Assignment 1: Encounter with Charcoal - Janhvi Poddar (8185347) by

Introduction to my charcoal encounter experience:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:00:48 UTC

Charcoal is often describes as a compressed burned wood, and it is considered as a burned stick in article (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016). As I encounter with the burned stick, I noticed the "charcoalness" of charcoal (Springgay, 2011, 2012 as cited in article), it felt like a process of motion stillness, it felt that charcoal is showing hope, expression and motion.

As I was engaging with the documentation, in that moment (Massumi, 2002 as cited in the article), I was compelled to focus in the moment and pay attention to the detail of charcoal rather than just playing with it.

As I started encountering with the charcoal, I started touching it, feeling the texture and the black residue from the charcoal, assured me its not just human relationality (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016), but the space and movement in activity, I was witnessing the innocence exploration(Haraway, 2008 as cited in the article), narration and ideas of inventing, reproducing and transforming.

While focusing and moving towards the documentation, it showed that, encountering always disrupts the representation of knowing (O’Sullivan 2006 as cited in article), as we always act in a way society wants, but encountering the new objects helps in recognition new ideas and knowledge.

My documentation: ideas exploration:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:06:28 UTC

When I decided to encounter charcoal, I was bit hesitant and disgust, as I had to touch, attend and respond to the texture, color and crumbles of charcoal. Initially the dirtiness from the charcoal felt bit weird as my hands were getting dirty, it felt like I was touching black soil, but felt super fun.

As you can see from above images, about my process of documenting the entire encounter with charcoal. On the bottom left are the Charcoal and wood which were brought by me.

Eventually as I was engrossed in the ideology of play, I realized I am encountering with different aspects of charcoal:

Noticing the smell.
Feeling the crumble of charcoal with my bare hands.
Encountering the experience of touch, noise and imprints.
Responding in a creative ways towards charcoal.
Understanding and analyzing the observation and experimenting with charcoal is something that cannot be control, rather its should be encounter with responsibility.

As we began with documenting the idea, a quote from reading which states that, " A sense of not knowing" (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016)and it inspired me to see charcoal as a source of imagination and play with charcoal with no end goals and just to engrossed in the process.

Imprints of charcoal, using wet hands and dry hands:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:07:37 UTC

As (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al, (2016) "charcoal touched us, this made me felt that it affected, as the touch was not done unintendedly but with the determination to feel the texture, to notice the lines on my hand. To see if imprints are better when my hands are wet or dry. The charcoal touch, felt like a gesture, (Manning, 2007 as cited in the article) it allowed me to show I can and i am able to allow the texture to make an imprint of my hand.

As I was touching the charcoal and my hands were getting dirty, I realized it was impossible not to touch and be touch by charcoal (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016), the sensation of touch made me aware that the way we touch, is the way our bodies move (Manning, 2007 as cited in the article) and it was more than a physical touch its was synesthetically appreciation of the rhythmic motion for my handprints.

Cutting different types of charcoal with scissors:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:08:31 UTC

The above video was an attempt to cut charcoal with scissors, the wet wood which is thin like a stick was very difficult to cut and would take time, whereas the dry charcoal crumbed within a second. In this process, I thought that the tiny stick would cut faster than compared to the thick piece of coal, but the opposite occurred, this made me confused and sad. Despite being sad and confused, I realized that I need to notice. As there might be other factor affecting it like science, the dry charcoal would crumble quickly due to its density. This made me perceive, that awareness is the practice to attunement (Tsing, 2011, as cited in article). Being aware is like practicing ethical way of leaving and being attentive would give an individual a sense of wonder, and help us to open ourself to the fact and the reality of our thoughts towards play (van Dooren, 2014, as cited in article).

As mentioned by Atkinson (2011 as cited in article), that sometimes being undone is crucial form of learning, we need to learn without having the end goal and trust the process.

