the rocket and the cloud which is exciting the frame in the direction that the rocket is pointing.

SA30

studium individuale

La grande reflectiona

What did we learn? What did we do? What?

Reflections

We, as researchers, can not be and also did not attempt to be, completely neutral observers due to the fact that we are also students at Leuphana University, encultured into the Studium Individuale study program. We all have certain experiences with some disciplines, due to our own engagement (e.g. in seminars) or non-engagement with them. These experiences shape the way we view disciplines and study programs. They also shaped the way, we created, analyzed and interpreted the collage workshop.

Thus, our research is limited in certain ways. This starts with the way we chose to interpret the collages. Instead of writing an interpretation of each collage, we wrote individual interpretations of themes we observed in the collages. This is also where our bias as researchers might be visible. Because of our own disciplinary backgrounds, some collages might have spoken more to us than ours and thus were discussed more often and intensively. An example for this are the collages that focused more on the use of visuals (see AK20) in comparison to the collages that used a lot of words. We as researchers are all closer to the the cultural studies than the more “technical” studies, which might explain why some collages appealed more to us than others. Additionally, some of us knew participants prior to the workshop and had close knowledge about them as persons as well as their study experience. Although we tried to analyze the collages based on who of us as researchers knew as less as possible about the person who created it, we cannot avoid that our personal knowledge influenced the way we saw and talked about each work.

Within the workshop, we did not have control about the exact content of the magazines that we provided for our participants. Although we tried to provide a variety of magazines and books with different focuses, our participants were only able to collage with what we had prepared for them. Thus, the material we organized influenced the results of the workshop.

Some participants had more prior experience with collaging than others. This influenced the way in which they understood the assignment and were able to follow it. We also experienced that our participants had very individual understandings of how to write the keywords we asked them to think of. Some wrote whole sentences about their associations, others mentioned objects they identified in the collage, and some participants tried to guess what discipline the collage was about.

Regarding our interpretation and analysis of the collages, we as researchers might not always have been able to understand what the collected keywords meant. We also identified the risk of things being “lost in translation”, since some of the keywords as well as words on the collages were written in English.

Prior to the workshop, we wanted to explore if the format could be useful to promote interdisciplinary cooperation. Although we created an interdisciplinary setting in the workshop, it did not focus on academic work and did not give the participants any academic problems to solve. We also chose to give our participants an assignment, that required as somehow uniform approach. Such can trigger conflicts in interdisciplinary cooperation. These are things to keep in mind when we talk about if and why art based practices such as our collaging workshop can be useful for interdisciplinary cooperation.

In summary, our workshop and its result are based on very individual reflections and responses by a relatively small group of participants. They were interpreted and analyzed by us, a small group of researchers that were partly involved with the participants and are embedded in their very own disciplinary “bubble” at Leuphana University. All of these factors shaped and influenced our workshop and its results. Disciplinary identities can and should not be generalized - thus, the results of our work should not be either. Regarding our interpretations, we are aware that one can never discover everything and some experiences may remain hidden in the depths of the collages. We view this as enriching and understand our work as an attempt to discover meaning and knowledge in the subjective mains of our participants.

Summary of Results & Conclusions

Four researchers have written four different Interpretations of the Collages that were created during the workshop based on a previous Formal Visual Analysis.

Even though each researcher has their own perspective and approach with their interpretations there are common themes that can be identified. To bring together our different perspectives we tried to code our collages according to common themes that were discussed.

Language:

• how words are used differs from a more explicit reference to study content or stereotyps to a more implicit
• More importantly though, is that the different study programs are either understood in concrete or abstract manners. This also is telling for how they identify with their studies: Do they view their studies in a similar way to what they are perceived as from the outside? Or are they understood on a more subjective level; as an abstraction of values embedded in the individual themselves?
• Text was used decisively and poetically. The text was always embedded in a visual way and therefore never worked linearly.

Figures/subject

• The collages differ in how much and in what way space is given to humans and living things. This is not only true for the collages, but also for the study programs themselves: The way in which human subjects are positioned within the collage also tells about the meaning they have for the study program.

Imagery/tokens

• How the frames of the collages are used/ exceeded might show how the frame of a study program is experienced.

Main findings/ conclusions from the interpretations:

• The collages do not only represent a certain discipline but reveal a personal relationship to and experience with it.
• The collages differ in the ways a sense of identity or self is transmitted. (from word- based approach to more visual approaches, from more explicit to more implicit references to disciplines)
• A general theme of tension between self and discipline can be observed in the collages. There is critique
• Many exceeded the space of the DinA4 format, potentially because they had more and more associations as they were creating.

What do the results tell about disciplinary identity and interdisciplinary cooperation?

