Paddy Killer at The Customs House, South Shields.

This was a small, but perfectly formed exhibition of Paddy Killer's work from the last 30 odd years.  There were about 20 'snippets' - 12" square framed images from assorted projects over the last 30 years.  They were either drawn in Indian ink on silk, or black and white pen on glass.

Paddy Killer, Snippet of The Mirror, drawing in Indian ink on silk

Paddy Killer, le puy lace, Drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, drawn thread work, drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, Punto in Aria Lace, drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, Mary Swift's Blouse, drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, How Could She Sleep At Night, Snippet, Indian ink on silk

Paddy Killer, Armada portrait lace,  drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, Snippet of How Could She Sleep at Night.  Indian ink on silk

Paddy Killer, Flanders tape lace, drawing in ink on glass

Paddy Killer, Belgian Bobbin Lace, drawing in ink on glass.

Paddy Killer, Venetian Lace, Drawing in ink on glass

 Incredible, well drawn, finely executed works - let down by insufficient information on the artist statements.  Consequences of Mary Swift, is a stunning drawing on silk, c 3' x 6', with a series of dates (1873-1899; 1900-1929; 1930-1949; 1950-1968) down one side, but no indication of what it means.  Are these dates the date of birth of a girl child, followed by the date at which she had her first child?  Surely it cannot be dates of birth and death?  Some narrative about what the drawings of people represent would have made it more meaningful.

There were glass pendants c2.5" x 4" in a downward arch shape,  with drawings of single sections of lace scallops.  They would make beautiful, striking necklace pendants.

I like this exhibition because it features a local female artist, shows the longevity of her artist career; and shows interpretation of female-gendered textile art, along with non-female media (glass and water jet cutting)into jewellery pendants.

Great day out.

Who Gets Represented? Thoughts from the Swimming Pool.

I had a great 2500 m swim this morning.  I was thinking about my research during the swim.

I'm getting more and more interested in the notion of masculinist and female values.  I don't think female values are clearly defined.  So how can female values be defined?  I wondered about asking people who work at the Fawcett Society, whether they had any views.  Or what about the people at the East End Women's Museum?  Who else might have views on what they think female values are?  What about the women who are Friends of the Shedio?

I've been thinking about the gendering of media.  I need to read around this.  I'm clear that some media are gendered, and known to be gendered - oils and stone sculpture are masculine; watercolours and textiles are feminine.  But what about media like print (does gendering vary across different print media?). What about media like cigarette cards?  Does scale matter? - do smaller media link with women and larger media with men?  Or is there no such correlation?

What sorts of people have been represented in the 20th Century Gallery at National Portrait Gallery? Katherine Tyrrell has written a great blog post on her take on the new rehang - she is unimpressed.  Too much grey and beige on the walls, too much gold framing, too many image sited too high on the wall. Too little natural light.  OK for representation of gay people, far too little representation of ethnic minorities. She does not like the chronological layout, and preferred the subject clustering (like Family) of the previous hang. I think the new rehang is better than the previous, because there is a wider range of people represented, and far greater proportion of women.  But I've been thinking about what women I'd like to see represented.  The NPG policy states

"The Gallery is particularly interested to acquire works which reflect the diversity of British history and culture and highlight achievement in a wide range of different fields, from sporting success, entertainment, science, the arts, business, politics and intellectual life. "

Are these criteria masculinist?  I think they may be.  I think men are more likely to be competitive, (or rewarded for being competitive?) and sports certainly pay professional sportsmen more than professional women (eg football!) and prize money is more for men than women (eg tennis! And the argument that women play 3 sets whereas men play 5 could be resolved - just make them equal sets!). My brief investigations into entertainment show male domination, showing more of female roles depicting typically younger and more decorative, or supporting roles.

Women can be seen in science, but I'm not sure our society promotes their achievements in the same way as men.  A classic example of this was the woman who identified the helix structure of DNA, had her discovery shared with a competitor's team,  without her permission, and was only very recently credited with this as her discovery.  If I include medicine in science, I can remember quite a few large portraits of leading male surgeons, but none of midwives, female surgeons or supporting functions like radiography, physiotherapy or occupational therapy.  There's nothing in there about service industries like transport or catering.

In politics, the people who spring to mind are elected politicians (majority men) whereas politics could be a field that chose to represent Greenham Common women, or women who campaign against Female Genital Mutilation.  But I don't see any of these in respected, traditional galleries.  So is this because they don't value women?  Their policy states they know they have an under-representation of women.  So if this is the case how do they plan to address it?  Perhaps they need to do root cause analysis of their criteria for collecting.  The descriptors in the NPG policy are implicitly masculine in my opinion, because the immediate examples of people in the public eye who spring to mind, in many of these categories, are men.


So I need to get ethics clearance before I start any research.  This means I need to work out the questions I want to ask to identify female views on values, and female views on the gendering of media and create a form, to attach to the ethics clearance.

