A Conversation Between Kip Jones and Patricia Leavy: Arts-Based Research, Performative Social Science and Working on the Margins

This paper reports a conversation between international pioneers in ArtsBased Research and Performative Social Science, Patricia Leavy and Kip Jones. They begin by delineating the differences between research and/or dissemination that use tools from the Arts in their production. Leavy turns to her fiction writing as an example, while Jones discusses the making of his research-based short film, Rufus Stone. The conversation then turns to how these novel approaches have changed the way in which they work and these efforts in relation to the academy. The concept of “audience” is raised. Both then give examples of taking alternative routes in their career paths and funding for this kind of work. Jones specifically talks about using creativity in all our approaches, including small-scale projects that rely on creativity rather than money. He suggests being creative in the ways in which we write for publication and present our work to other academics. Leavy ends the conversation by discussing taking risks and walking through fear. Jones recommends not working in silos, but letting all parts of our lives influence our outputs.