The collages show that the way we relate to disciplines is individual. Nevertheless, common themes can be identified that play into our self-representation in relation to our disciplines. Stereotypes play a role, we have to position ourselves in relation to them. The process of collaging confronts us with stereotypes and images of our own discipline. We collect what we associate with our discipline and are then challenged to find an arrangement - to position ourselves in that context. We observed in the workshop that the process of getting to know each other led to a lively exchange about disciplines and cultures between students who had not known each other and each other's disciplines before. In particular, expressing a critical reflection on one's own discipline seemed to connect many people beyond their disciplinary background. It was interesting to see that themes, keywords and images seemed to be relatable to people beyond their disciplines. It might therefore be fruitful for interdisciplinary collaboration to be aware of the different backgrounds that everyone brings to the table, but also to differentiate what individuals have in common in terms of questions, critiques, visions and ideals. Collaging seems to be a tool with which people from different backgrounds can resonate. The feedback from participants with no previous experience of collaging was particularly enthusiastic. But everyone seemed to care about their outcome, because after a 2-hour workshop everyone stayed for up to half an hour, continuing to share and waiting for their collages, which we still had to scan. The research team had the impression that in the workshop people produced new insights as well as 'old' ones, and put them in relation to each other, which made for a fruitful exchange.

At first sight, the collage shows a silhouette of a person that is observed from a pair of eyes located above the. The dominant colors are pink, violett and blue, and the collage becomes more dense on the bottom. None of the pieces is ripped out and everything is cut into shapes that sometimes match the figure that is cut out or sometimes were cut to become a specific shape. Looking more closely, the two eyes are cut seperately and give the impression as if they were staring at the silhouette, because two triangular snippets of numbers are positioned at the pupils reaching to the silhouette. On the right we have a further snippet with scribbled lines pointing to the lower right corner of the collage. The corpus of the silhouette is made from a photograph of a pile of documents. The head is made from a head that is facing towards the viewer, although the silhouette is displayed from the back. The left arm (viewers perspective) is made from a photograph of a reflecting window and the right arm is made from a birds eye photograph with colorful shapes. In the background, there is a flow chart diagramm in the upper part and a staple of pills on the right side from the middle to the bottom. There are further pills in front of the right leg of the silhouette. On the lower left side of the collage, there is a person sitting on a chair in a blue room, that looks like a waiting room. That person is carying a large pink sign labeled “tavor”. On top of this element there is a pink box. In front of the staple of pills there is a black & white insect, possibly a bug, laying on its back. On top of the staple of pills there is a little table with numbers that could be from a bill. The collage does not work a lot with words, but one word that was cut out and positioned on the right side below the eyes is the german word for observing “beobachten”. From the flow chart one can read “time of my life” as well as the german word for why “warum”?

Considering that all participants in the workshop started with the same material foundation it is astonishing to see how entirely different the collages turned out. Somewhere in between the paper magazines the students had to choose from and the final assembled collage, there lays a lot of creation of meaning and unarticulated thoughts. To me, there is a great contrast to how I remember the workshop feeling like and now reflecting on the output that was created in this little time. The atmosphere in the room was cheerful and relaxed, almost playful. Now looking at the collages, they appear so meaningful and deep that it doesn’t match the atmosphere I have in mind when thinking back. But maybe this is exactly the power of collage making: its process feels light and easygoing since most of the decisions are taken intuitively and irrational. Only in contemplation about the created art, inner processes and patterns begin to appear.

This is what I will begin to work out in this attempt at interpretation of the collages and the associated keywords.

visual poetry

First, I want to talk about the role of language. One thought that we had about the reflection of disciplinary identity through collages was, that we hoped that we could escape the hegemony of creating meaning through language. We hoped that we would approach a known topic in a new way and therefore could create new knowledge for us and the participants. But we could leave language as a medium for meaning only partly. All the collages and some solely did rely on text. However, language was not used as language as we know it in the collages. The collages relied on text bites, associatively chosen, and cut out from magazines and newspapers. Text was used decisively and poetically. The text was always embedded in a visual way and therefore never worked linearly. Hence it is interesting to look at the kind of words and sentences that were chosen by the participants and how they are aligned and juxtaposed.

There are three collages which rely mainly on text in the assemblage of their collage (RD1, SD34, PC2). In all of these, the choice of words creates a certain atmosphere. The words revolve around different questions or topics. Why did the artists choose these words to express themselves? SD34 out of all the collages has the most structured and graspable layout. None of the elements overlap and they are ordered from big to small. The upper three words say, “Now even better!” and the rest of the words describe what I would consider a digital present. Freedom, Nerds, Google, and Elon Musk are mentioned. In terms of word choice there appears to be an overlap with the course of study being computer science in economics. However, none of the chosen text bites involve questions. The whole collage feels like a statement. This stands in contrast to the other two word-heavy collages, which use a lot of questions. PC2 is framed within what can be considered a question and an answer. The title asks: “Does this fit?” and the four words which embed the entire frame, display: “It will be alright”. The visual elements in the collage show two pillars and two bridges and a graphic that could be considered a pie chart or color wheel. In between them are words aligned in a circular fashion. These words evoke uncertainty (“Outsider”, “New territory”). There is no clear subject in the frame. The keywords fight for attention and the lines drawn between them and the cut-out bridges display their relatedness. The uncertainty in the middle of the collage is contrasted with the reassuring “It will be alright”. Connecting that to the artists course of study “Studium Individuale” fits the decision-making processes faced in these studies very well.

