I have been reading The Object, edited by Antony Hudek, published in 2014. There is some interesting stuff in there.
Hudek writes about how objects define us. Ordinary mundane objects carry a variety of "disguises, concealments, subterfuges, provocations and triggers". They give multiple messages to different people. Objects exist before us and without us.
Dieter Roelstraete differentiates between Things and Objects. A thing has an earlier evolution than the object, as a thing has not acquired any relationship with a subject. The object has a more evolved status because it does have a relationship with a subject. An object has elevated status as it implies knowledge, control and ownership via possession and the ability to buy, sell trade or own it, by a subject.
Ob-ject - is derived from 'thrown against'. So does this mean the meanings we "throw against" it? Does this give the ob-ject 'worth'?
Ab-ject - is derived from "thrown away". Does this mean the ab-ject is denied of worth or has worth removed from it?
So as Walter Benjamin says, the artist "liberates things from the bondage of utility". This presumably indicates artists allocate a meaning to a thing, which elevates its status to an object. This give the artist a privileged position in rerouting, appropriating, and altering the object. Hudek reflects that as subjects with an extensive network of objects, we use them to learn about how to live, interact with others and organise ourselves publicly and privately. Provided this is accurate, the subject may be ready to accept that "Objects define us".
Stephen Willats, wrote about Transformers in 1989. Transformation is the taking of an object and the changing of its purpose, thereby creating another object. Its new meaning and function means the cultural references around it also change. The person or transformer who does this, recognises the underlying psychological possibilities by changing an object.
Objects hold a deep significance in modern Western society, in that objects signify the social power of the possessor and thus their authority. The object becomes a vehicle for society's desires and becomes an icon of a wider lifestyle choice. The creativity of the Transformer (artist) gives the object a new purpose which is other than its pre-determined role. When working in a standardised environment which restricts personal expression, tiny innocent transformations are notable, showing a rejection of imposed values. These transformation to the use and purpose of an object within a highly controlled environment are significant.
OK, so that is a bit of theory about The Object. If I try to apply this to my samplers, where do I get? If I think of a sampler as a thing, which had the bondage of utility of teaching girls to sew, and to learn their letters and numbers. I want to Transform it by using the sampler as a vehicle to publicise the actions of women who I respect. The traditional sampler was worked in a standardised format, but by articulate, specific expression of the values of the artist, a notable transformation could be achieved.
I am starting to change the way I feel about samplers. I had been quite surprised at my liking for such a traditional format, with its very simple stitch technique. I had been worrying about it being seen as old-fashioned, frumpy and unimaginative. But it does give the opportunity for a powerful social narrative, cogent with the technique, and demonstrating my understanding of the transformative power of the artist.
Friday, 30 October 2015
Sunday, 25 October 2015
"Chalk" at Winchester Cathedral
I had a trip down to Winchester to attend the evening talk given by my friends Irena and Vanda, about their artwork in the exhibition. I arrived quite early so I could have a good look round during the afternoon.
Actually I found it all a little unsettling. I went into Winchester Cathedral and was uncomfortable in the atmosphere. As you entered and made your way up the building, there were extensive monuments to various local armed services units. A lot of remembrance of the glorious dead. Although I am not a Christian, I expect a church building to be about the worship of God, not about death through war. I found the labelling of the artworks to be unclear - I like a clear artist statement beside the artwork, and I like it to be easy to find. There was signage, but it was small and insignificant, and I could not read it without my glasses! This made me feel really middle-aged!
I met unexpectedly with friends from embroidery group, many years ago. We went to the Winchester Museum to look at more exhibits there. Had I not met Christina and Jackie, I would not have known the exhibition was at various different locations. We made our way round the museum, and again found the exhibits were not clearly marked. I had a leaflet that had an insert, that listed the exhibits, but Christina did not have the insert in her leaflet. All three of us struggled to understand the significance of the artworks.
Christina and Jackie went home before the talk, as it was a long journey home. I had booked overnight, as my purpose for being there was to hear the talk, and this event was from 6-8.30pm. This completely changed my experience of the event. I don't really get artwork about landscape, and fundamentally, this is what the theme "Chalk" is about. But once the poets starting reading their works, it completely changed the effect of the event. I still don't really get landscape, but one poem in particular "One More Mile" was lovely. As it was about the poet's father striding across the landscape, it gave me a narrative. And people and narrative is what I do.
By 7pm, we moved from the Museum, back to the Cathedral. Vanda and Irena's work "Laid to Rest" was very poorly lit, by the diffuse light focussed on an adjacent artwork. However the event organiser offered a line of tea lights, which were supplied, and I lit. This looked fantastic as the daylight completely faded and the tea lights were the main illumination.
Vanda and Irena gave a great explanation of what the work was about, and the significance of the materials they had chosen. The feeling of the cathedral completely changed in this event. There was atmospheric lighting, a community of artistic people, and genuine interest in the artworks and events going on. We watched a performance piece by two white clad dancers - quite mesmerising. The performers moved very slowly while poetry was quoted/read. I had never seen anything like it. The performers must have been very strong to hold some positions, and it gave the feeling of peace and power. A thought provoking combination.
Actually I found it all a little unsettling. I went into Winchester Cathedral and was uncomfortable in the atmosphere. As you entered and made your way up the building, there were extensive monuments to various local armed services units. A lot of remembrance of the glorious dead. Although I am not a Christian, I expect a church building to be about the worship of God, not about death through war. I found the labelling of the artworks to be unclear - I like a clear artist statement beside the artwork, and I like it to be easy to find. There was signage, but it was small and insignificant, and I could not read it without my glasses! This made me feel really middle-aged!
I met unexpectedly with friends from embroidery group, many years ago. We went to the Winchester Museum to look at more exhibits there. Had I not met Christina and Jackie, I would not have known the exhibition was at various different locations. We made our way round the museum, and again found the exhibits were not clearly marked. I had a leaflet that had an insert, that listed the exhibits, but Christina did not have the insert in her leaflet. All three of us struggled to understand the significance of the artworks.
Christina and Jackie went home before the talk, as it was a long journey home. I had booked overnight, as my purpose for being there was to hear the talk, and this event was from 6-8.30pm. This completely changed my experience of the event. I don't really get artwork about landscape, and fundamentally, this is what the theme "Chalk" is about. But once the poets starting reading their works, it completely changed the effect of the event. I still don't really get landscape, but one poem in particular "One More Mile" was lovely. As it was about the poet's father striding across the landscape, it gave me a narrative. And people and narrative is what I do.
By 7pm, we moved from the Museum, back to the Cathedral. Vanda and Irena's work "Laid to Rest" was very poorly lit, by the diffuse light focussed on an adjacent artwork. However the event organiser offered a line of tea lights, which were supplied, and I lit. This looked fantastic as the daylight completely faded and the tea lights were the main illumination.
Vanda and Irena gave a great explanation of what the work was about, and the significance of the materials they had chosen. The feeling of the cathedral completely changed in this event. There was atmospheric lighting, a community of artistic people, and genuine interest in the artworks and events going on. We watched a performance piece by two white clad dancers - quite mesmerising. The performers moved very slowly while poetry was quoted/read. I had never seen anything like it. The performers must have been very strong to hold some positions, and it gave the feeling of peace and power. A thought provoking combination.
Saturday, 24 October 2015
A quick idea - Needing to be named
Just a quick line before I rush off out for the day.
I have been thinking about which people I want to represent. Mostly they are what I call 'the little people'. I am not interested in the great and the good. But often the unknown people who do good and kind things that ease life's path.
