Art Thinking is a method developed by ESCP Business School’s Professor of Entrepreneurship, Sylvain Bureau, and artist, Pierre Tectin, that goes beyond the traditional educational frameworks. It fosters creativity through six radical practices—donate, deviate, destroy, drift, dialogue, and display— empowering students to challenge norms, collaborate, and generate innovative ideas.
Unlike traditional methods, Art Thinking doesn’t focus on perfecting what we already know. Instead, it emphasises generating the unknown.
In October 2024 our MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership students at ESCP’s London Campus completed the ‘Improbable’ workshop. The Art Thinking Method inspired MDT students to create ten thought-provoking installations and performances. Each encouraged viewers to rethink their beliefs, from personal identity questions to broader societal critiques, inviting the audience to self-reflect:
Moulding – This art performance used layered fabric to explore how societal expectations can change our personal identity. It probed viewers to question whether we shape our own lives or conform to external pressures.
Behind the Smile – This series of portraits invited viewers to look beyond polished exteriors and confront hidden vulnerabilities that each of us hold. It emphasised that fostering real connections with each other comes through sharing struggles.
Reality Check – An installation exposed the illusion of social media connections. Layered photography showed how our online personas mask loneliness, prompting viewers to consider if we are trading genuine relationships for virtual approval.
Digital Scars – An interactive installation highlighted the hidden environmental costs of AI. Attendees could interact with a “sustainability assistant”, with each prompt visibly damaging a nearby plant. This showed nature’s sacrifice for our virtual interactions and digital convenience.
Disconnected – This installation revealed the impact of 5G towers on bird migration, symbolising humanity’s trade-off between technological advancement and ecological balance.
Too Much on Your Plate – Through a “menu” of disposable fashion, this piece criticised fast fashion, constant buying and the short-lived happiness we achieve from consumption of material goods.
The Golden Recipe – This piece used iconic fast food brands to replicate the Grammy Awards. It offered critique of the industrialisation of fame and music, questioning the true artistry behind popular success.
Religious Election – An interactive voting experience that explored political manipulation. The audience had the chance to vote based on religious quotes from leaders, only to later discover contradictions. This demonstrated the hypocrisy of political figures and how they influence public opinions.
Silent Hunt in the Jungle – An audio-visual representation of objectification, showing how everyday environments can turn predatory, provoking reflection on power dynamics, gender relations and how we look at others.
A Child’s Truth – A video that explored the gap between childhood dreams and adult careers. The team also offered an interactive opportunity to write down your childhood dreams and share them with the audience, contributing to the discussion as to whether we stayed true to our early hopes.
The seminar boosts essential skills for the future of work, including analytical thinking and innovation, creative thinking, emotional intelligence, and leadership and social influence. These skills align with the mission of the MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership programme to prepare students to effectively tackle tomorrow’s business landscape and lead it with authenticity, purpose, and bold vision.
Read more about this workshop: https://escp.eu/news/breaking-boundaries-through-art-thinking-escp-london-campuss-first-improbable-seminar
Find out more about the MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership: http://escp.eu/mdt
Find out more about Art Thinking: https://artthinkingnetwork.com/method