below the surface

In the other collages there also appear some very first-hand connections to the respective courses of study. E.g., the two collages that display stock charts (RD1, NA53) come from the economics and business administration. They are also the only ones which explicitly mention and display money. RD1 mentions words around the topic of money six times. The two artists which come from the computer sciences (MR12, SD34) are also the only ones which display or mention digital technologies. The two cultural sciences artists (AK20, BR8) also show first-hand relations two their fields of study. AK20 displays two contemplating figures sitting at their desks, one holding a pen, the other listening to music. BR8 embeds cut out keywords like “power dynamics, discrimination, inequality, migration, resistance”. All of which I would consider as being dealt with a lot in the cultural sciences. But besides these at times obvious relations to the courses of study I find it most interesting to think about why the artists chose exactly these images and words. Do these collages offer access to the emotions towards their studies? SA30, KT1 and BR8 offer very evocative imagery that goes beyond shallow connections toward their fields of study. In SA30 the subject attempts to leave the frame. The figure at the top of the rocket is looking towards the sky whilst having a translucent scarf among its face. The background remains out of focus and clustered. Where is the subject heading to? This could express the artist’s reflection about the need to move forward, to break out and display a certain unease with the present, given the background and the shattered frame around the edges. Likewise, in BR8, resistance and unease seem to be among the dominant themes. The need to shout out and fight back but being heavily restricted. The shape of a screaming mouth in the middle of the collage which is closed with a locked and barricaded door. The anger and urge to resist is summarized with the big subtitle “What the fuck?!”. Both SA30 and BR8 inherit a lot of movement and dynamics. BR8 is being held back by something (the society?) and attempts to resist and fight for all the topics that attempt to leave the shouting mouth. SA30 is also attempting to move forward, and the frame is already shattered and fog leaves the frame. But where the flight is heading, we do not know. Dissimilar to the SA30 and BR8 the figure in KT1 does not feel empowered and ready to act. One large pair of eyes hover behind the figure. And like TJ Eckleburgs eyes in The Great Gatsby, they see through the figure making its head and body translucent and fragile. Stacks of pills and decision-making charts prove that the translucent figure is not in control of itself but in fact in a reciprocal and interdependent relationship with factors from the outside. This could reflect the views of the artists gained through their course of study as well as the figuration within their studies, or both.

conflict

Among many of the collages conflict appears to be a common theme. Already mentioned in BR8 the need to resist, PC2 “Will it fit? It will be alright”, SA30 the want to break out, KT1 perceiving and being perceived. But also, in MR12. The artist from the computer sciences choose to display computers and robots in their collage. However, all of these symbols are questioned in their existence. One screen is fractured, the other is dissolving with handicraft material pouring out. And the robot is displayed as holding a banner: “I don’t want to be a robot”. And the top of the collage says, “The present appears as a void.” All the elements are embedded onto a vibrant, pink mountainous landscape. The digital technologies in the collages are not taken for granted and displayed in a futuristic potentiality but their turned off manners displays their material, inanimate foundations. The collage displays an overall skepticism towards digitality.

All the collages offer interesting insights into how the artists position themselves within their respective disciplines. The chosen approaches range from choosing keywords found in the source material and arranging them in a meaningful way to constructing and shaping multilayered assemblages of words, shapes and colors. As is the case in art interpretation, the art piece cannot be equated with the artists, however reflecting on the collages themselves offers insight into many ambivalences and conflicts within a position of disciplinary identity.

KT1

psychology

Jonas (he/him) enjoys making and thinking about moving images. In that sense he enjoys collage making because it offers a meaningful and accesible approach to expressing thoughts and emotions. In his studies he is interested in Philosophy of Science and Sociology.

Jonas (he/him) enjoys making and thinking about moving images. In that sense he enjoys collage making because it offers a meaningful and accesible approach to expressing thoughts and emotions. In his studies he is interested in Philosophy of Science and Sociology.

Black and white dominate the collage through the use of text. Colors from the color wheel stand out in used illustrations and make them appear in contrast to the used text (e.g. yellow in the graphic, pink in the bikers, blue in the shirt of the man). The collage works in a horizontal manner. Because text is used, the collage is read form and seen left to right – this, in fact, creates the line in the first place. This effect is strengthened through the use of the graphic in the lower part of the collage, where a line leads towards the right lower corner of the collage. This also makes the “landscape” created in the collage appear to reach beyond the borders of the paper. The whole collage appears to have two layers – the paper itself and the paper glued on it. In most instances, the cut outs stand for themselves and don’t overlap. Multiple layer can be seen in the cyclists, that drive on the graphic or the man in the upper corner, that has text glued over his eyes. In the lower right corner, a black element was glued over a quotation, covering the last word of the sentence. The collage is dominated by geometric shapes and forms. The words and sentences are cut in squares. The graph and the circle are geometrical as well. Everything is cut, nothing is ripped. This gives the whole collage a certain sense of order. Although there are many elements on the collage, there is much negative space as well. Through that, white is the most dominant (non)-color in the collage. A sense of three-dimensional space is created through the cyclists, that seem to cycle towards and beyond the borders of the collage. Although the objects are placed in a denser manner in the lower body of the collage, is still appears to be symmetrical balance. The space of the collage is used relatively equal in all its corners: For example, the whole horizontal line is used. There is a comparably blank space in middle of the collage, against which the order of the rest of the elements is created. Movement is created through the elements in the lower part of the collage. While the upper part appears still and is dominated by text, we see movement in the man holding the solar panel as well as in the cyclists. Because the words and sentences dominate the collage (and with it the color black and white) attentions is drawn the humanely subjects of the collage; thus the man with the solar panel, the cyclists as well as the man with the blocked view. Unity is created to the repetitive use of words (“öko”; “elektro”). Additionally, are patter is created within the horizontal movement of the collage.