Considering my Framing as a Researcher

I thought about my next stage of research while at the pool this morning.  I want to analyse the newly rehung 20th Century Gallery at the National Portrait Gallery to see what values I can identify in the various portraits, using Schwartz Theory of Basic Values.

However, I need to be aware of my own framing in how it will affect the values that I perceive in the portraits.  On the one hand, I believe there is no such thing as absolute objectivity, and that we are all subjective to some extent.  But that is no reason not to strive to gain a fair analysis.

My framing              Implication

White                       May not be aware of issues for ethnic minorities.
                                 May focus on the 'white perspective' without realising this may be skewed
Female                     May not be aware of issues for men
Straight                    May not be aware of issues for gay people
Middle aged             May not be aware of issues for older/young people.
                                 Technological change may have passed me by
Urban                       May lack awareness of rural issues
Educated                  May lack awareness of perspective of the less educated
                                 May be inclined to overthink/analyse
Working class          May be more inclined to be critical of middle class/upper class people
Manual industry       May be more aware of their skill based and more inclined to publicise
                                 manual workers' achievements.

A Few Days in Cardiff

Shirley and I went to Cardiff for a few days.  We visited Cardiff Castle, The National Museum of Wales, and St Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life.  As usual, I was looking for anything that represented women or art.

Cardiff Castle had been owned by the Marquis of Bute.  His main home was Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute, but he had extensive business interests in Wales - mining and docks.  He had the castle apartments decorated in the most extravagant Arts & Crafts Gothic style ... but he and his family only occupied the castle for 4 weeks in summer, and 2 in winter!  He was alleged to be the richest man in Europe - and displayed ostentatious wealth.  A devout Catholic convert, a keen linguist, with rooms in arabic styles as well as Arts & Crafts. Lots of animals depicted. Very interesting to arts and crafts enthusiasts, but actually slightly uncomfortable.  Arts & Crafts main fault was that extolling the virtues of hand-crafted decoration meant it was unsustainable - only the very richest could afford it - and these people were living extravagantly on the labour of the poor - in this case miners and dockers.  This sits badly for me.  Interestingly Cardiff Castle was given to the people of Cardiff in 1947, when the mines were nationalised.  The Marquis no longer needed to come to Cardiff as his business interests were no longer.  If the mines were nationalised - what compensation was given to the Marquis?  The mines would not have been donated to the nation!  The current Marquis is a tax exile in Switzerland.

Hand carved monkey with servant bell concealed in its mouth

Coat of arms.
Symbol on right is the scarf of the fair maiden that would be tied around the lance of her favoured lancer

The National Museum of Wales has an outstanding collection of artworks, frequently acquired by bequests from significant local donors.  There was an interesting display of two paintings hung together, juxtaposing images of women.

Antonio Mancini, Portrait of a Girl,
Courtesy of National Gallery of Wales

Terry Sketch, Night Watch
Courtesy of National Gallery of Wales

 Antonio Mancini (man) and Terry Setch (man or woman? credited as woman in Gallery, but man on Wikipedia) work in impasto. Terry Setch did a lot of work with the Greenham Common Women and had a high regard for these people who held firm with their beliefs in adverse circumstances (bad press and inclement weather).  The gallery description describes them as having 'strength, ingenuity, reliance, determination and power'.  Interesting descriptors, particularly given I am considering how women are represented. (Equally, further round the exhibition, I found watercolours by women, described as 'charming' - yuk!)

Sir Thomas Mansel and his second wife Jane Pole, 1625
Courtesy of National Gallery of Wales

I enjoyed sketching some of the gold work patterns and extravagant fabric details.  His trousers are some sort of black damask weave.    There was another portrait where Katheryn of Berlin, 'The Mother of Wales' 1568 had a lot of blackwork embroidery on her sleeves, and also on the ruffled collar - so lots of the embroidery would not be easily visible!  All that work and not clearly shown!

Then I moved from looking at Women as Subject, to Women as Donor.  Cardiff Museum has an extensive collection of Impressionist art - bequests in 1953 and 1961 from Margaret and Gwendoline Davies, who were spinster heiresses to estates from mining and docks.  Their grandfather was a Non-Conformist entrepreneur in mining, who built the Barry Docks because of the extortionate fees charged by Cardiff Docks (owned by the Catholic Marquis of Bute?) to export his coal. Both the sisters had toured Europe for their art education as young women, then worked as Red Cross nurses in WW1, turned the family home into a convalescent hospital, and conducted good works with the old and infirm.  Both collected art.  There were some classic paintings from series artworks - one from the Haystack series, one from Rouen Cathedral by Monet, plus Morisot, Renoir, Pisarro, Van Gogh.  Amazing collection, but I'm not sure how I feel about this immense wealth being built on the labour of the poor.  My Dad was a Bevan Boy in wartime - when mines were still privately owned - and he was always so militant on behalf of the miners, for their hard work in terrible conditions.  I am not able to articulate my position on this yet.

