Minimal scenes: audiovisual methodologies in research with children in the performing arts

Abstract

This article reflects on the aesthetic possibilities and ethical challenges involved in the use of audiovisual methods in research with children within the field of performing arts. It analyzes a study conducted with children aged four to six years from a municipal early childhood education school located in central São Paulo. Situated at the intersection of performance studies, education, and childhood sociology, the research focuses on the performativities and theatricalities emerging from children’s participation in the Motoca na Praça project. This initiative promotes children’s right to the city in a territory historically marked by conflicts. Partial findings indicate that valuing children’s spontaneous productions, recorded through an audiovisual device called minimal scenes, fosters micro-agencies, inventiveness, and fictionalities in academic research with children.