I was thinking about the WW1 portraiture exhibition at the NPG that I went to about 18 months ago. This exhibition made the point that people with high status in WW1 were portrayed in named portraits, clean, fully suited and booted, with medals etc. However if a lower rank were portrayed, they would be a generic type, unnamed, often dirty, or dead. So there is something about the everyday and mundane being disassociated with and individual name.
Last Christmas I had a trip to Liverpool for a few days, and went to the Liverpool Museum amongst others. There was a great exhibition about women of Liverpool over the last century. But what was interesting, was they had made a great play of displaying the names of the women, and a short note about why they were significant.
I want my work to be about the domestic and mundane, the unsung heros/heroines. And these individuals need to be named.
I have been thinking about which people I want to represent. Mostly they are what I call 'the little people'. I am not interested in the great and the good. But often the unknown people who do good and kind things that ease life's path.
I was thinking about the WW1 portraiture exhibition at the NPG that I went to about 18 months ago. This exhibition made the point that people with high status in WW1 were portrayed in named portraits, clean, fully suited and booted, with medals etc. However if a lower rank were portrayed, they would be a generic type, unnamed, often dirty, or dead. So there is something about the everyday and mundane being disassociated with and individual name.
Last Christmas I had a trip to Liverpool for a few days, and went to the Liverpool Museum amongst others. There was a great exhibition about women of Liverpool over the last century. But what was interesting, was they had made a great play of displaying the names of the women, and a short note about why they were significant.
I want my work to be about the domestic and mundane, the unsung heros/heroines. And these individuals need to be named.
Friday, 23 October 2015
Art class
I have been thinking about women whose skills I respect. My friend, Sharon's Mum died recently. Ann Evans was very kind to me when I was at Junior School. Sharon was very worried about joining a swimming club to learn to swim, so Mrs Evans suggested to my parents that she took me along too. I would not have had the chance to go to swimming club without this. For about 3 or 4 years, Mrs Evans took us to swimming club and this has led to swimming being my exercise of choice ever since. So for the next few weeks at art class, I will be exploring objects that remind me of people who have been kind to me.
This week we were making our own sketchbooks. We took a selection of papers, and joined them using glue, staples, threading, stitch etc, stitched down the centre and folded in half, so we ended up with a sketchbook, c7" square. The object I chose to work from this week was a pair of swimming goggles. I also had an image of Fullwell Cross pool and a swimmer. We created various pages of our sketchbooks - then were instructed to chop them in half, and put one book into the centre of the other. This meant we had a partly completed sketchbook, 7" c3.5". We then worked into them again. We had a great day.
This week we were making our own sketchbooks. We took a selection of papers, and joined them using glue, staples, threading, stitch etc, stitched down the centre and folded in half, so we ended up with a sketchbook, c7" square. The object I chose to work from this week was a pair of swimming goggles. I also had an image of Fullwell Cross pool and a swimmer. We created various pages of our sketchbooks - then were instructed to chop them in half, and put one book into the centre of the other. This meant we had a partly completed sketchbook, 7" c3.5". We then worked into them again. We had a great day.
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| Stitch drawing of goggles with unthreaded sewing machine |
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| Fold out page - Collage swimmer, cut-out swimmer |
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| Cutout swimmer |
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| Line drawing of swimmer. Lovely high elbow! |
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| Goggles drawn large, with fluid medium (ink) |
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| With stitched line |
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| Reverse of page |
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| Image of pool with stitched name of pool. |
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| Serendipitious swimmer. Ink from other side has seeped through newsprint. So the straps of the goggles have become the swimmer. |
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| Line drawing of goggles, plus watery ink drawing of lane ropes |
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| Fullwell Cross swimming pool collage with lane ropes |
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| The windows at the pool. |
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| Large scale goggles |
first attemto at free association writing
I have been looking at the statement "An aim that becomes clear". As I need to write quickly, I am not going to alter any typos that arise because of the IPad keyboard. this will mean lots of wrong letters and, frustratingly, lots of missed initial caps. But less moaning.
I have been thinking about the aim that becomes clear. I think I am looking at Valuing Women. this is because I have felt many skills are overlooked in the workplace and in the portrayal of women in media. However it is not only women who have their skills and talents overlooked. I am quite happy to look at anyone whose goodness is unrecognised. I have chosen to restrict it to women at this stage
I think I want to work in stitch and textile media, so will this mean it does not appeal to men? I want this work to be viewed by all sorts of people, and specifically not only women. so does this mean the body of work needs to be displayed at a venue that has a mixed audience? if I am working with stitch portraits of women, I would not want it displayed at the Knit and Stitch. I do not want a solely female audience. but may be at the National Portrait Gallery (fits with their Collections and Devt policy -non-typical media and under-represented groups) or at the FitzWilliam Gallery (fits with their collection of samplers). What a scary thought to approach big organisations! (Wrings hands anxiously)!.
I like to use lots of different methods of finding things out. I am much happier if I can get out and about 2 or 3 days a week to go and look at things and do things. sometimes Jim comes too, sometimes not. he always likes going away for a few days, even if I am researching something that does not interest him. He happily sits in tea shops reading the paper or goes and checks out the local bike shop.One of the assets of our lifestyle is that we have the funds and the inclination to be able to investigate whatever we want, and we can usually combine our interests. I would very much like to go to see Judy Chicago's work "The Dinner Party" at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. I know Jim will happily do another bike tour in the USA and some time in 2016 I am sure we can work out a suitable time to sort out a route for both of us to ride, that ends up in NY for me to have a few days at the museum.
Is my work actually about valuing difference? I have felt significantly excluded and outside of the group when my skill base was different to the rest of the team. My skill base was valuable, but because of my difference to the group, my talents were ignored. I want to bring to public view the skills of women that are unrecognised. But I also want the unrecognised skills of men acknowledged too. I think it is easier to value people and what they do, when they are "like me". This may be on the grounds of gender, and other obvious criteria, but could be on the grounds of of something trivial like football club membership of membership of the RSPB? So if people are actively disvalued, is it because they are "not like me"? This takes me back to learning to be recruitment interviewer, when you are introduced to the 'Halo and Horns' effect where interviews who are "like me" are deemed to perform well because they are seen with a halo, so get marked highly, and interviewees "not like me" have the devil's horns and everything they say gets marked down.
When I think about all the different exploratory methods we discussed in class, I come back to how we, as artists (and people in general) need to nourish and feed our artistry via self and others. Art classes was not included on the list, but for me, group art classes are very important. I have always had a walk round the class at some point during the day, to look at other people's work. I have had different responses to this by class members. Some have got all shy about their work, others have been surprised at my interest, others still said they personally could not be bothered with the effort of looking at class members work. When it is not part of class practice, I do it (normally when my work has ground to a halt or I have just messed it up!) because I find it inspiring to see how others people are interpreting a theme. When it is a class activity, it is good to hear what other class members think of your work. But summing up, the outcome is that I find it Nourishing and Feeding.
I have been thinking about the aim that becomes clear. I think I am looking at Valuing Women. this is because I have felt many skills are overlooked in the workplace and in the portrayal of women in media. However it is not only women who have their skills and talents overlooked. I am quite happy to look at anyone whose goodness is unrecognised. I have chosen to restrict it to women at this stage
I think I want to work in stitch and textile media, so will this mean it does not appeal to men? I want this work to be viewed by all sorts of people, and specifically not only women. so does this mean the body of work needs to be displayed at a venue that has a mixed audience? if I am working with stitch portraits of women, I would not want it displayed at the Knit and Stitch. I do not want a solely female audience. but may be at the National Portrait Gallery (fits with their Collections and Devt policy -non-typical media and under-represented groups) or at the FitzWilliam Gallery (fits with their collection of samplers). What a scary thought to approach big organisations! (Wrings hands anxiously)!.
