Art and NC (part 3)

How can we better manage transformation? A space for reflection on new forms of transformation: Exercise with Art

In parts 1 and 2 of my series "Art and NC", I tried to show the background of Negative Capability (NC) and its importance for change, transformation and leadership. In the third and final part, I will give an example of an exercise on art and NC.

When we use our astonishment as a positive resource

When looking at art, an important topic is astonishment: this exceptional ability to be surprised. Because when we are amazed, we are completely immersed in the moment. In this moment, we are again like a child who can see the elephant in the snake, as in the beautifully illustrated story "Le Petit Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.??

For NC, we need to wonder because dealing with uncertainty means showing curiosity. We can practice learning to be amazed.

"My child can do that, too"

Few subject areas are so strongly dependent on the feeling of "I like it" or "I do not like it". Statements such as "My child can do that, too!" or "And they pay money for something like that?" reflect this mixture of admiration and rejection.

I have observed time and time again - regardless of whether people have already taken a closer look at art or not, art leaves no one cold. Art triggers emotions, both positive and negative. Moreover, it often turns out in retrospect that a work of art that we initially rejected never lets us go.?

?If you then get to the bottom of the rejection, you often realize that the negative feeling stands for something completely different. Perhaps it has to do with childhood experiences, perhaps with our current job or with a negative attitude towards ourselves. Art is able to touch us.

Using the provocative potential of art

Not all works are suitable for a workshop to develop and expand NC. It is primarily works that trigger prejudices and defense mechanisms, i.e. works that move outside the norms of beauty ideals.?

The main criterion when selecting works for my workshops is therefore whether they have the potential to trigger ambivalent feelings. Can they convey themes that raise awareness of clichés and prejudices and also relate to our own lives?

"...it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then." Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

In recent years, I have developed transformation workshops in which I specifically use the provocative potential of art. Participants can get to the bottom of their prejudices, beliefs, and defense mechanisms in these workshops. And this creates a space for reflection in which the feeling of uncertainty and ambivalence can be used as a positive resource. This type of training works particularly well with originals.?

I have chosen the work shown here for one of the exercises from the workshops:

?

...sand in a glass, egg-shaped vessel - this does not correspond to the usual ideas of an important and authoritative work of art.?

An effective exercise for Art and NC

At the beginning I say nothing about the work, no background, no title, I don't mention the artist's name.

The group, which ideally consists of four people, looks at the artwork and in the first step, has around 20 minutes to discuss three questions (other groups look at other artworks in parallel):

1. Seeing & observing:?What do I see anyway? (Description of details, structure, color, texture, etc. - no judgments yet).
2. Feelings & self-perception:?What do I feel when I look at the work? What triggers me (description of negative, neutral, and positive feelings)? What do I observe in myself, and how do I react to it??
3. Interpretation & inspiration:?What does the artwork mean? What kind of story am I developing for the artwork? What title do I give the artwork?

After the time has elapsed, the groups come back together and discuss how the discussion went. Each group makes a summary of their results.

Then we take 5 minutes together, and everyone writes down their experiences according to two criteria:?

• What surprised me about myself??
• What surprised me about the others?

I then tell the group what the artwork(s) are all about.?

In our case, it is the work "6'597'397 grains of sand" by the German artist Jochem Hendricks from 2007/08.?

?Over a period of months and years (since 1999), certain quantities of grains of sand were counted with the help of a large number of helpers. Each resulting pile of sand was then enclosed in a vessel by a glassblower.?

The facts about a piece of art are often like a game changer

• The previous groups come together again afterward and exchange ideas for another 10 minutes: How has the information about the artwork changed my attitude and my opinion?
• Then we all come back together, and I reflect on all the emerging aspects with them.

The self as an instrument & awareness of defense mechanisms

It is always fascinating for me to experience how many personal and true stories are discussed in just 60 minutes, triggered by art. The workshop participants talk about their personal feelings, reveal their biases and defenses, and create a connection to their potential for transformation and change.

The exercise offers an excellent opportunity to develop the "self as an instrument". Through the reflective and mutual exchange, the participants succeed in becoming aware of their defense mechanisms - and they recognize the profound impact of these feelings. They reflect on how important it is to understand them so that we can better understand ourselves and our counterparts.?

Whether we call it "being in the other person's shoes[1], whether we admit our fear of learning [2], or whether we realize that we are not as fair and collegial as we thought [3] - all these are just some aspects of the fact that we can only grow if we admit our biases and barriers. Only then can we understand our emotions as capital [4], deal better with our emotions in our teams, and learn to maneuver with our negative capability even in uncertain times.

[1] Vgl. Heifetz, R. A., Linsky, M., & Grashow, A. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Review Press.

[2] Vgl. Coutu, D. L. (2002). The anxiety of learning. Harvard Business Review, 80(3).

[3] Vgl. Limberg, T., & Heyden, L. (2007). Why fairness matters. International Commerce Review – ECR Journal, 7(2).

[4]? Vgl. Haumer, H. (1998). Emotionales Kapital. Entscheiden zwischen Vernunft und Gefu?hl. Vienna: Orac, Kremayr & Scheriau.