10 TEACHERs COLLEGE COLUmbIA UNIvERsITy
Introduction
mechanical and cognitive underpinnings of eye-
hand coordination in “atoms of copy-drawing”.
Tresset and Fol Leymarie outline the depth of
understanding, of the stages of perceptual pro-
cesses, demanded of them in designing and build-
ing a drawing robot. The significance of timing in
creative processes is also illustrated in Kozbelt’s
analysis of creative development.
Intriguingly, McInnes considered both move-
ment and temporality in his experiential investiga-
tion of knitting. While listening and considering
what people were saying, he responded to concepts
in the rhythm and motion of his hands, examin-
ing the impact of knitting on his thinking, and vice
versa.
Reflecting on the symposium, Chris Moffett
asks how we could think about thinking through
drawing; how can we approach the question asked
by symposium? We imagine the symposium itself
as a drawing in progress, generating and exploring
ideas, as a movement that will continue to evolve as
new collaborations are fostered and new questions
raised.
Drawing the future
The common themes of movement, change and
transformation are fitting as industry and society
are changing so rapidly, and disciplinary boundar-
ies are brought into question. Exciting new ways to
study cognitive and behavioral aspects of drawing
are opening up, thanks to developing technology
and recent work by cognitive scientists on internal
worlds and states of consciousness. A greater clar-
ity about the nature of drawing can contribute to
the critical evaluation of drawing curricula, to the
identification, and defense, of traditional models of
drawing education which are still relevant and use-
ful, while it can also contribute to the innovation
of new approaches to teaching – both the teaching
of drawing skills themselves, and the use of draw-
ing to enhance the learning of other subjects. It can
also address more fundamental questions about the
nature of perceptual and psychomotor skills associ-
ated with drawing, their transferability and value to
the individual. Simon Betts writes:What I really hope for is that the confi-
dence to draw in whatever method is rele-
vant to the individual student, not weighed
down by believing that “good drawing”
belongs to one particular group of practi-
tioners, will ultimately allow our students
to understand their past and construct
their futures.There is something invaluable about the study
and practice of drawing. We hope that these pro-
ceedings, and the future collaborations fostered
by this group, will demonstrate this. Our aim is to
nurture the growth of an international community
of researchers, to facilitate interdisciplinary collabo-
ration and to disseminate research outcomes. After
all, making unexpected connections and discover-
ing unforeseen possibilities is what we believe draw-
ing is about.