I like to use lots of different methods of finding things out. I am much happier if I can get out and about 2 or 3 days a week to go and look at things and do things. sometimes Jim comes too, sometimes not. he always likes going away for a few days, even if I am researching something that does not interest him. He happily sits in tea shops reading the paper or goes and checks out the local bike shop.One of the assets of our lifestyle is that we have the funds and the inclination to be able to investigate whatever we want, and we can usually combine our interests. I would very much like to go to see Judy Chicago's work "The Dinner Party" at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. I know Jim will happily do another bike tour in the USA and some time in 2016 I am sure we can work out a suitable time to sort out a route for both of us to ride, that ends up in NY for me to have a few days at the museum.
Is my work actually about valuing difference? I have felt significantly excluded and outside of the group when my skill base was different to the rest of the team. My skill base was valuable, but because of my difference to the group, my talents were ignored. I want to bring to public view the skills of women that are unrecognised. But I also want the unrecognised skills of men acknowledged too. I think it is easier to value people and what they do, when they are "like me". This may be on the grounds of gender, and other obvious criteria, but could be on the grounds of of something trivial like football club membership of membership of the RSPB? So if people are actively disvalued, is it because they are "not like me"? This takes me back to learning to be recruitment interviewer, when you are introduced to the 'Halo and Horns' effect where interviews who are "like me" are deemed to perform well because they are seen with a halo, so get marked highly, and interviewees "not like me" have the devil's horns and everything they say gets marked down.
When I think about all the different exploratory methods we discussed in class, I come back to how we, as artists (and people in general) need to nourish and feed our artistry via self and others. Art classes was not included on the list, but for me, group art classes are very important. I have always had a walk round the class at some point during the day, to look at other people's work. I have had different responses to this by class members. Some have got all shy about their work, others have been surprised at my interest, others still said they personally could not be bothered with the effort of looking at class members work. When it is not part of class practice, I do it (normally when my work has ground to a halt or I have just messed it up!) because I find it inspiring to see how others people are interpreting a theme. When it is a class activity, it is good to hear what other class members think of your work. But summing up, the outcome is that I find it Nourishing and Feeding.
Research Methods
Masters level arts research is different from science or social research. Particularly when science/social research is commercially funded, the research has to follow a set protocol and reach a definable outcome.
Arts research sets up conditions for the happy accident as an outcome. I am much more comfortable with this.
Re: search
Systematic investigation
Conducted intentionally
To acquire new knowledge and understanding
Justified
Communicated
About a subject.
The Fuzzy Set of Principles of Research
Aim that becomes clear
One or more Questions related to aim
Methods related to the aim
Related body of work identified and analysed
Systematic
Leads to new insights or images
Can be communicated
Method: Procedure for attaining an objective. "Way-journey towards"
Methodology: "ology" - study of.
- Research Methods
- Project Plan
- Philosophical perspective
- Conceptual perspective
- Contextual perspective
- Justification for appropriateness
Exploratory Methods
- Mind Maps )
- Free association writing )
- Journalling )
- Reading/note taking ) nourishing and feeding
- Draw/sketch ) via self and others
- Exhibitions )
- Analysing image )
- Collage )
- Art classes with others )
Experiment with methods: what happens if?
Plan, record, analyse
Diverse methods and documentation are essential. I suppose this is because creating clear documentation clarifies one's thoughts, and also makes it easier for work to be assessed for the purposes of marking.
Reflection -v- analysis.
Develop an effective questioning strategy.
- What Questions do you ask when reading an academic paper? (What is the purpose of the writing?, what is the perspective of the author?, )
- What Questions do you ask when looking at an image?
- What Questions do you ask when in a Gallery? (How did the Gallery structure the exhibition; what is the purpose; who does it represent; what company policies can I see demonstrated; How are viewers meant to interact with the imagery; how are the artists' intentions conveyed to the audience; are there any artist statements by the piece or do you have to work it out for yourself.)
Grounded theory - gather data; code it; then analyse the purpose of what you have gathered. I think this is what I do when keeping my exhibition book. I have been to many exhibitions and now I have a record of what I have been to, for the last 3 years, I can see patterns emerging. I am confused about what 'coding" is but I can see I have documented the same themes several times.
Evaluation: Might be worth creating a form for your research identifying:
Aim: What was my purpose
How: I did …
Extent and ways in which I achieved my aim:
Arts research sets up conditions for the happy accident as an outcome. I am much more comfortable with this.
Re: search
Systematic investigation
Conducted intentionally
To acquire new knowledge and understanding
Justified
Communicated
About a subject.
The Fuzzy Set of Principles of Research
Aim that becomes clear
One or more Questions related to aim
Methods related to the aim
Related body of work identified and analysed
Systematic
Leads to new insights or images
Can be communicated
Method: Procedure for attaining an objective. "Way-journey towards"
Methodology: "ology" - study of.
- Research Methods
- Project Plan
- Philosophical perspective
- Conceptual perspective
- Contextual perspective
- Justification for appropriateness
Exploratory Methods
- Mind Maps )
- Free association writing )
- Journalling )
- Reading/note taking ) nourishing and feeding
- Draw/sketch ) via self and others
- Exhibitions )
- Analysing image )
- Collage )
- Art classes with others )
Experiment with methods: what happens if?
Plan, record, analyse
Diverse methods and documentation are essential. I suppose this is because creating clear documentation clarifies one's thoughts, and also makes it easier for work to be assessed for the purposes of marking.
Reflection -v- analysis.
Develop an effective questioning strategy.
- What Questions do you ask when reading an academic paper? (What is the purpose of the writing?, what is the perspective of the author?, )
- What Questions do you ask when looking at an image?
- What Questions do you ask when in a Gallery? (How did the Gallery structure the exhibition; what is the purpose; who does it represent; what company policies can I see demonstrated; How are viewers meant to interact with the imagery; how are the artists' intentions conveyed to the audience; are there any artist statements by the piece or do you have to work it out for yourself.)
Grounded theory - gather data; code it; then analyse the purpose of what you have gathered. I think this is what I do when keeping my exhibition book. I have been to many exhibitions and now I have a record of what I have been to, for the last 3 years, I can see patterns emerging. I am confused about what 'coding" is but I can see I have documented the same themes several times.
Evaluation: Might be worth creating a form for your research identifying:
Aim: What was my purpose
How: I did …
Extent and ways in which I achieved my aim:
Monday, 19 October 2015
First Tutorial with Linden
I was not quite sure what to expect for my first tutorial. I had gone through last week's notes, and sent some initial thoughts to Linden about my stance on how UK society recognises and attributes value to specific groups. I expected the tute to be theory based. The tute did not go quite the way I expected.
Linden picked up on the fact that Recognition and Integrity are important to me. I showed her my Dr Johnson's House sampler and she was very impressed with it. (Which surprised me a bit). Linden appreciates textile work and hand stitch, and liked the sampler the way it was (including strawberry stain!). We discussed how Dr Johnson's quote (from a man with Tourette's) respects a woman's skills. A good choice of quote. We discussed the language that indicates it is respectful (use of 'and') rather than disrespectful (use of 'but'). I was also mildly told off! Linden noted I had not signed my sampler with my name - not done because it was about Elizabeth Carter and Dr Johnson, but I agreed I could have signed it on the back of the hem, thereby crediting me as the female artist (putting my money where my mouth is!)
