Tidal Thinking for artist-researcher collaboration:

beachcombing located memories and place values

Abstract

Oceans are fundamental to life on Earth, yet they face escalating pressures that demand solutions across society. Addressing these challenges requires approaches that span disciplines and ways of knowing. Bridging art and research offers great possibilities but comes with its own distinct challenges. Inspired by Oceanic movement and our coastal experiences, particularly SCUBA diving, we consider connections between arts and research through rhythm and sense of place. Marine places further benefit from approaches suited to their fluidity, such as ‘Oceanic thinking’ and embodied maritime practices. Based on conversations between the authors (artist and researcher) which became the supporting text for an exhibition, we propose ‘tidal thinking’ as an approach which resonates with our art and research practices. Tidal thinking emphasises dynamic cycles, creating liminal terrains, exposing learnings, and carrying us through tension and release. This cycle has supported our collaborative work, including a participatory mapping and sketching activity outlined below: ‘beachcombing located memories’. To evoke beachcombing, this activity echoes tidal cycles with sketching, scattering, combing, and sharing located images to elicit personal associations with coastal spaces towards shared reflection. Inspired by marine processes and artefacts, we offer tidal thinking as both a conceptual and practical tool to support educators, artists, and researchers in developing transdisciplinary collaborations that contribute to viable and just Ocean futures.