De-disciplined: A Q-study on how artists, scientists and technologists experience collaboration as a creative inter/transdisciplinary practice

Distant disciplinary interactions between artists, scientists and technologists have been a topic of interest. However, systematic knowledge on how diverse collaborative structures form and function is limited. The current study seeks to address this gap by investigating the social ecology of collaboration between artists, scientists and technologists engaged in inter/transdisciplinary (ITD) creative and cultural practice. The study explores the collaborative experiences of 42 participants with the use of Q-methodology. From the data, five thematic narratives emerge. Three narratives reveal collaborative styles grounded in embodiment and experimentation, fostering cultures and methods suited to co-creating ITD knowledge marked by uncertainty and serendipity. A fourth narrative highlights how artworks critically engage with science and technology, while a fifth, bipolar theme captures conflicting views on the mediated ‘third space’ in art–science–technology collaborations. This research reveals the influence of art on ITD research and science domains through creative collaborations. The findings support the development of transformative structural models for designing and facilitating collaborations across distant disciplinary knowledge cultures.