I have been advised to consider creating portraits of unknown women and create a rule set for what I want to represent. Any textile technique - although I like hand stitch. I don't want to be a machine operator. Linden said she would like to see feisty embroideries by me! Snippets of the mind. She recommended looking at Mary Queen of Scots - use of stitch to make controversial political statements. I showed my exhibition book entry of Oxburgh Hall. Linden also recommended going to Hardwick Hall to see more Mary Queen of Scots embroideries. Also recommended going to the Needle Museum in Redditch to see the equipment used by generations of women.
What sort of memorial would I stitch?
What sort of representation is it to be?
Meaningful quotes about women.
Women significant to me: Pat Konieczny; Ann Evans; Miss Evans
I told Linden the stories about my friends' mothers, and my headmistress. Linden suggested an image of me swimming to fit with the story about Ann Evans. Think about all sorts of stitch and technique. Think about the big and little life actions that gain my respect. Look at banners and suffrage.
Identify items in series.
Identify rules for selection for each group I compile
Identify rules for presentation of materials.
Look out for Huguenot women; migrant peoples; women heroines - UK and mine.
Identify which women I would like to work with.
Create proposals for a series of work about 6 women - significant to me.
Do free association writing about big and small accomplishments of women.
By 2 November 2015, 1400, next tute.
After the tute:
I need to talk to my friends to get their permission to use their Mum as a case study for my class. What I want to do is respectful and celebratory but I should still seek permission. Also, they might give me some great quotes of their Mum.
Linden picked up on the fact that Recognition and Integrity are important to me. I showed her my Dr Johnson's House sampler and she was very impressed with it. (Which surprised me a bit). Linden appreciates textile work and hand stitch, and liked the sampler the way it was (including strawberry stain!). We discussed how Dr Johnson's quote (from a man with Tourette's) respects a woman's skills. A good choice of quote. We discussed the language that indicates it is respectful (use of 'and') rather than disrespectful (use of 'but'). I was also mildly told off! Linden noted I had not signed my sampler with my name - not done because it was about Elizabeth Carter and Dr Johnson, but I agreed I could have signed it on the back of the hem, thereby crediting me as the female artist (putting my money where my mouth is!)
I have been advised to consider creating portraits of unknown women and create a rule set for what I want to represent. Any textile technique - although I like hand stitch. I don't want to be a machine operator. Linden said she would like to see feisty embroideries by me! Snippets of the mind. She recommended looking at Mary Queen of Scots - use of stitch to make controversial political statements. I showed my exhibition book entry of Oxburgh Hall. Linden also recommended going to Hardwick Hall to see more Mary Queen of Scots embroideries. Also recommended going to the Needle Museum in Redditch to see the equipment used by generations of women.
What sort of memorial would I stitch?
What sort of representation is it to be?
Meaningful quotes about women.
Women significant to me: Pat Konieczny; Ann Evans; Miss Evans
I told Linden the stories about my friends' mothers, and my headmistress. Linden suggested an image of me swimming to fit with the story about Ann Evans. Think about all sorts of stitch and technique. Think about the big and little life actions that gain my respect. Look at banners and suffrage.
Identify items in series.
Identify rules for selection for each group I compile
Identify rules for presentation of materials.
Look out for Huguenot women; migrant peoples; women heroines - UK and mine.
Identify which women I would like to work with.
Create proposals for a series of work about 6 women - significant to me.
Do free association writing about big and small accomplishments of women.
By 2 November 2015, 1400, next tute.
After the tute:
I need to talk to my friends to get their permission to use their Mum as a case study for my class. What I want to do is respectful and celebratory but I should still seek permission. Also, they might give me some great quotes of their Mum.
Exhibitions - Alice Anderson and Jerwood Drawing Prize
I went to 2 exhibitions yesterday. Alice Anderson at Wellcome Institute, Memory Movement, Memory Objects left me cold. Lots of objects (from a car to a nail file) had been wrapped in copper thread. Apparently it was about our ability to weave memories now. I had a chat to the attendant but was none the wiser about the purpose of the exhibition. I understand someone wrapping a personal object, e.g. their father's tools as an act of remembrance but not as an art exhibit. The copper wire was used because copper conveys energy.
However the Jerwood Drawing Prize was excellent. Mostly black and white images - colour seems very out of vogue. My favourites were:
Emma Douglas. Cato Marble graffiti. Her son Cato died suddenly aged 21 when he was moving into a new flat. They had cut a piece of marble, to give space for a cooker, so his Mum used the marble to graffiti an artwork for him. It was positioned on the floor, to look like a headstone.
Pennie Elfick. Beam. She had taken a decayed wooden beam where she liked the fragility of the decayed surface on one side, and drew abstract black squares on the back, and mounted it vertically on the wall so both attractive surfaces could be seen.
Sue England. Productivity of Absence (Hairnet). Pencil drawing of a hairnet with tiny script with her frequent, worried, phrases of her mother who has dementia. They are a family from the Lancashire cotton industry and the thread links to the unravelling of a mind and life. The hairnet is worn by her mother every night - holds in anxieties while her mind unwinds. My personal best in show.
Lois Longmead. Pelvis. Machine embroidery on dissolvable fabric. 8 spools of thread to draw the female pelvis. Reflects on attitudes about female abilities which remain in modern society. Parallels between medical nursing and women sewing and repairing. Representation of women - tension of feminine and private pastimes, and the darker political problems present today.
However the Jerwood Drawing Prize was excellent. Mostly black and white images - colour seems very out of vogue. My favourites were:
Emma Douglas. Cato Marble graffiti. Her son Cato died suddenly aged 21 when he was moving into a new flat. They had cut a piece of marble, to give space for a cooker, so his Mum used the marble to graffiti an artwork for him. It was positioned on the floor, to look like a headstone.
Pennie Elfick. Beam. She had taken a decayed wooden beam where she liked the fragility of the decayed surface on one side, and drew abstract black squares on the back, and mounted it vertically on the wall so both attractive surfaces could be seen.
Sue England. Productivity of Absence (Hairnet). Pencil drawing of a hairnet with tiny script with her frequent, worried, phrases of her mother who has dementia. They are a family from the Lancashire cotton industry and the thread links to the unravelling of a mind and life. The hairnet is worn by her mother every night - holds in anxieties while her mind unwinds. My personal best in show.
Lois Longmead. Pelvis. Machine embroidery on dissolvable fabric. 8 spools of thread to draw the female pelvis. Reflects on attitudes about female abilities which remain in modern society. Parallels between medical nursing and women sewing and repairing. Representation of women - tension of feminine and private pastimes, and the darker political problems present today.
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| Pennie Elfick, Beam, left hand side |
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| Pennie Elfick, Beam, right hand side |
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| Sue England, Productivity of Absence (Hairnet) detail |
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| Sue England, Productivity of Absence (Hairnet) |
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| Lois Longmead, Pelvis |
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| Lois Longmead, Pelvis, detail |
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| Emma Douglas, Cato Marble Graffiti |
Friday, 16 October 2015
Thoughts from the Swimming Pool
I do quite a lot of my thinking when swimming. Today I did 1800m - 72 lengths. It clarified my thoughts.
It looks like I will have 3 tutors on this class - Linden is our Research Theory lecturer; Lewis is our Contextual Studies lecturer; and Gina may be my textile specialist. I have a tutorial with Linden on Monday, and have worked out some initial questions to target my research. However, how much stuff do I take with me, and which tutor will want to see what. My artwork informs my thinking but I am not sure whether to take it with me to see Linden. We only have an hour.
