On Research

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about research. Earlier in the week, I watched a talk by Laia Abril as part of Work Show Grow. I’ve been a fan of her work for a long time, she tackles urgent and wide-ranging issues in a deeply compelling way, using research as a tool for storytelling.

Her talk resonated with me because, while working on Canto, I’ve spent the past few years reading and collecting hundreds of articles, books and datasets. Some of this material has made its way into the project, but I’ve often struggled with how to shape all of that research into a coherent narrative. The sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when you’re deep in the details.

Listening to Laia speak reignited something for me. It reminded me of the importance of dedicating time and space to fully explore the research I’ve gathered, rather than feeling pressured to make sense of it all at once. I need to step back, revisit what I have and allow the key strands to emerge naturally - ones that will help me tell the story I want to tell.

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Another crucial aspect of her talk was about handling other people’s stories with care, particularly those of victims and survivors, which often feature in her work. First-person testimony is essential to her projects, and while it’s something I currently lack in my own work, gaining insight into her approach was invaluable.

I could have listened to her speak for hours, but the session was all too short. That said, it left me with a renewed sense of purpose. I’ve made a plan to return to my research, spend time with it, and carefully pull out the stories that need to be told.

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