RD1

economics and politics

Identity is something very individual and should or could not be generalized. Nevertheless, I made some observations about the way students express their perspective on their identity through collage, which I will now elaborate on.

Use of words

In our introduction, we did not comment on the use of words to see what people intuitively create. The material we provided consisted of pictures and written words with different typographies and our participants found various angles how to incorporate words and pictures. The collage PC2 for example, consists mainly out of words. Most of the snippets are large and stand out very clearly through strong contrast. The words on the outside of the collage belong together “Es wird schon gehen” (=It will work out somehow) and form a kind of frame, that is filled with more words. One of the snippets “Es gibt keine dummen Fragen” is placed centrally on top of the collage, almost as if it were the title. I can imagine, that the artists wanted to stress the importance of these words that again can be interpreted in different ways. The collage has some linearity in it, through the way it can be read, but it provides a lot of room for interpretation. Collages like PE15 in contrast, work with only a very few words that stand out clearly like they were important statements. When only very few words are used like that, the individual words gain importance. AK20 in comparison incorporates more words numerically, but the quotes do not stand out in the collage since they are on the side and in small font. The viewer can read through them and they transport meaning too, but they are not as prominent as in PE15. The focus here lies on the images. A mixture of very prominent and delicate words can be found in BR8, where we have some large words “Körper” (=bodies), “Wiederstand” (=Resistance) etc. as well as some words that are low-key incorporated into the collage f.e. “Diskrimminierung”. One could now argue, this is by chance and because the artists found these letters in this size in the provided materials. And of course, the artists work with what is in front of them. Nonetheless, the way they position the statements and what they decide to select remains what intuitively spoke to them. I would guess, that they would not place large quotes,words, statements on top of the collage if they were not meaningfull. The significance of large words is especially of interest for collages that use words as their main type of media like RD1, SD34, NA53 and the first named examle PC2.

Expressing Emotions

Looking at the collages I further noticed, that many of them were not a neutral collection of aspects relevant to disciplines, but rather emotional insights of the artists relationship towards its disciplines or towards addressed topics. NA53 used an image of a middle aged male-read person, who seems very tired, sad or frustrated to me. On top of that, this artists wrote “Me” with a pen which positions the artist directly in an emotional relation with the other aspects of the collage. There are many quotes and statements that directly or indirectly link to the discipline of business administration in this collage, but the first focal point is the picture of the man and therefore the emotional link. Another example for an emotional collage would be BR8. The artists did not explicitly reveal themself as the person like NA53 did, but there is an image of a person who is clenching their fists and opening their mouth as if they were in a fight. The image looks angry too me, which matches with the large words “What the fuck?!” that gain emotional power through the question- and exclamationmark. At first glance, I would not see PC2 for example as a very emotional collage. At second glance however, it just transports less expressive emotions like feeling thoughtfull or hopefull. Maybe I get this impression, because words do not carry the same emotional weight for me as pictures do and maybe it is also connetced to the fact that no exclamation marks were incoporated. SD34 is similar in the way it uses mainly words, but because there is one large headline with an exclamation mark “Jetzt noch besser!” (=Now even better!) it transports a stronger excited feeling to me.

Use of space

I was surprised to see how many artists went beyond the DINA4 format and worked on the background or the edges of the paper. It seems to me that our artists were able to relate to more and more elements in the materials as they reflected more on themselves in relation to their discipline. Starting small, but finding more and more matching elements that could not be left out. It is complex to define one's disciplinary identity through collage, and a collage cannot convey the full concept of an identity. It is striking how much our artists found that spoke to them and makes me hopeful for collage making as a good method for deep reflection. Examples for collages using up more space would be NA53, BR8, PC2, SD35, SA30. Leaving the frame makes collages larger and less dense and enables the use of more materials. It is also an analogy for how identity can not be put into boxes.