However, Linden is very focussed on terminology and definitions. The sampler I created for Dr Johnson's House is a good example of how I try to apply a message to a pertinent object. I put a Dr Johnson quote on it: "My old friend Mrs Carter, could make a pudding, as well as translate Epictetus from the Greek, and work a handkerchief as well as compose a poem.". While swimming, I reflected on how the Curator said this particular quote was the subject of contention amongst Dr Johnson scholars, as some people think he is respecting Elizabeth Carter's diverse skills, whereas other scholars think he is patronising her. Provided the quote is accurate I think it respects her skills. If he had said "she can translate Epictetus from the Greek BUT can make a pudding" I think it has a negative tone because the more valued 'male' skill is listed first, and the "but" diminishes the 'female' skill. My current interpretation is that 'but' diminishes what comes after, whereas 'and' includes what comes after. I am not sure where "as well as" from his quote positions the value of the respective skills.
It looks like I will have 3 tutors on this class - Linden is our Research Theory lecturer; Lewis is our Contextual Studies lecturer; and Gina may be my textile specialist. I have a tutorial with Linden on Monday, and have worked out some initial questions to target my research. However, how much stuff do I take with me, and which tutor will want to see what. My artwork informs my thinking but I am not sure whether to take it with me to see Linden. We only have an hour.
However, Linden is very focussed on terminology and definitions. The sampler I created for Dr Johnson's House is a good example of how I try to apply a message to a pertinent object. I put a Dr Johnson quote on it: "My old friend Mrs Carter, could make a pudding, as well as translate Epictetus from the Greek, and work a handkerchief as well as compose a poem.". While swimming, I reflected on how the Curator said this particular quote was the subject of contention amongst Dr Johnson scholars, as some people think he is respecting Elizabeth Carter's diverse skills, whereas other scholars think he is patronising her. Provided the quote is accurate I think it respects her skills. If he had said "she can translate Epictetus from the Greek BUT can make a pudding" I think it has a negative tone because the more valued 'male' skill is listed first, and the "but" diminishes the 'female' skill. My current interpretation is that 'but' diminishes what comes after, whereas 'and' includes what comes after. I am not sure where "as well as" from his quote positions the value of the respective skills.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Thinking about my Research Question for my tutorial
I have been thinking about how to define my research question. I ended up going back to my initial application paperwork, and found I had defined my interests quite well. It made quite a good starting point to apply some of the points from Linden's lecture.
My initial question is:
How does UK Society define, recognise and attribute value to specific groups?
What do I mean by UK Society?
What values (skills, contributions...) do we attribute to specific groups?
How are groups recognised in our society? (inclusion/exclusion; visibility in Govt stats; on tv; in art; positive/negative portray in media; status)
What do we value about other people?
Which specific groups do I mean? Migrants. Is it an historic group or current? I keep moving between the two. Is it good to start with the Huguenots, then move on to a modern group in later research?
Does UK society value similarities or differences when comparing migrants to self?
Purpose: to identify the values given to Huguenot refugees
: to demonstrate people who are different to the indigenous community contribute in a variety of ways (positive or negative?)
My answers will be dependent on contemporary analysis and judgement of historical facts.
Assumptions: Contemporary views on present day migration are based on/influenced by:
- worries about "other";
- taking our jobs;
- undercutting our wages;
claiming our benefits.
Historical migrants - romanticised, often by genealogists when it is "my history" and/or selective or sanitised "we moved house because we wanted to live in a better area" not "My Mum did not want Asians for neighbours".
Faults in assumptions - not everyone feels like this.
My point of view: I am not in favour of unfettered migration, but I want people valued for their skills. I am a skilled person, who had been under-valued in a manual industry by white working class men, because I was an intelligent, non-submissive woman.
My insights: other minority groups are probably treated similarly (but not the same!).
Other points of view: How the incoming community see/saw us.
How the incoming community see/saw their role as migrants and what they wanted to achieve by leaving their country of origin and living in country of arrival. How the country of origin views migrants departure and the consequences of it.
I definitely need help identifying Concepts and Theories on which to base my research.
I hope this is what you wanted as prep for tute.
My initial question is:
How does UK Society define, recognise and attribute value to specific groups?
What do I mean by UK Society?
What values (skills, contributions...) do we attribute to specific groups?
How are groups recognised in our society? (inclusion/exclusion; visibility in Govt stats; on tv; in art; positive/negative portray in media; status)
What do we value about other people?
Which specific groups do I mean? Migrants. Is it an historic group or current? I keep moving between the two. Is it good to start with the Huguenots, then move on to a modern group in later research?
Does UK society value similarities or differences when comparing migrants to self?
Purpose: to identify the values given to Huguenot refugees
: to demonstrate people who are different to the indigenous community contribute in a variety of ways (positive or negative?)
My answers will be dependent on contemporary analysis and judgement of historical facts.
Assumptions: Contemporary views on present day migration are based on/influenced by:
- worries about "other";
- taking our jobs;
- undercutting our wages;
claiming our benefits.
Historical migrants - romanticised, often by genealogists when it is "my history" and/or selective or sanitised "we moved house because we wanted to live in a better area" not "My Mum did not want Asians for neighbours".
Faults in assumptions - not everyone feels like this.
My point of view: I am not in favour of unfettered migration, but I want people valued for their skills. I am a skilled person, who had been under-valued in a manual industry by white working class men, because I was an intelligent, non-submissive woman.
My insights: other minority groups are probably treated similarly (but not the same!).
Other points of view: How the incoming community see/saw us.
How the incoming community see/saw their role as migrants and what they wanted to achieve by leaving their country of origin and living in country of arrival. How the country of origin views migrants departure and the consequences of it.
I definitely need help identifying Concepts and Theories on which to base my research.
I hope this is what you wanted as prep for tute.
Monday, 12 October 2015
Ai Weiwei at Royal Academy of Arts
This was a very interesting exhibition - one of the best I have seen recently.
Ai Weiwei is known for his artworks which comment on his political concerns within China. He overtly condemns state corruption; suppression of human rights and free speech. He portrays his chinese identity by his use of materials ( jade and porcelain) and historical materials from Beijing. He also uses maps of China to give shapes and outlines within his work.
Ai Weiwei did a series of work about Government corruption soon after the Sichuan earthquake (2009?). Hundreds of thousands of people died. Poorly erected modern buildings collapsed during the earthquake, including schools and hospitals - leading to multiple deaths and casualties. At the exhibition, there was a video running, which explained in detail, why the buildings collapsed during the earthquake - weak concrete mixtures; insufficient steel reinforcement; reinforcements incorrectly positioned within columns, so they were biased and unevenly strong; reinforcements not hooked over at the top, so they slid when stressed. He made an artwork "Straight". Ai Weiwei clandestinely bought two hundred tons of damaged steel reinforcement bars 'rebars' and his team manually straightened them, using traditional craft skills. "Straight" changes damaged and corrupted materials into their original wholesome form - a material comment upon human actions. This took 4 years. He was persistently questioning the Government regarding the facts surrounding the poor building quality. This led to him being arrested and detained during the artwork. He had been enquiring into the names of the children who had been killed, which the Government refused to supply. On his blog, he published the names of children he had identified from speaking to their parents and communities. In May 2009 the Government closed down his blog and imprisoned him. On his return to the community he found his workers had continued the artwork and he had thousands of straightened rebars. He set up a huge rectangle of orderly piles of rebars, set out in the pattern of China. He uses traditional craft skills (metalwork) to create an artwork that is about the poor quality of building in China.