Finally we went to St Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life.  Great open air museum (it poured with rain!). Lots of traditional Welsh buildings have been dismantled and moved here.  A row of terrace houses showed progression of living conditions from 1800-1950.  Perfectly liable but huge contrast to St Fagan's Castle.  In the castle there was a sofa, covered in 6" embroidered squares made by visiting ladies.  There must be a story behind the object but the museum has not exploited it.

There were lots of Welsh speaking staff on site.  Apparently the Welsh language has been promoted since the Welsh Assembly has been created.  Good.

Drawing Two: Symposium at Coventry

I had an unexpected trip to Coventry on Thursday. I had been missed off the email list so it was a short notice booking of a hotel and off I went to attend the Symposium on Friday.

Marsha Meskimmon was the keynote speaker.
Conversations with Contingencies.
Feminism, Women, Gender, Drawing.

About drawing as conversation - across, between.  Conversation about women - sexual conversation. The etymological definition of conversation - Between the divine and the earthly.

Conversation - agency for categories.  How we understand the categories of Contingencies.
Contingency - Elizabeth Grosz - context.  'Sexual Signatures, Feminism after death of the author: Essays on the Politics of Bodies'. Grosz was debating what was feminism about?  women, hierarchy, context?  Not assured.  Style? Reader?  Much slippage.  None of them work.  No wholly effective classification.  Concluded it is provisional or momentary.  Enables the examination of subjects and meanings in process - it is a revised mode of agency.

Explore the processes.

Carolee Schneemann.  Much nude performance action.  Limits subjects/objects; limits; women's body as object.  MM noted her work is not always fit for feminism as CS uses herself, her body, as object.  I really get this.  I've never been keen on her work - and MM articulated exactly why I am uncomfortable with it.

Janine Antoni.  Loving Care.  None of her work is nude.  Uses hair as paintbrush and wears a dark body stocking that makes her body look somewhat like a paintbrush handle.  Uses hair to paint hair dye all over the floor.  Cannot be restrained to canvas.  The leaky body.

One's work and interpretation changes over time - by self and others.  (Yes!  I really get this with my undergrad work).

Bodies we don't see and inscribe.

Andre Lorde -  For the Masters tools will never dismantle the masters house.  Sister Outsider.
They may allow us to temporarily to beat him at his own game but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.  (binary thinking).

Sonia Boyce.  Lay Back, Keep Quiet 1986.

Judy Watson, Low Tide Walk 1991.

Karla Solano Home 2005.  Assumption - masochistic work.  But actually in deerskin.  Visceral but not damaging.  Inside or outside.  In fact, home is neither inside nor outside.

Catherine Opie - Self Portrait - Cutting.  Questions around lesbian identity, home, family.  Deliberately painful and hard.

Jenny Holzer.  Lustmord.  1993-4 Realisation of systematic rape in Kosovo.  Destruction of the 'other'.  Writing on skin in the voice of perpetrator and victim.  Really powerful to read the perpetrator's words written in the first person.

George Grosz Lustmord - damaged WW1 soldiers.

Susan Hauptmann Self portrait with feathers.  2007

Sarah Ahmed The Cultural Politics of Emotion.
quote p187

Many ways to display female work.

Be clear about what point you are making.
Define your category in your own right.
Not 'only'.  Contingent cases.
Feminism is not one size fits all.  Change and keep modifying.
Strategies move (or competent strategic thinkers should make sure it does!)

Images to follow.

Art class at the Granary

I've had a lovely couple of days at art class.  I started carving a Lino panel, trying out the new resin Lino.  I was inspired by Aunt Joan's counted thread sampler and simply drew some of the stitch patterns, at different scales.  I discovered I was drawing in line patterns and decided to carry on with this, to see how far I could push it, rather than exploring texture.

I stuck to black and white printing ink, on black and white papers - tissue, tracing, newsprint, dressmaking layout pages and collage.  I experimented with two tone print where you rollout black and white inks at the same time side-by-side, to make a great area in the middle. I also did a little overprinting.  Then, once home and dried, I stitched into some of them.

Very pleased with the outcomes, but now I'd like to experiment with more colour.

Plain print

With blanket stitch on right hand side

Black on black

Black print on spotty tissue

Two tone print with stitch on dressmakers pattern layout page

Two layer print on tracing paper

Overprinted with white

Two tone print over graphite

Black and white print on black tissue

Selective white overprint

Selective white overprint and collage

White overprint on collaged paper

 Black print on collaged black tissue

White print with collaged words

Two tone print with stitch

With stitch on pattern layout paper

Two tone print and overprint on black tissue.

