I wanted the evaluation experience for viewers to reflect the experience of the film, rather than be very reductionist and clinical.
Following James Elkins’ approach:
‘Go to museums alone‘ – I adapted this to create a quiet experience of the work and ask people not to share thoughts/ask questions until everyone has finished
‘Minimize distractions’ – I asked people to remain quiet until everyone has finished
‘Take your time’ – I didn’t rush people to finish
‘Do your own thinking’ – I said very little, if at all, about my own experience of creating the work until the end if asked
‘Allow yourself the most intimate and naive encounter’ –
I wanted the order of the evaluation to allow a more gut reaction. To facilitate this, I started the evaluation with a blank page reserved for mark-making/drawing, as a form of drawing on the stream of consciousness in a more intuitive, nonlinear form of reflection. I asked them to:
- Please take a few moments to quietly observe and reflect on how you feel
- Using the space below and pencil provided, quietly spend the next few minutes to draw or make any marks that reflect your experience of the work.
This is followed by questions that elicit personal engagement and reflection on their own experience, then Likert scale responses and ending with a few details about them for general qualitative analysis categorisation, making the experience itself the focus.
I tried not to use words and phrases that label and limit the viewers and allowing them to choose how they describe themselves.
I used some linear images from the animations to keep a sense of continued engagement with the film.