Similarities between disciplines

It suprised me how different the collages of the same study programs turned out. Of course we do not have a representative sample size, but in our case study it was often difficult assigning collages to a discipline without further elaboration. Many artists incorporated topics relvant for their discipline into their collage f.e. BR8 “Multimediainstallation” and therefore, one could think the collages from the same discipline would look more similar. Indeed, sometimes topics reoccured like that. An example would be “Inequality” as an explicit element of BR8 and an implicit element in AK20 where both artists study cultural studies. But because topics are expressed so individually and because there is such a large diversity of topics and focus is individual again, the collages were not easy to group and assign to a discipline. The collages of the two Studium Individuale participants (SA30 and PC2) do not look very similar in the way they were assambled or what they contain. Through interpretation I can read some curiosity and uncertainty in both works of art, but I can imagine that I see this because of my biased perspective as another indi major.

Conclusions

Collages can be an invitation to non-linear thinking and seem to have evoked a deep reflection about our participants as part of a discipline. Thoughts were flowing and every participant created a beautiful work of art out f that. This brought us a great diversity of results to work with. The way the collages were created differs through the use of words, the colors and contrasts incorporated into the piece, as well as the way how they transport emotion. There are many ways one could interpret the individual collages, but they are never dull, always illustrating an individual relationship and feelings the artists has towards its discipline. Because these emotions and the person behind the works of art were so important for the content of the collage, similarities were mostly based on personal traits and interests that are not necessarily tied to a discipline. The broad variety of angles from which one can look at collage can be seen as an analogy towards the broad variety one can look at an individual being encultured in a disicpline.

Leonie (she/her) is doing her Bachelors degree in Studium Individuale as well, but has been focusing on environmental and sustainability sciences with a drizzle of cultural studies and urban planning. She enjoys creative tasks a lot and is always crafting or creating something in her free time.

This collage is symmetrically structured and very dense. The visual elements are complemented with and sourrounded by text elements. On the edge of the collage the text is the biggest and frames the upper part of the collages. The lines run parallel to the edge of the vertical used DinA4 background of the collage create a bulky frame to the collage. It's vertical format is divided horizontally into three main visual parts. The biggest part is on the lower part of the collage and is confied by a prominent horizontal line at ca. two thirds of the collage. It is created by the straight cut edge of the photo that is placed above as the next visual part. The third part a circular cut comic figure, on the top is pasted half onto the photo and then breaks through the frame of the collage. The figur itself is composed of round shapes. These can also be found in the lower half of the collage where a compound visual element is based on a big round graphic element which could represent be a big mouth screaming. Other photographic and text elements are pasted onto the original piece so that it becomes rather abstract. Lines are running radially from the mouth to the edge of the collage, words such as “Discrimintation”, “power relations” are pasted in addition to the lines from the original graphic. The lines direct the view to the inside of the circle where a door is pasted onto. This creates emphasis on the inside of the circle but also movement from the inside towards the outside. The inside of circle then again takes on the rectangle lines from the frame of the collage: The door is a bit opened and creates a vertical line in the middle of the collage but locked with a chain and wood which create horizontal lines. The windows of the door create little frames in the simmilar format as the collage.

There is a strong contrast created by round and dynamic lines and shapes opposed with rectangle lines. There is movement and restriction of movement through strong cuts and frames within and around the collage. This creates a strong tension between order, restriction and movement against this order, breaking through and being restricted again.

Roughly cut elements, a bit crooked or ripped edges create a "raw look" of the collage. There is hardly space between the elements, which partly overlapp as if they would bump into each other and struggle with each other.

This is also represented in the imagery of the collage: screaming mouths, fists, the exclamation "What the fuck?!" which is on the boottom of the collage. Here again the frame cracks up a bit like on the top (where the word "body" is seperated by the comic figuere element) as it is cut through in the middel, breaking the parralel lines of the frame.

The dominant colors a yellow and pink as well as black and white. They create a strong contrast.

BR8

cultural sciences

The collage uses almost exclusively text. The text is ordered from big letterings in the top to more smaller letterings and sentences in the bottom. There appear to be nine separate text elements complimented with two visual elements. One of which is a Qr-Code.

The collage is framed horizontally and the visual structure leads the eye from the big letterings in the top to the small letterings in the bottom. What appears to be the title of the collage are three separately cut out words: “JETZT NOCH BESSER!”- now even better! The three words break the frame and embed all the other elements beneath them.

The elements beneath are (from top to bottom) “Pauls-Freiheit” - Pauls-Freedom, “Goldene Ära” - golden age, “Im Schwitzkasten der Nerds” - in the nerds’ sweatbox, “Tradition trifft Moderne” - Tradition meets modernity, “zu faul zum Googeln” - too lazy to google and “Wie Elon Musk versucht, aus einer Seniorensiedlung in Texas einen Weltraumbahnhof zu machen.” -How Elon Musk is trying to turn a retirement community in Texas into a spaceport. The text elements are mostly glued in tilted but beneath each other. In that way the image can be almost split up in two separate columns with a title on top. The only visual element is a cartoon in the bottom right which shows a character with frightened face. Around him are hands which come out a cloud each holding different tools or objects: a syringe, a microphone, a bottle, a wrench, a smartphone… Similarily in a Comic-Bubble style is a brief sentence glued on top of the cartoon: “…dies würde zu einem Absturz führen” - …this would lead to a crash.