Jill's PV at Lanchester Gallery, Coventry Uni

Lovely evening at Jill's Private View.  Good opportunity to talk to people from the artist community in Coventry.  Jill's work included a lot of stitched work on domestic linen.

I spent some time talking to Darren, who is a South African student.   Darren's interpretation of the work was that it was strongly colonial.  This was a total eye-opener to me.  I read it as very traditional in stitch style, but quite modern in its use of found materials and joining of unconventional fabrics.  Darren read  Jill's work as being from the same style as his grandmother's.  He's aged c35, so his parents are my age, and his grandparents would be my parents age.  His grandmother migrated from the UK to South Africa as a young woman and brought her linen (probably created as part of her bottom drawer) with her.  He viewed his grandparents as part of the colonising British community.  We discussed a piece made from blue cotton and white crochet.  He read it as colonial because the uniform of domestic servants in South Africa is made from this blue cotton.  When I spoke to Jill she said it was inspired by one of the Greek islands, where the houses are painted with this blue around the basement because it is the protective colour of the evil eye.

Just shows what the difference is the reading, between the author and viewer.

Photos to follow.

Key points from "How to do your Research Project" by Gary Thomas

Research - when it comes to social research, there is Interpretative, or Illuminative.

Illuminating is shining a light on something - your subject is either in the dark, or is ill-lit.  Therefore you are expecting to see something that you haven't seen before, possibly because you are looking in a way that you could not previously.  Also you are devoting time and energy to look curiously, and using your own self - your intelligence and experience - to make sense of it.  Your ability to draw on your own resources - your knowledge and experience of people and social situations - to make sense of what your find.  My work environment was diverse so I've spent a lot of time observing social interactions in the work setting.  As my work is about feelings, perceptions and understandings, the need to listen to people and observe, interpret and understand their words and actions.

Research can be messy.  Rarely linear.  Often recursive

Linear
Question -> Literature Review -> Method -> Analysis

Recursive Plan
                                                    ------->                 ------->           ------->
Prima facie question    Lit Review.    New Questions.    Method(s).    Analysis. ------|
                                                   <-------           ^                       <----------                      |
                                                                          |---------------------------------          <----|

Think about evidence - it needs to be considered critically and assessed.   John Dewey (1920/2004) argued that only "reflective thought... is truly educative in value" (p3).  It is a deliberate self-questioning about the rounds for a belief, from other kinds of thought where there is little consideration for the quality of the evidence.  Be suspicious of thinking based on tradition or authority (!) Is this why people have said I am difficult to manage - because I don't necessarily agree with authority!  Be wary of the passionate and the vested interest!

What research is:

Aim to find new knowledge,
Be thorough
Be balanced
Be fair
Be ethical.

And what it is not:

Not journalism
Not campaigning for an issue.
Don't assume you already know the answer and try to prove it.

Research is about disciplined, balanced enquiry, conducted in a critical spirit.

Critical awareness.  Your attitude to knowledge is more important than the amount of knowledge you can demonstrate.  You need to be healthily sceptical - be suspicious and doubtful until you have chewed it over in several different ways - before you decide something is 'truthful'.  However in social situations all reporting is in the context of the experience of the individual.  Hmm.  Difficult to be confident of a position.

Tutorial with Jill - Tuesday 28 November 2017

I had a trip to Coventry for a tutorial yesterday.  This went well.  Jill had hammered into my draft literature review.  Overall, it hung together quite well, but I had messed up the referencing (again!).  It turns out I write quite well when I believe in the theory I'm discussing, but when I think the theory is inaccurate or substandard and indicates a gap in the literature, I'm less articulate.

I need to sort out my note taking.  We had a discussion about getting the full pages of an article listed in the bibliography, but also the need to specify the exact page number in my text.  Drat!  I've been manually note taking and sometimes have missed the exact page number for every quote.  But when I take notes and quotes in typescript,  I'm so much quicker and get more of the details right.  Now I've taken my blog off my website, I'll probably keep my notes on the blog, and have all the details to hand.

We had a debate about the section where I describe the principles of Schwartz's Theory of Basic Values, because it is a long section of description, but is required to make the reader familiar with the theory.  As I want to apply this theory in my research in the NPG, I think it's essential to be a bit descriptive.

I showed Jill the book I was using for instructions on my research project - How to do your Research Project, by Gary Thomas.  This is specifically for educational and applied social sciences, and she validated it as a good choice.

I explained my difficulties with Writing Week - good high level overview, but somewhat short on specific advice on how to write, and short on examples of good practice from well written essays.  Neither could I get 1-1 advice on writing until 13 December - a week after the essay deadline.

I said the most useful part of writing week was when we had a session with 3 highly experienced PhD assessors who said they were still getting PhD theses handed in at what appeared to be the second draft stage.  It was normal and acceptable to be at the 6-8th draft before finalising.  So my literature review having major amendments at 2nd draft seems to be ok.

