A Giacometti portrait, postmodern emergence, and creativity

Abstract

The notion of “postmodern emergence” is being used increasingly to frame and inform investigations into a diverse range of topics, and it is likely that this will continue. Postmodern emergence offers promise to researchers who seek alternative ways of generating new knowledge and want to work with creativity. However, the nature of the relationship between postmodern emergence and creativity has not been fully explored. Using a particular creative act, the painting of a portrait by artist Alberto Giacometti, and drawing on my own arts-based research, the synergies between postmodern emergence and a practice-theoretical approach to creativity are identified and unpacked from ontological and epistemological positions. Recognizing the place and value of creativity in postmodern emergence serves to support the work of postmodern emergence researchers, and indeed other qualitative researchers.