What is slow looking and how can I get started?

 

WHAT IS SLOW LOOKING?

Slow looking can be defined in various ways, but at its core, it’s about taking time to really observe and connect with something.

It means observing in a more thoughtful and intentional way.

Slow looking encourages you to move beyond first impressions and to engage more deeply with what you’re seeing.

Whether you’re looking at art, nature, or an everyday object, slow looking helps you notice details you might ordinarily have missed.

Here’s my own definition:

Slow looking is a practice, mindset and approach involving the study of something with intention and attention.

Slow looking is not simply the amount of time that you spend with something, it’s the belief that all discovery originates in looking.

Slow looking simply requires us to be present, patient and willing to immerse ourselves in the act of observation.

The principles of slow looking can be applied in many different contexts, not just in museums.

You can practice slow looking while walking, chatting with others, or observing objects in your home. You don’t need a special setting—just a willingness to take a deeper look at the world around you.

It’s all too easy to think we’ve fully seen or understood something after a quick glance or brief scan.

However, if you take the time to stay longer, look more closely, and reflect on what you’re seeing, you often uncover much more than you initially thought.

For example, when we see a tree in the park, we might only notice its size and colour. But if we take a bit more time to observe, looking at the bark, leaves, and how the light filters through, we can discover many more details and appreciate the tree’s beauty in a new way.

The same is true with a painting; some artworks might not evoke a sense of connection until we’ve spent time looking at them and reflecting on their details.

By taking a closer look and giving ourselves time to explore something more deeply, we can enrich our overall experience.

In the next section, we’ll explore some simple steps to help you get started with slow looking and make the most of this practice.

HOW CAN I GET STARTED?

How long do you need to look for?

You can spend as much time as you like—there are no strict rules.

If you’re new to slow looking or doing it on your own, a good starting point is to find a comfortable spot (perhaps with a seat) and spend 3-5 minutes observing.

Participating in a guided slow-looking experience, whether in person or virtually, offers a unique opportunity to spend anywhere from 10 to 120 minutes or even more immersed in observation and discussion. During these sessions, you might engage in various activities or routines, all aimed at slowing down and deepening your connection with what you’re looking at.

I’ve conducted sessions where we explored a single artwork for a solid 1.5 hours. As you gain more experience facilitating these sessions, spending longer durations becomes more comfortable.

Initially, 15 minutes might seem like a lot, but with time, it can start to fly by as you become more skilled in the art of slow looking.

Speaking of spending extended time with art, Jennifer Roberts penned an article titled “Power of Patience” a few years ago. In it, she discussed challenging her art history students to dedicate a substantial 3 hours to a single work of art.

Additionally, Peter Clothier has been conducting one hour/one painting sessions for years that combine elements of meditation and contemplation. His book Slow Looking (2012) was the first book I read on the subject of slow looking and art.

Shari Tishman‘s book ‘Slow Looking‘, (2017), the most comprehensive book on the subject to date, argues that taking your time to truly immerse yourself in the details of diverse subjects, from visual arts to everyday life, can unlock valuable cognitive opportunities for meaningful learning and critical thinking.

But how much time you spend and whether you look alone or with others is ultimately up to you. Start with short sessions and gradually increase as you become more comfortable and confident with slow looking. It’s all about finding your own pace and enjoying the process.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK AT?

Well, the unhelpful answer is anything. Yes, anything.

 Art and creative works are an obvious choice as they are made to engage and hold our attention. 

But it doesn’t have to be art. 

In his fabulous book ‘How to Use your Eyes’, James Elkins teaches us how to spend time and look at 32 different ordinary objects – postage stamps, grass, a twig, Egyptian hieroglyphs and more. 

Whilst Alexandra Horowitz in her book ‘On Looking’  encourages us to take the same walk over and over again and look at it each time with fresh eyes.

Classrooms encourage slow looking by asking students to take apart and analyse objects.

 We can practise slow looking anywhere, on any object, at any location, wherever we are. It certainly doesn’t have to be in a museum. And it doesn’t need to be art. 

And I would definitely recommend that you start by just practising slow looking every day as part of your life.

SHOULD I DO IT BY MYSELF OR WITH OTHERS?

Slow looking can be an individual or a group activity.

If you’re practicing slow looking alone, it’s worth telling yourself or ‘labelling’ what you see in your head. 

You can also note down thoughts in a notebook. In a group, you might discuss what you see with others. 

But slow looking doesn’t have to be all about looking and talking, I use sketching regularly as another way of observing an object or artwork. 

You can also use ‘Back-to-Back’ drawing (the observer describes what they are looking at to the person with their back to the object, who then draws what is being described to them), blind contour drawing, or using a viewfinder to focus on a specific part of an object. 

Aside from drawing and sketching as a slow looking activity, think about looking through a microscope, taking objects apart (and putting them back together again), or recreating what you see through painting, movement and dance.

DOES IT INVOLVE MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION?

It can do. It doesn’t have to. Slow looking is interpreted in different ways by different people.

Many museums now are offering slow looking sessions that introduce elements of mindfulness, meditation and groundedness.

• Peter Clothier has been running one hour/one painting sessions for years that combine elements of meditation and contemplation. He begins with a brief introduction to the principles of closed-eye breath meditation, encouraging participants to relax and refresh the eyes, and to rid the mind of expectations and pre-judgments. This leads to an alternation of closed- and open-eye work, the facilitator guiding the process with brief instructions and directions. Importantly, this is an individual journey—no discussions or interactions interrupt the experience. After the hour, Peter invites participants to share their thoughts and discuss their unique experiences.
• The National Gallery’s ‘5-minute Meditations’ series, released during lockdown in March 2020, selects meditation techniques that connect with a painting’s content or how it was painted, so that the art and the meditation enhance one another.
• MoMA regularly runs one-hour, interactive ‘Slow Looking: Connecting to Self and Place’ sessions. These online experiences typically explore a single artwork through a series of guided activities based around a trauma-sensitive framework. The session can include intention-setting, grounding exercises, before moving on to deep description and creative responses to the artwork. This session is part of the initiative Artful Practices for Well-Being, which offers activities and ideas for connectedness and healing through art. You can read or listen to my conversation with Jackie Armstrong from MoMA here.
• Manchester Art Gallery has been a trailblazer for trauma-sensitive mindful looking programmes focused on health and wellbeing. Louise Thompson talks about her work here.

But, importantly. slow looking doesn’t have to include a wellbeing or mindfulness element. Shari Tishman defines it as a ‘mode of learning, a means of gaining knowledge through observation’ and she provides 4 strategies to approach it: categories, open inventory, scale and scope, juxtaposition.

INTROSPECTIVE & EXTROSPECTIVE APPROACHES TO SLOW LOOKING

Recently, I’ve been thinking about different modes of slow looking and see two general approaches – introspective and extrospective.

A more “introspective” approach to slow looking involves analysing something in relation to your own feelings, experiences, and thoughts. This may include mindfulness, meditation, and groundedness, leading to deep personal connections.

An “extrospective” approach would explore meanings, possibilities & interpretations and could potentially be more focused on the artist, maker, (historical) context or other layers of meaning surrounding the object or artwork. This approach is generally more outward-looking.

Of course, you can choose to mix both “introspective” and “extrospective” approaches in one slow-looking experience.

Both approaches encourage you to go beyond first glance and look at something over time with focused attention. And both introspective and extrospective approaches encourage slow lookers to make their own observations, descriptions and interpretations. However the questions asked, the techniques and tools employed will differ from one approach to another.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SLOW LOOKING?