Jill gave me the go-ahead to start data gathering at the NPG to see what values, according to Schwartz's table of basic values, are in the newly rehung 20th Century Gallery.  (I forgot to ask about the ethics form, for the second stage of research. I know this needs to be done before I start data gathering).

Womanhood exhibition at Cambridge Artworks

Yesterday I went to a 2 day exhibition at Cambridge Artworks.  (This is a good venue, does some interesting small scale exhibitions, around the back of Cambridge).

Pippa Davismoon and Charlotte Morrison work together on similar subjects around womanhood - Charlotte focusses on body image, scars and conflicting narratives, whereas Pippa explores the female form.  Both artists work in glass and ceramic.  I spent a lot of time talking to them.

Charlotte had considered the conflicting narratives about breastfeeding - how women are pushed by the medical profession to breast feed for as long as possible, but also how women are encouraged to return to work.  She had collected phrases from her research: "at least 6 months", "I can't", "not in public", 'must return to work", "cover up", "it's natural", and printed them on slips of acetate, displayed next to a series of glass nipple shields.  She was interested how the nipple is deemed the pornographic part of the breast, so cannot be shown on prime time tv, but can be shown as part of an art exhibit.

Charlotte had also worked a lot with people who had scars - most of whom covered them up.  She was interested in the language used around the body and potential/actual scars.  She noted that surgeons who referred to the body as an object, with phrases like "cut here", whereas when women were talking about their body and its scars, used terms of bereavement.  She had worked as a counsellor in the medical field and had obviously listened carefully to the female experience.  She worked in porcelain ceramic (so expensive it was called white gold) and found the materiality of the porcelain to be inspiring to use to express the preciousness of women's experience.  Quite inspiring.

Pippa had also worked with words.  She had gathered words used by groups of people to describe women, printed them on ceramic discs (cut with pastry cutters?) and lip shapes, and let people play with them.  I made two little dancing figure shapes, one with words that described my Mother, and a completely different one that described me.

She had done a lot of work about menstruation (not a subject that greatly appeals to me) but some interesting interpretations in ceramic and glass.  One series of wine coloured glass was demonstrating how vaginas are all different shapes - i.e. not the standard shape illustrated in textbooks!  Some lovely mono prints  in naive drawing style, but so enhanced by the simple square white box frame.  Proper framing elevates the artwork (note to self!) Must improve my privileging!  She had also made ceramic panty liners, rolled as if they had been stuffed in a handbag (both used and unused!), which made me both laugh and shudder.  The skill to use the ceramic in such a thin, delicate, manipulated way was admirable, but also quite revoltingly abject.

Pippa Davismoon, monoprint

Pippa Davismoon

Pippa Davismoon, Monoprint

Pippa Davismoon, Monoprint

Pippa Davismoon, Monoprint

Pippa Davismoon, monoprint

Charlotte Morrison, ceramic breast with scars

Charlotte Morrison, Ceramic breast and bra 

Charlotte Morrison, ceramic breast, before and after surgery.

Pippa Davismoon, glass vaginas.

Analysing good writing - thoughts from the bike ride.

https://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/breach-of-rules-taylor-wessing-photographic-portrait-prize-2017.html

I have been thinking about critical writing recently, and have come across a brilliant example in the above blog post by Katherine Tyrrell. So I'm going to analyse what she does.  She is a retired senior civil servant and her writing shows her experience - I suspect she may have been something like a senior policy researcher, from her style and structure of argument.

Tyrrell  starts by describing her purpose for writing about art competitions - 3 reasons.  Then focuses on her 3rd reason - criticising the conduct of judging panels.  Sad but necessary.

Makes the point that confidence in competitions is undermined by allowing entries that breach the rules, and allowing said entries to win prizes!

Gives example image.

Quotes from Judging panel - their first sentence confirms the entry is outside the rules.

Notes that £7,000 of prize money (funded by entry fees) was awarded to the entry that was outside the criteria.

Notes need for (MPs) everyone to operate within the law and clear rules.

Quotes competition legislation, Gaming Act, contract law, Advertising Code of Conduct.

Quotes from competition rules.  Also quotes from entrant, who acknowledged her application is outside the terms and conditions - so no deceit on her part.

States Judging Panel only has titles and works, and no further information.  Therefore competition administrator should have removed ineligible works prior to judging panel.

Quotes rules "Judges decision final and no further correspondence will be entertained". States she is outside of the competition and therefore can comment outside the competition.

States Judges do not have the right to vary the rules of the competition (i.e. eligibility or otherwise) or that they can include ineligible exhibits or award prizes to them, outside of the rules.

Suggests changes to rules be checked by a lawyer.

Notes competition was sponsored by Law Firm!

Notes there was no-one acting as Guardian of the Rules (in HR we used to call it Custodian of the Policy)

Suggests artwork could have been displayed outside of the competition, but at the venue.

