The Art of Serendipity

Praise for The Art of Serendipity
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
On Creativity and Serendipity
	The Role of the Agent: Sagacity
	The Role of the Environment: Accident
	The Entangling of Agency: The Role of Emergence
	Conclusion
	An Overview of the Chapters in This Book
		Vlad Glăveanu: What’s ‘Inside’ the Prepared Mind? Not Things, but Relations
		Samantha Copeland: Metis and the Art of Serendipity
		Wendy Ross: Heteroscalar Serendipity and the Importance of Accidents
		Rose Turner and Hayley Kasperczyk: Space for the Unexpected, Serendipity in Immersive Theatre
		Ana Piñeyro: Fostering Creative Opportunities by Embracing the Accidental Within Practices of Making
		Paul L. March and Frederic Vallée-Tourangeau: Briefing for a Systemic Dissolution of Serendipity
		Gerhard Lock and Jaak Sikk: Accident and Serendipity in Music Composition, Improvisation and Performance Art
		Bem Le Hunte: The Anableps Guide to Serendipity: Intentional Serendipity as Creative Encounter—A Decolonized, Literary Perspective
		Andrew Sneddon: The Pleasure of not Knowing and the Importance of Serendipity in Contemporary Art Practice
		Ken Gilhooly: Problem Solving, Incubation and Serendipity
		Dean Keith Simonton: Serendipity and Creativity in the Arts and Sciences: A Combinatorial Analysis
	References
What’s ‘Inside’ the Prepared Mind? Not Things, but Relations
	The Experience of Surprise
	The Experience of Curiosity
	The Experience of Wonder
	The Experience of Serendipity
	Concluding Thoughts
	References
Metis and the Art of Serendipity
	Episteme
	Techne
	Metis
	Practitioners of the Art
	Conclusion
	References
Heteroscalar Serendipity and the Importance of Accidents
	Heteroscalar Serendipity
	Microserendipity
	Non-Directed Action
	The Element of Surprise
	The Importance of Enactment and Change
	The Benefits of a Focus on Accident
	References
Space for the Unexpected: Serendipity in Immersive Theatre
	Serendipity
	From Spectator to Spect-Actor
		Making the Familiar Strange
		Spect-Actors as Co-Creators
		Site, Space and Sound
		Moving Through Space
		People and Things in Space
	Serendipity in Immersive Theatre: Preparation to Reflection
	A Note on Terminology
	Space for the Unexpected: Summary
	References
Fostering Creative Opportunities by Embracing the Accidental Within Practices of Making
	The Accidental in the Creative Process
		Accident, Opportunity, and Intention
		Accidental Encounters in Creative Practice
	Experiencing Serendipity
		McCay-Peet and Toms’ Model of Serendipity
		Context of the Research
		When Things Go Wrong: Noticing a Visual Trigger
		Making Connections
		Spotting Valuable Opportunities and Following-Up: A Shift in Direction
		Making Connections (Again): A Delayed Insight
		Devising a Methodological Approach: A Further Follow-Up
		Perceiving Valuable Outcomes
	Reflecting on the Serendipitous Experience
		Allowing the Unexpected to Emerge
		Perceiving an Opportunity
		Incorporating Unpredictability into the Creative Process: Enhancing the Opportunities for the Accidental to Emerge
	Conclusions
	References
Briefing for a Systemic Dissolution of Serendipity
	Material Engagement Theory in Context
	The Theory of Material Engagement
		The Extended Mind
		Enactive Signification
		Material Agency
	Case Study 1: Fossilized Flowers Reified
	Interim Summary
		Interim Conclusions
	Movement Is Thinking
		The Laboratory Approach
		Learning a Solution into Existence
		Movement and Thinking Are Indivisible
		Local Contingency and Epistemic Myopia
	Conclusions
		What Future for Serendipity?
	References
Accident and Serendipity in Music Composition, Improvisation and Performance Art
	A ‘Fault’ to Serendipity Progression Model (FSPM)
	The ‘Right-Wrong’ Framework
	The “Interior Reality” of the Performer
	Play, Repetition and “Negative” Experience
	Normativity, “Free Will” and Other Approaches
	The Problem of Awareness/consciousness and Prediction Error
	The “Potential Self”, Tension and Musical Consciousness
	Conclusion
	References
The Anableps Guide to Serendipity: Intentional Serendipity as Creative Encounter—A Decolonised, Literary Perspective
	A Note on the Method
	The Journey (Hope)
		The Quest(ion) (Intention)
		The Signpost (Direction)
		The Potent (Ambition)
		The Park Bench (Encounter)
		The Temple (Trust/the Gift)
		The Library (Sense-Making)
	References
The Pleasure of Not Knowing and the Importance of Serendipity in Contemporary Art Practice
	References
Problem Solving, Incubation and Serendipity
	Problem Solving
	Incubation
		Incubation While Awake
		Incubation While Asleep
	Serendipity
	Connecting Incubation and Serendipity
		Exogenous (External) Events
		Endogenous (Internal) Mental Events
		How Might Problem Solutions Become Conscious Through Endogenous Mental Events?
		Semantic Network Modelling and Spreading Activation
		Endogenous Events as Chance Events
	Concluding Summary
	References
Serendipity and Creativity in the Arts and Sciences: A Combinatorial Analysis
	Combinatorial Creativity
		Defining Creativity
		Defining Non-creative Combinations
	Serendipitous Discovery
		Formal Analysis
		Specific Case
	Three Questions
		Serendipity Versus Pseudo-Serendipity
		External Versus Internal Serendipity
		Scientific Versus Artistic Serendipity
	Discussion
	References
Index