Epistemic Objects and Creative Collaboration: Unraveling Distributed Knowledge in Architectural Education

This study, part of the DIGART project, investigates the creative processes in architectural education through a multimodal analysis based on photoelicitation, video recordings of project presentations, and in-depth interviews with professors, associate professors, professional architects, and their students. The ethnographic approach reveals how creative innovation emerges from distributed knowledge (Goodwin, 1994; Lozares, 2007; Muntanyola-Saura, 2014), where these actors coordinate actions at key moments in the creative process. By analyzing epistemic objects and the use of technology, the study uncovers the "black box" of creation—conceptualization, execution, and evaluation phases.

The research draws on Kirsh’s (2007) concept of "intelligent use of space," observing how architecture students employ objects and space as cognitive tools to project their artistic intentions and develop creative processes. These interactions, combined with insights from in-depth interviews, are crucial to understanding collective knowledge production and epistemic protocols (Knorr-Cetina, 1999) in this context.

The study provides real-time analysis of distributed cognition in artistic education, focusing on memory, attention, and motivation. Additionally, incorporating a gender perspective, it examines the verbalization, timing, and modes of interaction during the creative process, highlighting differences arising from the use of digital technologies.

The results offer a deeper understanding of the stages of creation in architecture compared to other fields, such as film editing or photography, where significant changes occur earlier in the conceptualization phase.

This research contributes to discussions on artistic knowledge paradigms and creative production in educational settings, providing novel insights into the interaction between humans and technology in collaborative processes.