Drawing Together. Collaborative Design Practices in Experimental Physics

Abstract

This study investigates hand sketching as imaging practice in working environments, depicting collaborative drawing as a distinct form of knowledge. The research is based on a case study of experimental physicists’ collaborative sketching practices. These questions lead the research: What specific functions do the collaborative sketching activities, and the resulting sketches have? How do different agencies get involved in collaborative imaging practices? Can the scientists’ actions be described as design practices? The hypothesis is that collaborative sketching forms an integral part of science discourse. Besides being a tool for thinking and communicating together, I argue that the collaborative sketching activity functions as an epistemic design practice. These practices are often overlooked yet constitute powerful instruments in the formation of science, society, and politics.