Oe of the questions posed to us at our last class, was "what questions are you answering?" and "how is this apparent?". Ai Weiwei reuses and recycles materials from his experience and environment. He is keen to use materials from an authentic source - e.g. marble from specific quarries. He is questioning the value placed on objects, craft and human life. He questions the values of historical society and contemporary life, and whether the difference matters. He considers whether authenticity matters - the same skills are used in modern forgeries as originals. He says "Liberty is about our right to question everything". He may have taken this to extreme in questioning (and challenging) the Chinese Government, as they ended up imprisoning him for 81 days under extreme psychological intimidation. He made this experience into a chilling artwork so he shows he will use any material the Chinese Government provides him, to make art that does not show them in a favourable light.
Very thought provoking. Money well spent to go to this exhibition.
Ai Weiwei is known for his artworks which comment on his political concerns within China. He overtly condemns state corruption; suppression of human rights and free speech. He portrays his chinese identity by his use of materials ( jade and porcelain) and historical materials from Beijing. He also uses maps of China to give shapes and outlines within his work.
Ai Weiwei did a series of work about Government corruption soon after the Sichuan earthquake (2009?). Hundreds of thousands of people died. Poorly erected modern buildings collapsed during the earthquake, including schools and hospitals - leading to multiple deaths and casualties. At the exhibition, there was a video running, which explained in detail, why the buildings collapsed during the earthquake - weak concrete mixtures; insufficient steel reinforcement; reinforcements incorrectly positioned within columns, so they were biased and unevenly strong; reinforcements not hooked over at the top, so they slid when stressed. He made an artwork "Straight". Ai Weiwei clandestinely bought two hundred tons of damaged steel reinforcement bars 'rebars' and his team manually straightened them, using traditional craft skills. "Straight" changes damaged and corrupted materials into their original wholesome form - a material comment upon human actions. This took 4 years. He was persistently questioning the Government regarding the facts surrounding the poor building quality. This led to him being arrested and detained during the artwork. He had been enquiring into the names of the children who had been killed, which the Government refused to supply. On his blog, he published the names of children he had identified from speaking to their parents and communities. In May 2009 the Government closed down his blog and imprisoned him. On his return to the community he found his workers had continued the artwork and he had thousands of straightened rebars. He set up a huge rectangle of orderly piles of rebars, set out in the pattern of China. He uses traditional craft skills (metalwork) to create an artwork that is about the poor quality of building in China.
Oe of the questions posed to us at our last class, was "what questions are you answering?" and "how is this apparent?". Ai Weiwei reuses and recycles materials from his experience and environment. He is keen to use materials from an authentic source - e.g. marble from specific quarries. He is questioning the value placed on objects, craft and human life. He questions the values of historical society and contemporary life, and whether the difference matters. He considers whether authenticity matters - the same skills are used in modern forgeries as originals. He says "Liberty is about our right to question everything". He may have taken this to extreme in questioning (and challenging) the Chinese Government, as they ended up imprisoning him for 81 days under extreme psychological intimidation. He made this experience into a chilling artwork so he shows he will use any material the Chinese Government provides him, to make art that does not show them in a favourable light.
Very thought provoking. Money well spent to go to this exhibition.
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Shedio art class
Every other Thursday I go to my art class at The Shedio with Vanda. We have a lovely group of people who formed a strong bond over the last couple of years because of our mutual art interests.
Today, there was only Jane and me at class, so Vanda made the most of it, and set us exercises to work larger. Over the last few weeks my artwork has focussed on how to interpret stitch in art. Several weeks ago I was trying to use a paintbrush and ink as if I was stitching, which gave some interesting motifs. Then I reinterpreted the motif, back into stitch, using cross stitch. Today, I scaled the motif up to A1 size, working in charcoal, compressed charcoal, and white emulsion. Jane and I started with 10 minute drawings, then 8, 6, 4 minutes. As usual it took me a while to get round to only drawing part of the motif - I always try to include everything, which is not necessary.
After lunch, we were set to reinterpret our drawings by using them as raw materials to make collage versions of my motif. Having done a couple, Vanda then suggested I think a bit more about textiles and use textile techniques to interpret the motif. So I set to a couple of paper weavings in even weave - with which I was delighted. I have more collage off cuts left, so may cut the strips more narrow, or try different weave patterns.
As we were working large, I wished I had brought my camera, to photograph the A1 drawings on the wall. A1 drawings are difficult to store, and as I used them for collage, I have no record of my original large drawings now. So photographs would have meant I had a record, and would have fitted in my sketchbook!
We had a very reassuring discussion about my angst about the MA class - basically I am feeling inadequate. Vanda did not work out her research question until her second year. But we also discussed how to start gathering information - guided by my interests. I like Grayson Perry and Cornelia Parker because of how they represent people and make the materials and format of the work fit the subject. Find more artists in similar fields. I am making political statements with my work - so look at propaganda and political art. Look at artists who make political statements - Ai Wei Wei is on at RA, Banksey; IRA mural art, suffragette art. Look at Caroline Broadhead and Maria Militsi, who are both at the top of their game. Look at Caren Garfen who makes political statements about women. I see a new artist research folder coming on.
Categories:
Artists using materials that aid the concept
Artists making political statements
Organisations that make political statements with their Advertising/artwork
Organisations who publish their Collections or Development policy.
Today, there was only Jane and me at class, so Vanda made the most of it, and set us exercises to work larger. Over the last few weeks my artwork has focussed on how to interpret stitch in art. Several weeks ago I was trying to use a paintbrush and ink as if I was stitching, which gave some interesting motifs. Then I reinterpreted the motif, back into stitch, using cross stitch. Today, I scaled the motif up to A1 size, working in charcoal, compressed charcoal, and white emulsion. Jane and I started with 10 minute drawings, then 8, 6, 4 minutes. As usual it took me a while to get round to only drawing part of the motif - I always try to include everything, which is not necessary.
After lunch, we were set to reinterpret our drawings by using them as raw materials to make collage versions of my motif. Having done a couple, Vanda then suggested I think a bit more about textiles and use textile techniques to interpret the motif. So I set to a couple of paper weavings in even weave - with which I was delighted. I have more collage off cuts left, so may cut the strips more narrow, or try different weave patterns.
As we were working large, I wished I had brought my camera, to photograph the A1 drawings on the wall. A1 drawings are difficult to store, and as I used them for collage, I have no record of my original large drawings now. So photographs would have meant I had a record, and would have fitted in my sketchbook!
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| Drawing stitches using brush and ink |
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| Experiments using sampling as a process, not as an outcome. I had been making a Georgian sampler and struggled to think of sampling as a process. |
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| Interpreting my stitch drawings, back into cross stitch sampler technique |
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| Collage from A1 originals, where I had drawn large versions of my stitch samples. |
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| More A1 collage |
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| Using bits of collage paper to interpret my stitch drawings into weave technique (appropriate for the skill base of Huguenot textile workers) |
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| More woven collage |
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| Collage with 1.5 inch wide strips |
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| Collage with .5cm wide strips. Deliberately unfinished, to look a bit frayed. |
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| Woven collage. Half inch strips. Stitch drawings woven with atlas index with English and French towns marked in red or black |
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| Woven collage. Atlas index and map of England, English Channel and France |
We had a very reassuring discussion about my angst about the MA class - basically I am feeling inadequate. Vanda did not work out her research question until her second year. But we also discussed how to start gathering information - guided by my interests. I like Grayson Perry and Cornelia Parker because of how they represent people and make the materials and format of the work fit the subject. Find more artists in similar fields. I am making political statements with my work - so look at propaganda and political art. Look at artists who make political statements - Ai Wei Wei is on at RA, Banksey; IRA mural art, suffragette art. Look at Caroline Broadhead and Maria Militsi, who are both at the top of their game. Look at Caren Garfen who makes political statements about women. I see a new artist research folder coming on.
