The art of arts-based interventions in transdisciplinary sustainability research

Transdisciplinary, co-creative research deals with complex real-world problems, with complexity being a common denominator of sustainability issues. It is often understood as an interplay of two dimensions, collaboration and creativity, that facilitates the integration of different forms of knowledge and the creation of transformative outcomes. In the end, it aims to find more holistic and systemic solutions to complex real-world problems. Increasingly, Arts-Based Interventions (ABIs) are proposed to support sustainability-oriented transdisciplinary research. However, little research has been done so far to gauge the extent to which adding arts to the mix actually benefits the transdisciplinary research process and outcomes. In the research project reported on in this article, we took a first step into the realm of the arts by including ABIs into transdisciplinary brainstorming sessions. We investigated their influence on the research process and outcomes as perceived by the participants. We found ABIs to positively influence both dimensions of co-creativity—(1) collaboration, through enhancing the sense of togetherness in the group, and (2) creativity, directly and indirectly through a perceived emotionalization. ABIs were perceived to induce a change of perspective and a broadening of horizons that can facilitate the creation of transformative solutions. Moreover, their reported emotionalizing impact points toward an integration of tacit—in particular emotional—knowledge. This can lead to a more holistic view of the investigated problem. Altogether, the reported impacts of ABIs on transdisciplinary research can promote the creation of transformative and holistic solutions to sustainability issues in transdisciplinary sustainability research.