Results from second semester

Linden rang me with feedback tonight.  I attained 68% for the project work and 68% for project report. Written feedback was:

"Good Work.  A good and energetic start to an interesting project. A huge amount of hours have been put in to stitching, and gathering information about related work, for which you have travelled the globe.

Your mark making is sensitive. And the aim of your work marks a subtle position related to sophisticated work on gender and class.

The stitch piece well executed and well thought through — a ‘meaningful articulation of elements’. (Does it matter if some people frame it in terms of skill, and ask questions about the finishing on the back? Can you ever control your audience?)

Your project aim and stitch work indicate that you have good, honed analytical skills, and next year I would like to work with you on brining these out more explicitly in your written work."

The discussion was useful - I had produced a good quantity of work, with lots of diverse material.  Apparently I am good at analysis, making subtle and informed points, which was apparent in both the practical and written work. I have developed my position in a mature and sophisticated way.  Next year Linden expects me to develop a good argument with my work via contemporary, cultural and theoretical study.  An area for development is how my work is implicit in how it deals with the sensuous and delightful, skill and concept, is accessible to the elite and working class.  I need to become more explicit in what I am saying, probably via the analysis in my writing.  By use of more references and more quotations, more analysis will become apparent.  Simone (the jewellery tutor and assessor) said my mark making from my Shedio art classes was very sensitive (not subtle!) and I should continue with the art work.  This led to a debate about the clash of Uni and Shedio classes on Thursdays.  We discussed the Oblique Strategy cards and how it challenged pre-conceptions.  Linden will be ok if I skip a class in October in order to do a 4 day half-term class at the Shedio, hopefully during reading week.

Sensitive - from Latin 'sentire' - feel

Subtle - from Latin 'subtilis' a weaving term, beneath the warp threads in a loom, developing to mean finely woven, fine, thin, thence to mean making fine discriminations.

I see myself as sensitive (i.e. I feel things) but not subtle (I am direct and bold in my manner)