MODULE 2 - Research Practice
BRIEF - Research Poster & Essay
BRIEF - Research Poster & Essay
WEEK 1 - Theory/Practice - Tales of Turbulence
RESEARCH MODELS
JOHN CAGE - Graphic notation for Fontana Mix (1958)
WILIAM KENTRIDGE - Parcours D'Atelier
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Harvard Referencing format; Author surname, initials. (Year of publication) Title. Edition (if not the first edition). Place of publication: Publisher.
READING LIST The Beauty of a Social Problem: photography, autonomy, economy (Michaels, Walter Benn) Art and artistic research by Caduff, Corina, 1965 Art as research : opportunities and challenges by McNiff, Shaun Artistic research methodology : narrative, power and the public by Hannula, Mike. Design, writing, research writing on graphic design by Lupton Ellen. Infinite icon : a universally understood pictorial language that tells a story succintly and with style Characters : cultural stories revealed through typography by Banham, Stephen. Information arts : intersections of art, science and technology by Wilson, Stephen, The triumph of typography : culture, communication, new media by Hoeks, Henk, Turning ideas into research : theory, design & practice by Fawcett, Barbara Minimalism by Meyer, James Muji by Hara, Kenya. Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees a life of contemporary artist Robert Irwin by Weschler Lawrence Visual explanations : images and quantities, evidence and narrative by Tufte, Edward R. Visual research : an introduction to research methodologies in graphic design by Noble, Ian, 1960 Being and nothingness an essay on phenomenological ontology by Sartre JeanPaul. Design for the real world human ecology and social change Victor Papanek by Papanek Victor Stop, think, go, do : how typography & graphic design influence behavior by Heller, Steven. Visual Explanation - Edward Tufte Envisioning Information - Edward Tufte The Visual Display of Quantative Information - Edward Tufte Beautiful evidence by Tufte, Edward R Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Edwin A.Abbott Graphic Design Theory, Readings from the Field - Edited by Helen Armstrong Designed by Peter Saville by King Emily Keith Tyson: Fractal Dice by Glimcher, Marc. Keith Tyson a supercollider notebook Matthew Barney : drawing restraint vol 1 1987 - 2002 by Barney, Matthew. Matthew Barney : drawing restraint Vol II 2005 by Hasegawa, Yuko. Pirates and farmers by Hickey, Dave, 1940- Graphic design theory by Davis, Meredith (Meredith J.) James Turrell : a retrospective by Govan, Michael Keith Tyson : cloud choreography and other emergent systems by Weck, Ziba Ardalan de. Keith Tyson : geno pheno by Tyson, Keith. Min : the new simplicity in graphic design by Tolley, Stuart, World without words Michael Evamy by Evamy Michael Data Flow: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design: by Robert Klanten (Author, Editor), N.Bourquin (Author, Editor) Data Flow 2: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design: by Robert Klanten (Author, Editor), N.Bourquin (Author, Editor) Information is Beautiful: David McCandless Knowledge is Beautiful: David McCandless Visual Complexity - Mapping Patterns of Information: Manuel Lima A phenomenology of landscape places, paths and monuments by Tilley Christopher Landscape politics and perspectives by Bender Barbara Martin Creed : 21 May to 08 October 2011 by Creed, Martin, 1968- Mixed signals : artists consider masculinity in sports by Bedford, Christopher. Neverwhere : the author's preferred text by Gaiman, Neil. Richard Artschwager - no more running man by Artschwager, Richard, 1923-2013. Works. Selections. Solitude by Storr, Anthony. Body art / performing the subject by Jones, Amelia. Footnotes - How Running makes us Human by Vybarr Cregan-Reid The Society of the Spectacle - Guy Debord Brookman, P. (2010) Eadweard Muybridge. United Kingdom: Tate Publishing. Breitwieser.S (2015) (Carolee Schneemann - Kinetic painting Prestel Publishers Burke, E (1998) A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. Oxford University Press Krauss. R: (1996) The Optical Unconscious'. 4th Edition. Massachusetts . MIT Press Brandsletter, G., Field and Volckers, H (2000) Remembering the Body: Hatje Cantz publishers ELECTRONIC JOURNALS Walleston, A (2012) Guido Van Der Werve: Art in America [online]. [Accessed 15 April 2017]. Available from www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/guido-van-der-werve-1/ Maizels, M and Johnson (2015) Cardiovascular Chopin Ending at the Beginning with Guido Van der Werve PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art [online]. 100 (9), p114. [Accessed 15 April 2017]. Wood, J (2009) The Cartographic Journal Vol. 46 No. 4 pp. 360–365 Art & Cartography Special Issue, November 2009 GPS Tracings – Personal Cartographies Tracey P. Lauriault in conversation with Jeremy Wood [Accessed 17 April 2017]. Kaplan.S 1995 (Journal of Environmental Psychology: The Restorative benefits of Nature: Towards and Integrative Framework. http://willsull.net/resources/KaplanS1995.pdf www. drainmag.com/i-would-rather-be-the-worst-at-something-than-the-best-athleticism-and-masculinity-in-contemporary-new-zealand-art/ |
‘‘Through a growing capacity to tolerate uncertainty, vagueness, lack of definition and precision, momentary illogic and openendedness, one gradually learns the skill of cooperating with one’s work, and allowing the work to make its suggestions and take its own unexpected turns and moves. Instead of dictating a thought, the thinking process turns into an act of waiting, listening, collaboration and dialogue’ (Pallasmaa, 2009: 111)
Autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze (graphy) personal experience (auto) in order to understand cultural experience (ethno) (ELLIS, 2004; HOLMAN JONES, 2005).