The smell of charcoal:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:08:53 UTC

I was excited to smell charcoal, to understand if the burned and wet charcoal smells the same. The left charcoal, which smelt burnt, and it reminded me about barbeque with roast meats and vegetables and charcoal was giving me a sense of earthy smell as its felt like, it was carrying the traces of forest or woodfire (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016). Where as the right charcoal, smelt like damped soil and reminded me the smell of soil during rainy days.

Both the smell gave my body a sensation of being connected to earth.

Throughout the smelling process of charcoal made me pause, (Kimmerer, 2003 as cited in article), made me attentive and made me realize, if we open are minds perspective, be chaotic and vibrant to the world or a space (Springgay, 2012, p. 557 as cited in article), then we can connect to anything and encounter with our idea and thought process.

Introduction of different types of charcoal:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:09:26 UTC

As I was trying to find different loose parts or different type of charcoal. While exploring, I was able to find wet charcoal; as the charcoal was layered on the top of soil and dry charcoal; which was properly burned. In the bottom left picture, I tried to explore the darkness of charcoal, first and second pieces of charcoal are completely burned and dried which was giving the darker black than compare to third, which was layered on the top of soil and was wet, it would give less to no blackness while drawing, has the lighter shed when scribbling compare to dry charcoal.

Furthermore, the traces from the dry charcoal would smudge on the white paper and be more reflective. While scribbling or making drawing on paper I realized that charcoal, its not only the representation of drawing(Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016) but its could be perception of my thinking, movement and interest.

As I moved forward I explored different aspects of charcoal.

Ending the play with messiness:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:33:07 UTC

As the process of encountering and having fun with charcoal came to end, it made me realized that every encounter of crumbling, scribbling or cutting the charcoal was a "a moment of affirmation" as quoted by(O’Sullivan, 2006 as cited in article), this gave me the perspective that a simple object can help me to develop my thinking and give me the affirmation to see the world in different perspective. Furthermore as Dahlberg and Moss (2005 as cited in article), also articulates that, whether we have have any dull thoughts or thought leading to darkness, having open thoughts and learning about the new possibilities, helps us in critical thinking and be creative.

Moreover, the whole journey with charcoal encounter, offered hope, hope to be open to new thoughts, hope to feel and be felt . Hope to be attentive in anything that came in my life. The hope to be open to our feelings and thoughts in the unpredictable world (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2016).

Therapeutic noise from breaking, crumbling and scribbling charcoal:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 03:33:55 UTC

In the above video, I was breaking, scribbling and crumbling the charcoal, each sound coming from breaking or crumbling charcoal, gave me sense of elegance and relaxation. But as I started scribbling, I started scribbling, without even realizing, I started scribbling in a provoked way, this implemented that charcoal holds memory (Nona Orbach, 2023), the scribbling and crumbling showed my past and emotion. Throughout the process its gave me dramatic sensation (Nona Orbach, 2023), the angrier, my thoughts occur, the more dark the scribbling become.

Later, the crumbs left from each line, showed me the sense of power and control over the emotion (Nona Orbach, 2023). The more I scribbled the more crumbs were left behind, the entire process of not knowing the end goal made me patients, gave me freedom and control on my thoughts(Nona Orbach, 2023). The process of leaving crumbs on the white sheets, kept my mind calm and gave me the flexibility to showcase may emotions.

Different encounters and exploration with charcoal:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-01 23:53:53 UTC

The above play with charcoal was just an impulsive act of my thoughts because, the image of leave illustrate that the if I want a clear border of the leaves, trace a figure or draw shadow, the charcoal is an effective way to illustrates the imprints, shadow and traces. I also tried to Imprint the leaves line, but the charcoal would not define the lines of leaves, rather it would smudge on the paper and if I magnify the image of leave, then charcoal has helped me to enhanced the line on the leave and made it more beautiful.

The 2nd photo shows charcoal in water. I put both wet and dry charcoal in the water and all the materials were floating. I kept the charcoal in the water for 2 hours and only the tiny particle which had become dense, submerged in the water but the bigger pieces were still floating.

Throughout the both experiment, I was able to understand that charcoal has many function and can be explored and encounter in different way.

References:

janhvipoddar — 2025-05-02 05:32:48 UTC