Rhizome Theory

​In A Thousand Plateaus, Italian philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Feliz Guattari proposed the concept of the “rhizome” as a metaphor for a way of thinking and organizing knowledge. They muse knowledge systems often assert hierarchical structure like the root systems of trees, with clearly defined foundations and clear growth trajectories. Rhizomes -such as the many different ways visual arts present, are associated with, and learned within Jamaica- do not flow so linearly. In fact is understood that within seemingly stratified Jamaican art world's (Poupeye, 2011,) growth, change, and learning are happening at the same time. Thus learning about Jamaican art cannot be understood as a predictable system. Deleuze and Guattari instead propose a rhizome where knowledge can start from any point-like a map. Because rhizome systems have the ability to sprout new shoots creating interconnected networks, rhizomes provide orientation without limiting potential for new growth and continued evolution.

 

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In Facing The Nation: Art History and Art Criticism in the Jamaican Context, Dr. Andrea Douglas addresses the rhetoric of nationalism and the role of art institutions in furthering historical patterns (often reinforced by Western value systems) through prescription of labels that do not fully account for modern realities of migration, diaspora, and technology. Douglas muses of the potential for rhizome theory to counter linear established histories and suggests an artist’s biography offers expanded and inclusive context that has the “potential of establishing the complexity of Jamaican agency in both the local and global artistic arena.” (51)

 

The operating belief of this site heeds Douglas's call and adopts Barbadian curator Dr. Natalie McGuire's rhizomatic approach to conducting cultural research for community. ​In "The Case for a Rhizomatic Research Approach in Caribbean Museology" Natalie McGuire lists 3 guiding principles                     accepts as project tenants:

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Rhizomatic Museological Research Principles: 

1. Multi-vocality functions to distribute authority within meaning-making. Knowledge exchange from communities are visibly integrated with little interpretation by researchers

2. Research methodology as a relational ecology rather than a linear framework. Research interrogates definitions.                Relationship-building > data collection

3. Accessible Research Outputs that are ongoing with continual revisions, participatory and shared across open access platforms.