Categories:
Artists using materials that aid the concept
Artists making political statements
Organisations that make political statements with their Advertising/artwork
Organisations who publish their Collections or Development policy.
Research Questions
Hmm. Feeling a bit nervous about where my art fits with this type of research degree.
Anyway yesterday's class was about chewing over research questions. Linden focussed on two main areas:
1. What roles do questions play in research?
2. What roles do questions play in arts research?
As yet there is no good answer yet to what is an academic art education - there is still a lot of debate about the relative value of the body side of the mind/body split, largely because art is still seen by influential thinkers as "insufficiently academic". This would indicate to me that there are too few art heavyweights lobbying in academia. But it is not an argument I want to get into - my art work is for me. My time is not going to be spent in arguments of status about where art research sits. It is better spent working out what I want to say through my art.
As the research process typically runs along the Question - Method - Strategy - Answer system, it makes sense to be very clear about your purpose, and your questions. As a former recruiter, I well know how important it is to get the questions absolutely right. Even slight differences affect the outcome.
So for students, the first conundrum is how research provides a framework that can structure, enrich and help develop practice. We chewed over the (science based) problem solving research style, and (arts based) creative research. I think problem solving may require a lot of excluding activities to ensure purity of results, whereas, creative research seems able to include a wider variety of activities and variables. But then, the researcher needs to explain the rationale for what has been done and why. We also noted material enquiry is not valued in our society - see what practical subjects have been withdrawn from general education, in favour of STEM subjects!
We need to get our questions right before we write the brief for what we want to tackle. We had a big debate about the meanings of words and the importance of defining your terms (I covered this big time when I did my HR IPD qualifications).
This is the time to start noting down the questions you want to ask in your practice. Identify your values and brainstorm them. We did an interesting exercise where we analysed a article by Archer on the Nature of Research, written in 1995, and then had to work out the question the author was addressing, and how he had addressed it. This was enlightening. He covered what research meant today (1990), considered different disciplinary definitions of research, brought practice based and led research into contemporary definitions of research as justifiable and valid, and expanded the scope and hierarchy of research. However, Gareth concluded that Archer was writing at a time when art research was a new and evolving field, and Archer had had to base his support for arts research upon the foundations given by scientific research for it to have any attempt at recognition from the science field.
One of Linden's questions for us was: how can well trodden research methodologies benefit the Arts?
Not sure yet. First I will try to define my values as an artist. This might lead me to methodologies that fit my values.
My work is about recognition of under-valued people. I value the domestic and mundane. I value people who do the unsung jobs in our society, and what they achieve. The contribution they make to society. The skills held, and how they behave towards other people.
Anyway yesterday's class was about chewing over research questions. Linden focussed on two main areas:
1. What roles do questions play in research?
2. What roles do questions play in arts research?
As yet there is no good answer yet to what is an academic art education - there is still a lot of debate about the relative value of the body side of the mind/body split, largely because art is still seen by influential thinkers as "insufficiently academic". This would indicate to me that there are too few art heavyweights lobbying in academia. But it is not an argument I want to get into - my art work is for me. My time is not going to be spent in arguments of status about where art research sits. It is better spent working out what I want to say through my art.
As the research process typically runs along the Question - Method - Strategy - Answer system, it makes sense to be very clear about your purpose, and your questions. As a former recruiter, I well know how important it is to get the questions absolutely right. Even slight differences affect the outcome.
So for students, the first conundrum is how research provides a framework that can structure, enrich and help develop practice. We chewed over the (science based) problem solving research style, and (arts based) creative research. I think problem solving may require a lot of excluding activities to ensure purity of results, whereas, creative research seems able to include a wider variety of activities and variables. But then, the researcher needs to explain the rationale for what has been done and why. We also noted material enquiry is not valued in our society - see what practical subjects have been withdrawn from general education, in favour of STEM subjects!
We need to get our questions right before we write the brief for what we want to tackle. We had a big debate about the meanings of words and the importance of defining your terms (I covered this big time when I did my HR IPD qualifications).
This is the time to start noting down the questions you want to ask in your practice. Identify your values and brainstorm them. We did an interesting exercise where we analysed a article by Archer on the Nature of Research, written in 1995, and then had to work out the question the author was addressing, and how he had addressed it. This was enlightening. He covered what research meant today (1990), considered different disciplinary definitions of research, brought practice based and led research into contemporary definitions of research as justifiable and valid, and expanded the scope and hierarchy of research. However, Gareth concluded that Archer was writing at a time when art research was a new and evolving field, and Archer had had to base his support for arts research upon the foundations given by scientific research for it to have any attempt at recognition from the science field.
One of Linden's questions for us was: how can well trodden research methodologies benefit the Arts?
Not sure yet. First I will try to define my values as an artist. This might lead me to methodologies that fit my values.
My work is about recognition of under-valued people. I value the domestic and mundane. I value people who do the unsung jobs in our society, and what they achieve. The contribution they make to society. The skills held, and how they behave towards other people.
Friday, 2 October 2015
Research Methods - First Class
Although this was our initial class in this subject, I think the title of this post is singularly appropriate. There is an expectation that our research for this project will be First Class - and we will be shown the techniques to achieve this. As concepts go, this is more than a little scary.
We spent a lot of time reviewing what constitutes research, knowledge, understanding, information, and "new". I can just about get my head around most of them, but the terminology that worries me is New. I don't think I have ever had an original thought in my life. I worried a lot about this on my BA, until I realised that at that level, you don't need original thought. What you need to do is read widely, pull together several strands of thought and present conclusions to the problem that you set yourself. I thought a Phd was the level of study that required original thought and a significant contribution to new knowledge. If I am honest, I had not really thought through what the requirement was for a Masters degree.
However some of the discussion that was useful to me was to move away from considering Knowledge as a noun, and to consider Knowing as a verb. The noun implies a static state, whereas the verb implies a continual activity, that is always developing. School teachers have given me feedback that my writing style includes a lot of active verbs, so maybe this is a natural way of working for me. Another factor with my craft work and making, is that once I have made something, I lose interest in it. I rarely have the desire to keep it. So does this reinforce my preference for action (and verbs) rather than ownership of objects (and nouns)?
We looked at different types of art research:
research into art (art as subject of enquiry);
research through art (art as method);
research for "art" (which transforms the conception of art).
Then it all got very interesting as we considered the middle option as Research Through Art as Rhetoric (and the experience of rhetoric). Rhetoric means the art of effective communication, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques (possibly artwork?). I find this quite helpful, as my work as a textile artist to date, has involved using domestic and mundane objects to convey a message about how we see and value people. I aim to communicate a message effectively, and increase the value of the people represented by making public artwork about them. For artwork to be research, it then has to increase both knowledge and understanding, and have a pertinent artistic format. Art research is different from scientific research as it goes beyond facts and conclusions but explores current issues in order to uncover a new or different perspective. I think my interest in under-valued people might fit well here, as I want to recognise the unsung heroes.
The AHRC (Arts Humanities Research Council?) favours process over explanation. I found this quite strange until it was explained research that has an unsuccessful outcome (or a potentially unsuccessful outcome) can be very useful. Also commercially focussed research always seeks a profitable outcome, which restricts the range of research and might lead to falsification of stats (Volvo pollution tests?!). The AHRC stresses the importance of 3 features: Research Questions, methods and context.