Suggests rejected entrants/prize winners might want to claim their money back due to breach of rules - (reminds readers of Weinstein, Spacey, and 2008 BBC breach of Broadcasters Code and refunds subsequent)

Quotes Advertising Standards Authority - legal, decent, honest, truthful etc.

Sums up by suggesting Compliance with the Rules, Guardian of the Rules role, plan for non-compliant entries.

Clarifies that entrant was not at fault - clear statement of non-compliance

Names the Judging panel(!)

Provides bibliography

Provides links for previous winners.

I thought it was a brilliant piece of writing.  Great structuring and clear narrative to a well reasoned outcome.

Exhibition: Grayson Perry - The Life of Julie Cope - Firstsite, Colchester

Grayson Perry's exhibition opened last night, and the private view was absolutely heaving.  I decided to go on Saturday morning, when it would be quieter, in order to sit and draw.  This was a good decision.

There were 4 huge tapestries - two of the stages of Julie's life and two of her with each of her two husbands.  The life tapestries were in GPs usual high colour, pattern and detail, and they repaid long study.  As she is an Essex girl there was a lot of detail about Essex - from the Canvey floods with policemen with the Essex badge on the helmet, brutalist buildings and landmarks from Basildon, scenes from Colchester and Maldon.  Absolutely brilliant detail.

Courtesy of Firstsite

Courtesy of Crafts Council

Interesting use of the voiceover.  GP has written The Ballad of Julie Cope which gives an auditory narrative to reinforce the visual narrative in the tapestries.  Very clever social commentary that interweaves observations of how life has evolved in Essex, with social aspirations and the expectations contrasted with the reality of life.  I identified with much of what the Ballad described, particularly when he poetically explains how the fictional Julie goes to university in mid life to expand her horizons.  In her case, she then meets her second husband and life moves on.  GP has an uncanny ability to pick out life details that many will identify with, and use them to demonstrate broader generalisations about life.  I need to think about whether a written piece would enhance any of my embroidered samplers.

There were some of his sketchbooks on display, one of which is the original sketch from which the tapestry of Julie and her second husband was made.  There were also about 9 linocut prints, unfortunately displayed opposite an orange screened window, which reflected on the photos.  These prints were wonderful - GP has very distinctive ways of creating texture - circular scribbling, cross hatching etc - and it was lovely to see that these infills had been applied to linocut, for printing.  Very inspiring.

Photos to follow

Feedback on first draft of literature review - thoughts from my bike ride

During Writing Week, we were given advice from 3 highly experienced PhD assessors.  One piece of advice was to get into a network of 'critical friends' so you can mutually critique each others work, so you don't end up handing in ill-crafted work.  These Assessors had obviously seen too much work that was only crafted to first or second draft level.  They said 8-12 drafts were normal.

So I took a brave pill, found a critical friend and sent my work to him.  Oh my word - I've found a gem!  He went straight to the heart of my discontent and identified what it was.  I think participating in Writing Week has given me a very high overview of writing issues - but not given me the thinking skills to apply them.

One of my issues was about the use of integral and non-integral references.  We were clearly told the difference between them -  Author (date)  says "..." (integral), or this is the idea (author, date) (Non-integral.  Use one when you want to privilege the idea, the other when you want to privilege who said it.  But no indicators as to when each is appropriate - that is for you to decide - unless your supervisor says otherwise!  We were also shown bar charts analysing when integral and non-integral references were used in 4 different PhD theses (engineering, peace & justice; art, health sciences) - but these were only on the screen for 30 seconds each; they had different patterns of referencing; and had been randomly selected (not selected for being good examples).  These bar charts showed referencing patterns varied, but not what was appropriate or why.  So I came out of the session feeling somewhat bemused.

I decided to write my literature search as if the ideas were most important - so did non-integral references throughout.  Yet, if I think about it, the literature search must focus on the high quality writers who went before - there is no point standing on the shoulders of anyone other than giants - so therefore credit them!  Some of the points that I made, originated from the seminal writers in the field and were not opinion (which is how my review read).  It would have been much easier if we had been directed to credit the authors in the literature review.

I had been worried that when I stopped writing about Standpoint Theory and Situated Knowledge, and moved onto Schwartz's Theory of Basic Values, it was too methodologically heavy and should be sited in the Methodology, rather than the literature review.  But this appeared to be ok.

One of the Writing Week sessions told us about signposting.  But I've not grasped how to do it.  I suppose a major criticism of this week is that while we've been told what is needed, we have not been told how - or given examples of work that shows it.  The Centre for Academic Writing does offer one-to-ones, but this means another trip to Coventry for me.  Maybe I should submit a piece of writing to them for critique, and book a session with them before I have my next tutorial with Jill.  I'd like to get my Literature Review wrapped up for my next tute with her on 28 November.  Hand-in is on 7 December.