It is apparent that the cartoon is working with lots of headlines, extracted from their original surroundings. Most of the printed in Bold letters, some with serifs others without. There is no overlapping between the different elements, and even though they are not glued in straight and are cutout in crooked lines, there appears to be a clear structure in which the elements are ordered. However it remains unclear how the individual elements relate to each other. The viewers eye jumps around from sentence to sentence and no real visual-motive is to be found in the collage. The title-type lettering frames everything but it is unclear how the framed relates to each other since they are assembled separate from each other around the outside of the collage. Inbetween appears a lot of blank space.

SD34

computer science in economics

How is disciplinary Identity expressed? - Introductory thoughts

We did not ask participants directly to depict their “disciplinary identity” but to collage their personal view of their discipline or study program. The expression of personal identity has to be found between the lines of the collages. One result of the workshop was -other than expected- that it was hard for people to allocate collages directly to a discipline. Yet the economy-related programs were associated with the economy in the broader sense. And also computer science in economics was identified. But there was a general agreement in the final plenary that it was generally not that clear. Reasons could be on the one hand that people from the workshop just did not know the other programs that well. The way you are able to “read” someone's collage is affected by your very own experiences and knowledge about their discipline. (At this point I want to note that also my own interpretation will be affected by my personal experiences: For example, I have a different relationship and closeness to the field of cultural studies than to say economy.)

On the other hand, the difficulty to allocate collages immediately might also hint at a very personal, individual perspective that people have towards their discipline.  These collages do not only represent a certain discipline but reveal a personal relationship to and experience with it.

looking for the “self” - examining different forms of tension

The collages differ very much in the ways a sense of identity or self is transmitted. But despite the different means that are used a general theme of tension between self and discipline can be observed.

distancing your self

NA53 (Business Administration) is the only collage where a self is very explicitly mentioned through the handwritten addition of “ME:” onto a photo. Interestingly in the associations to their collage, the participant expressed that they also see themselves as part of the homogenous mass that is represented in opposition to the individual “ME” in their collage. The self in this collage seems rather disconnected from their discipline, distancing itself from stereotypes and also a certain toxicity expressed through symbols and words: “The man how markets his life.” This might be a coincidence (or due to the use of materials from the same magazines) but there are parallels in structure, colors, and space in both collages from economic programs (NA53, RD1). But NA53 works with more visual elements and connects them with text whereas RD1 (Economics and Politics) is more text-dominated. NA53 shows the self visually distanced from their program. In RD1 theoretical struggle and doubts are expressed through the many word snippets arranged together. Both collages show an urge to distance and question their own discipline by using text and visual means in a slightly different way.

the tension between theory and practice

BR8 (Cultural Studies) expresses less distance but also conflicts with or within their discipline. Here, the images and sentences struggle directly with each other. There is no negative space as in the above-mentioned collages. Element meets each other in opposing shapes and movements that are created in the composition. Also, the content of the text and image expresses resistance, fighting, and conflict. In their associations, the person mentioned the gap between theory and practice. This collage seems to express a strong urge to get active and break through the restrictions of theoretical discourses. Here the self seems active and engaged, rebelling against given structures. The other collage of cultural studies (AK20) appears more still. The balanced composition creates a dark frame that seems more stable than the frame of the other collage. It is not clear where the self is located in this collage. Is it on one side of the table? Maybe it is the young person facing the camera, opposing the “old white man”. Their discourse seems stuck and contradictory. They are not sitting at the same table. But maybe the self is not represented in the picture but also looks at this scenery from the outside through the frame of their studies. In their reflective talk, the person mentioned the urge in their field of studies to dive deeper and deeper into the theoretical perspectives and discourses of others which they like. But there is also tension when it comes to the urge to work more interdisciplinary, practical and to develop a personal perspective. Thus both cultural studies collages seem to be influenced by the tension between theory and practice.

words and images and the self

Other collages work also with direct depictions of human bodies or faces that could express identity. KT1 employs several bodies or body parts. Ambiguity is created through the visual approach of the collage. Is "the self" expressed in the supervising, observing, calculating eyes at the top, the anxious and lost figure in the center of the collage, or the person sitting in the waiting room? Maybe it is everything at once and nothing in particular.

In addition to visual depictions keywords or phrases can hint at identity or a sense of self: “The utopian”, “I don’t want to be a robot.”, “Outsider”, “Paul’s Freedom”. They are used in different ways. Some collages are heavily word-dominated others only use them selectively. How much do they tell us about disciplinary Identity?