The first time I met Linden Reilly, our tutor, she was insistent upon the importance of methodology. She said the methodology dictates the outcomes, particularly when you don't know what you want to find out. That evening I was reading a book on Cornelia Parker, whose Magna Carta artwork I greatly admire. I saw her artwork Negative of Whispers. Parker had noticed how the heights climbed by mountaineers is compared to multiples of the height of St Paul"s Cathedral. So Cornelia Parker (who is terrified of heights) took a mountaineer on a tour of St Paul's, and ended up crawling round the Whispering Gallery on her knees, due to fear. This led to Parker noticing the thick layer of dust between the railings and using this as a material to make earplugs for a mountaineer - mute objects to put in ears at high altitude. Had she not had a tour of a high building as her methodology, she would not have found that particular outcome!
We spent a lot of time reviewing what constitutes research, knowledge, understanding, information, and "new". I can just about get my head around most of them, but the terminology that worries me is New. I don't think I have ever had an original thought in my life. I worried a lot about this on my BA, until I realised that at that level, you don't need original thought. What you need to do is read widely, pull together several strands of thought and present conclusions to the problem that you set yourself. I thought a Phd was the level of study that required original thought and a significant contribution to new knowledge. If I am honest, I had not really thought through what the requirement was for a Masters degree.
However some of the discussion that was useful to me was to move away from considering Knowledge as a noun, and to consider Knowing as a verb. The noun implies a static state, whereas the verb implies a continual activity, that is always developing. School teachers have given me feedback that my writing style includes a lot of active verbs, so maybe this is a natural way of working for me. Another factor with my craft work and making, is that once I have made something, I lose interest in it. I rarely have the desire to keep it. So does this reinforce my preference for action (and verbs) rather than ownership of objects (and nouns)?
We looked at different types of art research:
research into art (art as subject of enquiry);
research through art (art as method);
research for "art" (which transforms the conception of art).
Then it all got very interesting as we considered the middle option as Research Through Art as Rhetoric (and the experience of rhetoric). Rhetoric means the art of effective communication, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques (possibly artwork?). I find this quite helpful, as my work as a textile artist to date, has involved using domestic and mundane objects to convey a message about how we see and value people. I aim to communicate a message effectively, and increase the value of the people represented by making public artwork about them. For artwork to be research, it then has to increase both knowledge and understanding, and have a pertinent artistic format. Art research is different from scientific research as it goes beyond facts and conclusions but explores current issues in order to uncover a new or different perspective. I think my interest in under-valued people might fit well here, as I want to recognise the unsung heroes.
The AHRC (Arts Humanities Research Council?) favours process over explanation. I found this quite strange until it was explained research that has an unsuccessful outcome (or a potentially unsuccessful outcome) can be very useful. Also commercially focussed research always seeks a profitable outcome, which restricts the range of research and might lead to falsification of stats (Volvo pollution tests?!). The AHRC stresses the importance of 3 features: Research Questions, methods and context.
The first time I met Linden Reilly, our tutor, she was insistent upon the importance of methodology. She said the methodology dictates the outcomes, particularly when you don't know what you want to find out. That evening I was reading a book on Cornelia Parker, whose Magna Carta artwork I greatly admire. I saw her artwork Negative of Whispers. Parker had noticed how the heights climbed by mountaineers is compared to multiples of the height of St Paul"s Cathedral. So Cornelia Parker (who is terrified of heights) took a mountaineer on a tour of St Paul's, and ended up crawling round the Whispering Gallery on her knees, due to fear. This led to Parker noticing the thick layer of dust between the railings and using this as a material to make earplugs for a mountaineer - mute objects to put in ears at high altitude. Had she not had a tour of a high building as her methodology, she would not have found that particular outcome!
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| Cornelia Parker, The Negative of Whispers, 2010 |
Starting as an MA student
Having had a year off after my BA degree, I am ready to re-enter the student realm. I want to take my thinking to another level, and find the structure of formal education suits me. Education is very often the solution to all my problems - it keeps me meaningfully occupied, thinking about things other than myself, and generally keeps me well, firing on all cylinders.
I am studying MA By Project at London Metropolitan University. This is a research degree within Fine Art, Architecture and Design which facilitates students to conduct a robust research programme on a project of their choice. In my class we have seven students: two architecture, two jewellers and three fine art. We are diverse - from the UK (London, Brighton, Norfolk and Braintree), Portugal, and Italy; and range in age from (an incredibly young looking) 20-something, to 62. I am towards the top end of the age range! It looks like a good bunch of people.
I am interested in people and social history. I love looking at portraits. I have a fascination for objects, especially with a patina of use. I enjoy going to museums and thinking about how the narrative of an exhibition has been compiled. I prefer looking at the stories of the ordinary person, rather than the great and the good, or the rich and powerful. My BA project was about My Mother's Work where I considered the aspects of domestic life that are frequently overlooked, and applied imagery from this field to domestic objects like tea towels, coats, roller towels, jam jar covers and unfinished knitting. This led me to consider what other groups of people who made a contribution to society but who could be also overlooked and under-valued. I came up with lots of groups - cleaners, waste recycling workers, lorry drivers, Australian indigenous people, food processing workers. I then read the London Met website and found they had had a project for the last few years about the Huguenots. They were the first group to use the term refugee, as they were a persecuted minority in France who sought refuge in the UK on the grounds of faith (Huguenots were Protestants). I am very interested in migrants: how we value them; what jobs they do; what recognition they get; what makes them successful (or not).
So, having been accepted for the MA, and identified a research field, my husband, Jim, and I spent a month cycling around France for our summer holiday. This was to see whether there was any history of the Huguenots to be found in France, while on tour. As it happens, we found nothing. We were not actively seeking historical places to visit, but it appeared as if France had wiped the Huguenot Protestant from its public memory. History is written by the victors, and in this case, the Protestant refugees have not been a focus of attention. They were not the victors in France.
I hope I can work up a research proposal from my interest in the Huguenots as migrants.
I am studying MA By Project at London Metropolitan University. This is a research degree within Fine Art, Architecture and Design which facilitates students to conduct a robust research programme on a project of their choice. In my class we have seven students: two architecture, two jewellers and three fine art. We are diverse - from the UK (London, Brighton, Norfolk and Braintree), Portugal, and Italy; and range in age from (an incredibly young looking) 20-something, to 62. I am towards the top end of the age range! It looks like a good bunch of people.
I am interested in people and social history. I love looking at portraits. I have a fascination for objects, especially with a patina of use. I enjoy going to museums and thinking about how the narrative of an exhibition has been compiled. I prefer looking at the stories of the ordinary person, rather than the great and the good, or the rich and powerful. My BA project was about My Mother's Work where I considered the aspects of domestic life that are frequently overlooked, and applied imagery from this field to domestic objects like tea towels, coats, roller towels, jam jar covers and unfinished knitting. This led me to consider what other groups of people who made a contribution to society but who could be also overlooked and under-valued. I came up with lots of groups - cleaners, waste recycling workers, lorry drivers, Australian indigenous people, food processing workers. I then read the London Met website and found they had had a project for the last few years about the Huguenots. They were the first group to use the term refugee, as they were a persecuted minority in France who sought refuge in the UK on the grounds of faith (Huguenots were Protestants). I am very interested in migrants: how we value them; what jobs they do; what recognition they get; what makes them successful (or not).
So, having been accepted for the MA, and identified a research field, my husband, Jim, and I spent a month cycling around France for our summer holiday. This was to see whether there was any history of the Huguenots to be found in France, while on tour. As it happens, we found nothing. We were not actively seeking historical places to visit, but it appeared as if France had wiped the Huguenot Protestant from its public memory. History is written by the victors, and in this case, the Protestant refugees have not been a focus of attention. They were not the victors in France.
I hope I can work up a research proposal from my interest in the Huguenots as migrants.
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