'The learning journey during this module has led me along a rewarding path, a path that I believe has resulted in a coherence across the three required pieces. Underlying themes include searching in space, finding a direction, looking for process and rhythm. The darkness of the A1 poster and animation are contrasted by the lightness and space encountered in the pages of my manifesto. There are traces of rigidity and structure across all three outcomes in the form of grids, cartographic contours and crisp vectors. however there is also some fluidity in the movement of the runner in the animation, and in some of the elements across the poster and animation. This reflects my creative history, from painting and sculpture through to digital work, a love of Formalism, but embracing Romanticism, finding joy in geometry, but living in a world of broken texture and misalignment.'
STARTING POINT Transition from Client based work to more self initiated work, change of audience. 'Not Knowing' - high level skill base, a confidence in production and an inclination towards broad areas of research. Feeling like the autoethnography approach is something that makes sense to my practise - possible future projects. - Faith in Abramovic's 'Liquid Knowledge' idea - those moments are when a more existential furthering of intangible understanding of process and connection occurs. ORGANISING THOUGHTS Geometry/movement Storytelling with data vis Tracing motion Formalism Romanticism Meaning within the Formal (Beauty of a Social problem) Defining form with line Emptiness Landscape/Intersection Line Art - (look at Ellen Lupton) 'Patches of Ink' - (Tufte) Intimate Data Trails & Divisions Escaping Flatland - Tufte - Body Mechanics Running - Body/Mind Broken texture and misalignment Emptiness Meaning in a Void Searching in space Repetition, rhythm, monotony and finding freedom Punishment and reward Human motion and intersection Typography/Scriptovisual Commercial work/the traditional arts |
SUGGESTIONS FROM A FRIEND I think it's hard not to avoid the emptiness one and my feeling would be that that could be the most rewarding experience for you, that in the long run, no pun intended, exploring a whole set of ideas relating to visual and philosophical space would be the best. Could give you lots to draw from in future visual work. Love this. Robert Irwin is your man. But perhaps this can, in future work, relate to commercial work too and the need for space in design....? What does Tufte say about emptiness? ' “It is not how much empty space there is, but rather how it is used. It is not how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is arranged.” ― Edward R. Tufte “Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.” ― Edward R. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Emptiness, absence, negative space, air, silence are just as concrete and intrinsic as fullness, presence, positive space, solids, sounds'. ― Edward R. Tufte There is something though about the big data that I think could maybe somehow connect with emptiness. Or maybe that's too big/ too vague a jump.... Visualising big data that's so complex and bigger than comprehension can cope with; is this the information overload equivalent of emptiness? It's all there but not visible until it is visualised in ways we can see and only then understand. But it is big and existential like. Like monster munch in space. |
'What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is related only to objects and not to individuals, or to life. That art is something which is specialized or which is done by experts who are artists. But couldn't everyone's life become a work of art? Why should the lamp or the house be an art object, but not our life?'
Michel Foucault
A Lecturer's View
'From these stories we can see that, typically, the experience of being a practitioner, or teaching and learning about practice, raises important questions, and in some cases, provokes challenges to the actual survival of the practitioner. In reflecting critically on practice we ‘begin to wonder’, to sense that things could be different, better – ‘new routes’, ‘new models’, ‘alternative technologies’. We are challenged by others to ‘explain more clearly’ or to be more environmentally friendly. Where most angels fear to tread, we embark upon a ‘quest’, seize opportunities to ‘explore’, leap into the unknown and ‘dive right in’. We find ourselves engaged in indepth study where we must revisit our assumptions and focus our questions. The experience is simultaneously ‘exciting and nerve wracking’ presenting ‘significant challenges’ that take us out of our ‘comfort zone’. If we are tenacious and persevere we reach another level – ‘able to do things I thought I never would do’, as one of our contributors says. Research can be a ‘life changing experience’ – hopefully a positive one – through which we can become more critical, reflective and creative practitioners.
'This progression led Irwin himself to point zero—that moment of virtual self-effacement in terms of his conception of himself as an artist, as a maker of objects, or even as a meddler in rooms. Once he had reached that state, he was able to abandon rooms altogether and go out into the desert and experience a vista, without lifting a finger, without budging a pebble: that experience—enjoyed in all its richness and for all its complexity—contained every requisite element of the art act. He could come back into the city and delight himself in the way a random shadow fell across a random wall, savoring it to the point of total immersion. That was enough: that was more than enough.'