“The Utopian” is central in the collage SA30 (Studium Individuale) where only a few words are used in general. In combination with the composition, it seems to underline the upward dynamic of the rocket which is breaking through the frames into the unknown. Even though the sight is hazy and “Tidying only makes it worse” there is an optimistic tone to the collage. The person mentioned in their reflection talk that the little boy depicted resonated very much with their sense of self: a bit hazy, curious, wondering, and optimistic. “The Utopian” seems to be an important aspect to describe their own (disciplinary) identity. In other collages, it is not that clear in what ways keywords or phrases employed describe a person's identity or whether it is more a reference to stereotypes or perceptions of others. In the other Studium Individuale Collage PC2 the word “Outsider” appears. But as it appears rather small next to the big letters that dominate the collage. There is some tension expressed through (self-) critical questions like “Does this fit?” and “Who benefits?”. But these questions can also be answered in the collage with “It will work out” and “More experiments!”. Self-confidence is expressed in the bold lettering, the massive extension of the frame, and also in their own associations collected to their collage. The usual negative connotation to “outsider” takes only a small place and thus could even be understood as an appropriation of the term with a positive connotation. Both Studium Individuale Collages seem to express some self-confidence and optimism within the tensions of their disciplines that are also depicted.

Concluding Remarks

It can be observed that most collages display some kind of tension between self and discipline. Some seem to be more critical or distanced towards their own discipline and others more confident/optimistic in their discipline.

The majority of participants are currently doing their bachelor thus do not have a very specific disciplinary identity yet. Maybe these tensions occur also in relation to the study programs and how they are structured in the University system, as for example, the employ of the wordplay “Leerplan” (empty plan) instead of “Lehrplan” (curriculum) in Collage RD1 expresses. But they can also occur content-wise. BR8 for example expresses the tensions and conflicts that cultural studies deal with but also the tension of only working theoretically on them without practical solutions.

What could these tensions imply for interdisciplinary cooperation? Maybe it could be a relief to cooperate with other people who bring different tools and perspectives to the table. The precondition for good cooperation in contexts where struggles and tensions exist is probably self-reflection and awareness. This process of collaging and reflecting with others may have been helpful to foster the self-awareness of the participants in regard to their disciplinary identities and bring up new insights.

Hannah is studying Studium Individuale with the aim of exploration and orientation. So far, she has been focussing on human-environment relations as well as artistic and creative expression. Drawn to feminist and postcolonial perspectives, interested in finding ways to preserve the diversity of different knowledge systems, strengthening collaboration, mutuality and equality. This has led her to explore mainly the fields of cultural and sustainability studies.

The collage includes nine word elements, 6 visual elements, as well as hand-drawn lines. Three additional visual elements were added to the back of the collage. There are no humans and no photographs included in the collage.

Colors from the color wheel are used – they are also represented in the visual of the wheel itself. The colors are bright and catch the eye’s attention. The effect might be emphasized through the white background*.* The collage is created in a circular manner – meaning its elements are arranged in from left to right in each corner; but appear to be a circle through the words and visuals in the “inner” part of the collage. In the middle of the collage, horizontal lines are drawn. Although the collage uses space beyond the borders of the paper, it does not appear to reach further beyond (as in creating three-dimensional space), because of the finite, circular space in which the elements are arranged in. The cut outs are mainly arranged next to each other, and rarely on top of each other. While most elements are cut out of paper that appears to be from similar material, the collage was also drawn on. For example, certain letters that were not cut out entirely are completed with drawn bits. This creates at least two different “layers” of texture that work together. The shape if the collage is regular as a whole through the geometric shape it is worked in (circle); though it is irregular from the within: The individual elements have rather rough edges. Most of them are ripped, not cut. If they are cut, the edges are not straight, but irregular. Although a lot of space in the collage is occupied, negative space can be found in the middle of collage in the form of a circle. Since the back of the collage is used as well but with only two objects, this side merely empty and negative space dominates. Because the elements are arranged in a circular manner, the collage creates balance. The words used differ in size, but are used equally. Movement is created through the lines and arrows in the middle of the collage. These elements not only work in a connective manner, but also create movement from/to/between the single elements. Because of their size, emphasis is laid on the four words in the corners of the collage. Emphasis is also created through color: Because the “color wheel” in the right corner of the collage is the only elements, that uses several colors at once, it catches the attention of the viewer’s eye. A first pattern can be seen in the use of the color blue – it appears in all five word elements that connect the corners of the collage. Another repetitive elements can be seen in the two pillars in the lower part of the collage, as well as the two bridges in the lower and the middle part of the collage.

PC2

studium individuale

color code:

language

figures/subject

imagery/tokens

space/ composition: The overall impression of this collage is dominated by a mix of visual and text elements that seem rather randomly scattered over the landscape format DinA 4 Paper. The collage is on the one hand very dense with many different elements and a lot of (text) details at the same time the is a lot of white background visible between the elements, making them seem rather disconnected and loosely dispersed.

