Thesis Project : Poetic Negotiations
Posted by on November 21, 2015
Thesis Project by Helena Kjellgren
The design of Poetic Negotiations is threefold: first it is focused on designing a process for listening; second, on developing a process for understanding what is heard; and third, giving agency to this newfound knowledge. I conducted a case study of Poetic Negotiations with a dementia unit in a nursing home in New York. I chose to focus on the work of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), because their work provides a tremendous value for the residents but they have a low status in the hierarchy of the healthcare system. Using poetic condensation and illustrations, this process gave agency to the tacit knowledge of CNAs and challenged the set hierarchies of the system. This study was deliberately designed according to the ethical requirements of a scientific study, which enabled the voices of the CNAs to be heard in conversations that they seldom participate.