In a Desert of Pure Feeling, Lawrence Weschler (The New Yorker, 7 June 1993)
“Emptiness, irrespective of who uses it and how, is the pursuit of ultimate freedom,” he said.
“When an object is empty, it is ready to receive any image or use.”
The first is the idea of “emptiness.” The idea of simplicity comes from Western contemporary design and takes a rationalistic form. But in traditional Japanese design, simplicity has a slightly different character. It is the simple form that gives users the freedom to develop their own way of handling an object. It is this depth that I call emptiness.
“White is a particularly unusual color because it can also be seen as the absence of color.”
“To be confident in a simplicity that feels in no way inferior to splendor.” “The simplicity that comes from stripping away frills can surpass splendor.”
Microscopic world
'In the same room as a huge piece that which which represents the Milky Way there is this tiny painting that I've done over a packet of Monster Munch and what interested me is when you ask a scientist what the Milky Way is made of they will say hydrogen and helium and dust and gas but actually huge but actually it's got trace amounts of all the things we know on earth such as pickled onion Monster Munch and I think there is something kind of funny and absurd that the fact that the Universe with all it’s majesty is here in part to create such items and that collapse of the cosmological into the human is what we experience all the time it's what stops is actually maintaining a perspective on the more higher scale, I guess'
Macro Universe
'Based on Large Hadron Collider here, on 4th of July 2012 , the piece that says we're destined to collide and be torn apart it shows a geometric form being exploded into tiny shards all over the surface of the drawing that's in 9 parts. Really I was trying to combine this idea of the Higgs field which had just been discovered and proven on the 4th of July, with this kind of teenage angst I remember sitting in my bedroom listening to Joy Division 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and it is clear that as human beings we collide with each other and by doing that we are torn apart, we find the fundamental particles of our personality. Things happen through conflict'
Supercollider (from the action of four forces on 103 elements within four dimensions, we get…) crashes together scientific language with the mundane, profane and arbitrary: “All the insects in a rickety old cow shed”, “‘Missing in Action'”, “Repairing a dry-stone wall”, “Abbey Road, London, 19 August 2000, 3.30pm”. Bergson reflects, “In reality there is no one rhythm of duration; it is possible to imagine many different rhythms which, slower or faster, measure the degree of tension or relaxation of different kinds of consciousness, and thereby fix their respective places in the scale of being”
https://jamescleggartwritings.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/working-ideas-imagining-art-and-immediacy/ |
"The humour," he says, "is about where the cosmic suddenly collapses into the human. We look at a picture of the Milky Way. People say, it's 100,000 stars – but it also contains this week's News of the World, it also contains an Ice Blaster lollipop – there's an absurdity about that. The universe, with all its majesty and extraordinary force," Tyson muses with a chuckle, "was there just to create the pickled-onion Monster Munch." |
‘Jogging’ in gyms, or ‘shopping’ in supermarkets, seem to have become usual activities in city life. At the destination of a supermarket, checkout counters are always waiting for us, just like the finishing line waiting for the jogger. Nowadays, a counter with a mechanical conveyor belt is standard apparatus in modernised supermarkets. Customers can easily place their goods on the belt, then the conveyor transports the goods to the cashier. The rolling direction of the conveyor implies the destination of shopping. Jogging on the conveyor belt of checkout counters instead of the treadmill, in the opposite direction of the cashier, can be an alternative way to rethink our daily movement. I am always interested in how images and human bodies relate to or reflect societies, and thereby produce aesthetic power.'
'Recently, either by running or drawing, I have been exploring how to define states of consciousness and describe some experiences of my body while expending high amounts of energy. By this, my drawing practice tests my physical body’s limits and considers the body in movement integral to the drawing process.
In returning to concepts of phenomenology and constantly trying to battle the mind/body problem, I wouldn’t say that I am differentiating between the body and mind in a way to create and discuss my work. However, by describing ‘experience’ derived of and through the body, it has been problematic that there is only a binary sense of embodiment and disembodiment; the body as an object or subject , or mind or body etc.
At the root of phenomenology, I would argue that the body is both and at the same time ‘mind and body’. To escape the Cartesian notion of the duality of the body, I am trying to marry these two differentiating notions of body and mind and to describe our being or perhaps prove that that body is both the body and mind as we know it.
'One cannot even begin to be conscious of oneself as a separate individual without another person with whom to compare oneself. A man in isolation is a collective man, a man without individuality. People often express the idea that they are most themselves when they are alone; and creative artists especially may believe that it is in the ivory tower of the solitary expression of their art that their innermost being finds its completion. They forget that art is communication ,and that, implicitly or explicitly, the work which they produce in solitude is aimed at somebody.'