I think a major stumbling block to higher level education is that we just don't do enough writing.  In my first degree we only did 2 essays a year (theory and taught modules were a small part of the process), and when studying abroad in Australia for a year, I think I did 6.  For my time at London Met, we only wrote 1 piece per module, and these were not always essays. A friend who did a history degree a long time ago said he had to knock out 4 essays a month, and with this level of practice, he could do it quickly and articulately.  If I had written more essays, for different purposes, I'd be more able to just knock out an essay.  If I'd only had to use one referencing system I'd be at least partly competent at it.

My writing skills should be better.  It's not as if I've never written.  I find it odd that I'm still feeling as if I'm running in treacle, and that highly experienced PhD supervisors are making very basic criticisms of the work submitted to them.  Yet it is obvious that the same mistakes are being made by students and they are not being pushed to the right quality before submission.

My critical friend was so helpful - but I feel a bit downhearted that I can't already write to the appropriate standards.  I need to think of it like an apprenticeship (except I don't have 7 years) - I have 2 years on my MRes to get from beginner writer to master wordsmith.  It takes a lot of practice and botched work to attain skill.  I'm not sure whether this makes me feel better or worse!

Last day of Writing Week.

Over-confidence comes before a fall.

I'd had a good day of writing on Thursday and went out for dinner with a South African student, Darren, who has just started his PhD on the selfie.  We went for a curry and he was telling me about his trips to London, where he had been to the National Portrait Gallery to look at 16th and 17th century self portraits.  He's been considering the use of the mirror in his literature review - and he's concluded he knows NOTHING.  (I know that feeling!).  He asked at the NPG if he could access their archive, filled in some paperwork ... AND HE'S BEEN IN!!!!  Wow!  I did not think it was possible!  I was so envious - but he had the confidence to ask, and was rewarded.

Then Friday morning I was tired and tetchy and I was late for the Writing Abstracts class - I checked twice the start time - and was told 11am - but when I got there, it had started at 10.  The tutor was abrupt and quick, and I felt did not explain the exercises well, by assuming a lot of prior knowledge.  I felt out of sorts and upset. I think there was a lot of valid learning and analysis in the session ... but I did not get it.

I caught the first train available home, and the first two trains interchanged perfectly - no waiting.  I still felt tetchy and put it down to just wanting to be home and being tired from a week away.  I just missed the train to Braintree by 4 minutes, so had an hour to wait.  This meant I was travelling for 4 hours.  Once I was home, I had an horrendous upset stomach which lasted about 12 hours.  This might have been why I felt out of sorts all day long.

Starting to flesh out my thesis.

I dropped in to see Jill, my supervisor, this morning.  I was well fired up, having slept on the ideas raised in yesterday's writing sessions.  I had created a one-page mind map, as suggested in the session with experienced Supervisors.





Upside down because I've forgotten how to rotate it here.

Putting it into a linear order:

Title - Valuing Women

Literature review - describe Schwartz Theory of Basic Values.  Useful because multi-dimensional
                              contrast with single value theories (Kohlberg and Gilligan) Unhelpful because one-dimensional
                              Situated knowledge - partial and privileged.  Plus debate by critics
                              Women (+ lack of power) -v- men (+ power) in situated knowledge
                              Masculinist values

Data gathering - visit to NPG 20th Century Gallery - rehung 4/11/17
                           use Schwartz Table of Basic Values to identify values in artworks
                           identify gendering of media in art
                           identify Collections Policy and gendering in collecting criteria.
                           identify sources of artworks on display (NPG collection or private collections)
                           

Analysis - evaluate values displayed in 20th Century Gallery rehung artworks/selection criteria
                create gender breakdown
                evaluate compliance with policy
                identify patterns and trends 

Conclusions - to be advised

Practical outputs - My textile artworks
                              Semi-structured interviews with many woman about specific women.  
                              Identify values and categorise according to Schwartz Table of Basic Values
                              Identify patterns and trends
                              Select (very few) women who display values that demonstrate a diversity of values on Schwartz's table
                              Create (3?) samplers

                              

Writing week - Day 3

Thesis Structure and Argumentation

Each discipline will have its own meaningful structure.  Take advice from your supervisor.

Titles should indicate topic and scope of study. Play around with your title. My first attempt:

Valuing Women: identifying the rationale for women to value other women in roles rarely portrayed in art.

Consider your audience for your thesis.  What impact do they expect?

General statement
Elaboration
More detail
Leading to Broader Statement

or Opening with an anecdote/case study that illustrates point then moves to a more general discussion.  (I've seen this in various theses and it really puts me off.  I want something that tells me the purpose before the detail).

Intro - General to specific
Method
Results
Discussion/conclusion - Specific to general
Often used for science subjects - no literature review

Intro - General to specific
Literature Review
Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 3
Conclusions

Creating a Research Space (CARS)

We analysed some text - I found this difficult.  Is this for the Introduction?

