ZOOMING IN: AN ARTS-INFORMED LIFE HISTORY APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF EVENT TRAVEL CAREER NARRATIVES

This article illustrates the operationalization of an analytical framework that draws on Pamphilon's Zoom Model and on an arts-informed life history research approach in the analysis of event travel career narratives. Nineteen Singaporean artists and producers in the performing arts world participated in the study, and were encouraged to create and employ memory maps, photographs, and artifacts as creative inquiries to describe and explain the stages of their event travel careers. The storying of lives is as complex as illustrating lives on paper. A structure is necessary to help researchers make sense of both visuals and narratives. Pamphilon's Zoom Model is adapted to incorporate creative inquiries (visuals). The model functions like a camera, providing the researcher with different levels of zoom, cues, and perspectives for the interpretation of visuals and narratives throughout the data collection process. The Zoom Model is a versatile instrument that not only provided structure for the storying of participants' lives but also allowed for the interpretation of visuals and stories across different time periods, providing richer stories and unfolding unexplored aspects of lives lived. Limitations of the arts-informed life history approach and the operations of the Zoom Model are discussed, and suggestions are presented for their future application.