Abstract
In recent years, cognitive psychology has supplied interesting analytical frameworks for the processes involved in the construction of knowledge at all levels of education, from kindergarten to college. In design teaching and for many decades theories have been proposed about design projects "methods" and "methodologies". However, only in recent years theoretical approaches to "creativity" and the creative process have been proposed and have started to be implemented in academic curricula, or as working methods (cocreation). Creativity, thus, has become an area of "focus" of research, with important implications on the design discipline. However, creativity, invention, imagination and fantasy simultaneously interact within the mind, and it seems difficult to distinguish specific procedures for each and every one of them. How to encourage and nourish these mental processes in design students? Is it possible to discriminate “phases” of these processes on the different contexts of learning? It seems that when we reach adulthood our mind no longer has room for fantasy. Is it possible for a professional designer to operate using fantasy and imagination? The aim of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of how fantasy can stimulate creativity.
Keywords
creativity, invention, imagination, fantasy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.108
Citation
Perrone, R.(2013) Relating creativity, fantasy, invention and imagination: studying collective models of creative collaboration from Kindergarten to University Degrees, in Reitan, J.B., Lloyd, P., Bohemia, E., Nielsen, L.M., Digranes, I., & Lutnæs, E. (eds.), DRS // Cumulus: Design Learning for Tomorrow, 14-17 May, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.108
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Relating creativity, fantasy, invention and imagination: studying collective models of creative collaboration from Kindergarten to University Degrees
In recent years, cognitive psychology has supplied interesting analytical frameworks for the processes involved in the construction of knowledge at all levels of education, from kindergarten to college. In design teaching and for many decades theories have been proposed about design projects "methods" and "methodologies". However, only in recent years theoretical approaches to "creativity" and the creative process have been proposed and have started to be implemented in academic curricula, or as working methods (cocreation). Creativity, thus, has become an area of "focus" of research, with important implications on the design discipline. However, creativity, invention, imagination and fantasy simultaneously interact within the mind, and it seems difficult to distinguish specific procedures for each and every one of them. How to encourage and nourish these mental processes in design students? Is it possible to discriminate “phases” of these processes on the different contexts of learning? It seems that when we reach adulthood our mind no longer has room for fantasy. Is it possible for a professional designer to operate using fantasy and imagination? The aim of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of how fantasy can stimulate creativity.