Move 1 - Establishing a research territory
Move 2 - Establishing a niche
Move 3 - Occupying the niche.

Move 1 - sets context, identifies where you are coming from.  Enables you to claim centrality and make generalisations.
Move 2 - Counter claims; identifies gap/contradictions/problems in previous research.  Raises questions.  Extends previous knowledge.
Move 3 - Purpose/nature of research.  Creates research questions or hypotheses.  Indicates principle findings.

Introduction is 10% of word count.  When well written, makes the rest impactful.

Literature Review

Based on themes.  Argument driven.

Methods

Important to say why useful to your practice.  Prove rigour.  Don't go multi-methodological unless there is a reason.

Gather data - but explain the implications of the data.

Conclusions. 

Points to consolidate your research.  Report, relate, interpret, and anticipate potential criticisms.

Don't fall into the front loading pit - too much literature review and method, too little on research; or the backloading pit - too much results, too little theory.

Create paragraphs with Topic, Expansion; Narrowing; Illustrating; Analysis; Conclusion.

Don't use However unless you are showing contrast.

Start with territory, move from old to new information; repeat key words to carry through readability.

Homework - create 3-5 sentences on each of Topic, structure, Headings.


Meet the Supervisors Session

Sir David Morris, Economist - Centre for Academic Writing - purpose to give a practical, supportive edge to Doctoral Writing.

1. Expectations of written English are changing.  More non-native English speaking candidates and assessors.  Less formulaic now.  Important to transmit meaning.  You need to understanding it!
2. Get structure clear.  1 subject per paragraph. 1 idea per sentence.  Clean numbering of paragraphs and clearly labelled diagrams.
3. Golden thread running through thesis.   Create yourself a 1 page diagram of your thesis outline.
4. 8-12 drafts is normal.  Do not try to write it in one draft.  Write as you go for practice.
5. Manage your resources.  Your have to manage your supervisor.  You provide the agenda and minutes.  Use the Centre for Academic Writing for support.

When your supervisor asks What have you been reading, try to include something like Rowena Murray' "How to Write your Thesis".

Get non-supervisoral people to read your work.  Other students.  Other people with academic backgrounds or specialist interests in your field.

Sheena .... Faculty of Arts & Humanities

1. Writing process  - varies according to student.  Many right ways of doing it.
2. Writing Product - Don't go against convention of your discipline.  Take from your Supervisor ... and follow it.

Erik Borg - CAW

Writing is iterative - repetitive.

Provide some of your writing to your Supervisor before your tutorial.  Your intro to date, or some ideas, or a book review.  You are leading the process.

Your PhD is a collection of evidence to prove your expertise in your field.  It may lead to a book or 3/4 journal articles.

Look to other people's theses for structure.  Make a judgement on readability.

PhD is negotiation between you and 2 examiners.  Find 'critical friends' who will practice how you might respond to questions arising.

Work out how to synthesise conflicting guidance from different supervisors.

Narrow your journey.

Your supervisor may not be as expert as you in your field.  Their skill may be in asking the questions that provoke you to go further, in a pertinent direction.  Use the full supervisory team.  Identify the diversity of their skills e.g. the methodology expert.

Read selectively and purposefully.  Keep note taking.

Key problem - mismatch of Research Question and Research.  If so amend the research question to fit the research.

What's in it for the Supervisor?  Pique their interest.

Do one thing well, not several things badly.  Focus your interests.


Another really interesting session.

Writing Week - Day 2

Referencing

Why reference?  Situates your work in history and culture.  Strengthens and gives credibility.  Shows grasp of conventions.  Shows your working and progress through ideas to your conclusion. Also identifies the gap.  

Integral citation - X (date) says ...   Privileges the author.  Most often used when you want to identify a seminal writer, and they are the most important thing.

Or when you are comparing/contrasting two authors, so you can be specific about each writer's position.  

Non-integral citations.  This idea shows .... (X, date). Privileges the idea, and is used more often when you are reviewing and analysing the concepts while acknowledging the author.  

Or when you are giving a negative evaluation of what an author says.  

Direct quotes used for short pieces of text. A summary is used for long pieces of text that you want to reference and paraphrasing is used for shorter pieces that you can say better or apply in a context.

Direct quotes to be used when you cannot say it better.  Be selective in this.  

Indirect quotes to be used when you are showing your interpretation, and how you control and craft your text.  Gives your authorial voice.  

Verbs used when using integral and non-integral citations indicate your stance and give authorial voice:  X says; X claims; X suggests; X postulates; X proves.  

Use of past/present tense gives indication of your view on cited work - present tense for concepts that are current; past tense for outdated thinking.

Coventry uses Harvard referencing (Author, date) with tweaks!

A good session.