That’s the advice of artist Nadia Odlum, a current PHD candidate at the University of Sydney College of the Arts and a recent entrepreneurial lead in the PERIscope Commercialisation Award program.
Nadia’s doctoral research focuses on contemporary art and play, and the potential for public art to create opportunities for intergenerational play in urban spaces. They are part of the Australian Research Council funded project ART/PLAY/RISK: An interdisciplinary approach to building child friendly cities, led by Dr Sanné Mestrom.
Through their training in fine arts, Nadia became increasingly interested in cities and placing art in public spaces. It was in this context that they first encountered the potential (and challenges) of working with people outside the art industry, including council staff, placemakers, engineers and developers.
‘The more I started to work in public spaces, the more I realised that you can no longer assume a shared disciplinary language such as you can in conventional art space. You are in a constant process of translation, finding ways to communicate between different disciplines,' Nadia said.
‘And that became hugely interesting to me – trying to figure out what is the interesting and productive messy space that happens between disciplines.
Very few things that occur out in the world are the result of one set of knowledge or one way of knowing – they are usually born of collaboration.
Artist and PhD candidate, Nadia Odlum
‘I see that almost as another sort of discipline, another art form … and as an artist I try to approach that with a lot of curiosity and playfulness and creativity.
‘Very few things that occur out in the world are the result of one set of knowledge or one way of knowing – they are usually born of collaboration.’
While taking part in the PERIscope Commercialisation Award as an entrepreneur lead, Nadia has also come to value the art of listening. PERIscope is a University of Sydney program that helps researchers explore and accelerate the commercial potential of their work. As part of a team led by Dr Mestrom and architect Anna Ciliberto, Nadia entered the program with one idea, only to pivot entirely while undertaking market validation research.
‘I had to have over 100 conversations with people who are within the ecosystem of the problem and try and understand their problems and their world. You’re not trying to convince them of your idea or defend your research,’ Nadia said.
‘Through this you are being taught active listening and how to hear what their pain points are. It is a very different process as for a lot of research, we’re sort of in our books and our spaces and our silos.’
Through this process the team began considering the over-looked design possibilities of existing playground spaces and what they offered in terms of improving accessibility and opportunities for ‘risky’ play.
Roll, Nadia Odlum, temporary playable installation in Sydney Olympic Park. Photo by @documentphotography.
40
manual
LinkRemember that toddlers and kids have to fall down 1000 times before they learn to walk and climb. It’s like we forget that as adults sometimes.
Artist and PhD candidate, Nadia Odlum
On taking risks, Nadia recalls some important advice they received, and that they now pass on.
‘I give guest lectures in professional practice at the National Art School, and I am always telling students of the absolute importance of failure,’ they said.
‘In my own journey, there was a lecturer early on who told me that if you are not getting rejected five times a month you are not putting yourself out there enough. And that was really useful for me to hear at the beginning of my practice because it helped me to reframe failure as success.’
Nadia emphasised the importance of having a learner’s mindset.
‘Remember that toddlers and kids have to fall down 1000 times before they learn to walk and climb. It’s like we forget that as adults sometimes.'
Nadia was interviewed by Alice Motion, Professor of Science and Culture at the School of Chemistry, at a recent Research Impact Matters talk hosted by the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC). Through candid conversations with entrepreneurs, practitioners and researchers, the series explores how research can transform communities, shape industries and fuel social change. Each session explores how the speakers transform research into real world change, why they do what they do, and what they have learned through breakthroughs and setbacks.
SSSHARC Director Lee Wallace said Research Impact Matters offers practical insights for anyone looking to create meaningful, evidence-based impact.
‘We’re finding changemakers with a connection to arts and social sciences who have completed their degrees, gone out into the world, and are making change in ways that were perhaps not obvious to them when they commenced as students.’
The next guest speaker is Elysée Dubois, a University of Sydney graduate whose research on fintech startups earned her the University Medal. Elysée is the founder of Bella, a beauty tech company rethinking how people discover and experience beauty.
The next Research Impact Matters talk will be held at the Sydney Knowledge Hub on 17 September, 11am to 12:30pm, Lunch and networking opportunities included. Register here.
Hero image: Artist Nadia Odlum in their studio. Photograph by Jacquie Manning, courtesy Parramatta Artists Studios.