We talked to WLO member José Vicente Pestana, researcher at the Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology of the University of Barcelona (Spain).
In one sentence: What does leisure mean to you?
Leisure means to me the context and the experience to deeply go into what we actually are and may be.
What leisure projects, research and/or activities are you involved in?
I am currently researching about the links between leisure experiences and specifics time uses (time perspectives, procrastination), as well as theatre practices as a complex heuristics for self-development.
How did you hear about WLO?
I heard about WLO thanks to Nuria Codina, who directed my doctoral dissertation and is currently the main responsible of several research projects I am working in.
Why did you decide to become a member of WLO?
Because I strongly believe that the more we share scientific projects and human affinities, the more we may be able to change our surroundings through leisure.
What kind of synergies would you like to develop through your WLO membership?
It would be great to make reflections about the transformative side of arts as a leisure practice, combining their epistemological, methodological and social intervention issues. In my view, integrating knowledge – from a pluralistic standpoint – is a key aspect for developing leisure as a field of study.