Description: There are five main visual elements in the collage and a lot of small text snippets. The most striking element is the photo portrait of a middle-aged person in the picture's upper left corner. It is also the element which overlaps the frame of the paper the most. The person has a worried look, rings under their eyes and rests their head on their hand in which they hold a cigarette. Their gaze is directed towards the rest of the collage on which the other elements are arranged in a tilted manner. On the portrait, there is "ME:" written on the forehead of the man and a cut-out writing is pasted next to it, parallel to the edge of the paper frame: saying “ "Everyone looks the same somehow. ” Behind the head of the portrayed person, there is a small comic dialogue pasted completely out of the frame of the collage. There are two speech bubbles visible, seemingly coming out of the head of the person: “Are you having as much fun as I am?” - “Yes.” The other main visual elements are also all complemented with some text snippes pasted onto them. Sometimes also handwritten text is added. The only text element not directly linked to another element is the word “life” pasted nearly vertically between the portrait of the person and the rest of the collage. The center of the collage is dominated by a photo- montage where two persons, wearing suits are sitting at a yellow table dealing with money and some more abstract representations of the stock market. You cannot see their eyes as there is text pasted onto the faces: “ “Everyone takes” with a hand written addition: “themselves to seriously” and “Money experts” on the other persons head. Beneath that white on black background there is a square cut image of some kind of graphs that could represent stock prices, also tilted in a similar angle as the table above. At the top right corner there is the heading “Upward trend” pasted in extension of the graphs. In the top right corner there is a shopping trolley cut out in a round shape, with “prosperity” and “dept” pasted very small onto the middle and some hand written arrows connecting them in both directions.The last rather decent visual elements are two different sizied parts of a bill pasted next to each other beneath the portrait on the left side of the collage. On each of them there is pasted the expression “oof oof” in different sizes in the middle. Placed the on the bottom left there is photo of a lot of computer- screens probably from a stock market context on which is inserted the heading “Fair Trade”. And lastly there is a list of “the five principles of  the network society” at the right edge of the collage, with a photo of a person turned towards the see in the background. Pasted onto the male read person is in rather big square cut letters “emptiness” and underneath the list there is the phrase “The man who markets his life” in big letter cut out in a round shape.

Colours: The colours are rather muted and seem coordinated. The dominant colours are black and white, followed by a yellow tone that appears several times and dominates the centre of the collage. There are also a few magenta, light blue and different grey and blue shades. The word "success" stands out in the collage because it is written in white on a very bright magenta background. It forms a colour accent in the upper centre of the picture and contrasts with the yellow area below. The magenta reappears several times in the collage in a more subdued form.

Lines and shapes/ methods of cutting: Through the tilted position of the text elements the collage is dominated by oblique lines running at different angles to each other. This almost creates a kind of zig zag pattern from left to right as lines are alternating to be tilted upward and downward. This pattern is also refound in the visual elements on the collage such as the  share price graphs, the legs of the shopping trolley and lines that run through the image.

The individual elements are cut out rather irregularly, most of them trend to be angular cut. Three elements are cut in a more round shape: the portrait, the trolley opposite to it and  the line "The man who markets his life".

Because of the size of the portrait there is a an emphasize in the top left corner. The line "Everyone looks the same somehow" is the only one in the collage wich is pasted paralles to the ege of the collage which also makes it function like a heading. The collage is read from the top left corner.

NA53

business administration

The Workshop

In the workshop we brought together 12 university students from 8 different disciplines at Leuphana University and asked them to make a collage about the way they see themselves in relation to their discipline. They all got an introduction about interdisciplinary consciousness, (getting a reflexive understanding for ones own in contrast to other disciplines and their way of thinking) as well a presentation about various ways collages can be created.

The collage-making process was structured like this:

- 8 min. sifting through the material (various magazines & books, different years and genres)

- 5 min. exchange

- 8 min. to collect, cut or rip out images or words that intuitively speak to the person

- 5 min. exchange

- 20 min. arranging and finishing collage

After that:

- 15 min. each participant was asked the artists to write about their associations with their own collage in key words + key words about how they perceived the other collages

- 20 min. reflective exchange about the collages in small groups

- 10. min. final plenary

Anonymized codes refer to the artists of the collage

Formal Visual Analysis

Inspired by the procedure of Catharina Wicks (2018) a formal visual anaylsis was done for every collage. To minimize bias, the collages were split up between the researchers depending on the former knowledge they had about the pieces.Each of the collages was analyzed by the researcher with the least amount of previous knowledge about the collage or/and participant.

The grand reflection

What did we find out through our project? What did we and our participants learn during the workshop? Here is a summary of all our findings and conclusions from analyzing the collages. This includes:

Limitations & Discussion

First we declare what our limitations were and how one can understand our research project. Spoiler alert: our results cannot be generalized, but bring an interesting insight into the world of collage making and disciplinary identities.

Methodology

Summary of Results & Conclusions

Here we brought the most important observations together and drew our conclusions from our collaborative research project. If you want to get a quick overview about our project, this area is for you!

Interpretation: "How do students express their disciplinary identity in collages?"

For the interpretation, every researcher closely looked and interpreted the content of all the collages from their individual perspective. In the following step, which can be read about on the left, reoccuring phenomena or contrasting themes that were found were described by the researchers in seperated texts. This makes visible the subjectivity of art-based research (and research in general) and makes the positionality of the researchers transparent. In order to connect the individual interpretations again, the texts were color coded.