17/09/2017 - MA1 Visual Enquiry: Questionnaire Reflecting on Theory and Practice

written on 17 Sept, published 19 Sept 2017  revisited on 28 Sept 2017

Generating and selecting ideas

How do you go about selecting and developing your initial images/ideas? - stems from research, readings and thoughts - feels intuitive but its definitely guided

What criteria do you use to select or reject them?- who else has done this? Is it relevant? Is it original? Is it interesting/engaging? - does it please aesthetically? is it providing feeling or thought?

Are your ideas usually substantial enough to sustain a piece of work? If not how do you modify them? - not always – further research - reworking, photocopy and change, revisit the original idea before progressing further (back to the beginning)

What do you do when you get stuck?- ‘take 5’, go back to gaining knowledge, look more, or look less but engaging in a different task. - have a couple of projects happening at once so I can move between them if I'm not 'feeling' it.

Are there ideas you would like to explore but don’t know how to start? - there are ideas I’d like to explore but feel restricted due to cultural background and appropriation - its whether you have 'rights' to comment on aspects you haven't experienced directly, or if art should come from your own voice?

Contextual research

What are your influences? - philosophy, academic research, data collection, observation. - based around the topic of everyday life, repetition, routine, the commonalities between global citizens. How discord and awkward social politics can come together to create a quiet beauty.

How does your work draw on these? - links to the world I live in, what I see, how I feel as participant - exploring positive discord and allowing differences to weave together to create our experience of this world.

How do you choose the resources to research and to support your work, where do you find them? - books, bibliography, academic texts, talks, recommendations, discussion with peers - podcasts - these are great as I can multitask, peers discussion on casual studio visits (in Tashkeel I don't have my own space I'm a nomadic studio wanderer, finding tables and quiet corners to sit, but it means that I'm more exposed to 'studio visits' in the sense that I will be joined by peers to see what I'm up to, and I LOVE this, my work has really been informed by there impromptu discussions and inputs.

How do you position your practice in a contemporary context? - ? look at contemporary society and how these ideas have changed, evolved or moved - I struggle with this - imposter syndrome, constantly not feeling good enough and worrying about that, or showing myself up with my lack of knowledge/meaning/justification

What difficulties do you having in accessing resources? - censorship, political correctness, labelling of ‘everyday’ prevalent and gives too many results - broad context

Evaluation

What is your framework for making judgments about the work of others? - is it relevant, clarity, show understanding, what is the message? - did it move me? have an impact immediately or take consideration?

How can you tell if images or objects, yours and others are successful or not? - can the viewer read something from it (whether my message or their own interpretation) does it make them think? Does it create dialogue? - How do you compare your work in relation to the work of others? - not as good, :( - see answer to question 1. I don't see my work as being of a similar quality. Confidence is an issue.

What is successful and not successful about your current work? - successful: technique, research – not successful: visual context, link to research

Materials and techniques etc.

How do you decide whether a material or technique is appropriate or not? - a feeling, does it convey the message? Ask for feedback from others - does it feel good to use it? I am I engaged/excited by it?

What limits your choice of materials and or techniques? - skills and availability

Are there any materials or techniques you would like to explore? - ceramics, bio-sculpture – plants? - if relevant. I'm interested in the aspect of 'seeing through' layering materials. Would love to try installation, objects/art that participants can enclose themselves within.

Communication and intention

What messages do you intend your work to convey? How do you do that? - class divide – layers. Repetition, commonalities - I'm not sure how to answer this without repeating myself. I'm trying to portray togetherness, a commitment to the British out look or 'keep calm and carry on' in that globally there are various tasks, systems, happenings that are communal in the sense that we all experience them regardless of background/race/nationality

What is the intention of your work? How is that manifest in the work? - think about how we interact, the levels we live with. - Who is the audience for your work? - gallery viewers, collectors, audience participation.

Who will critique your work? peers, private gallery owners and curators, collectors (hopefully!) - press, curators in foundations and institutions (specific to Dubai/UAE arts scene)

What might their criticism be? - not obvious message, not delicate enough to show balance - not engulfing or consuming, too subtle

Critical thinking 

What have been the most and least valuable resources so far?- most: contacts/peers, & Ben Highmore writing - Tashkeel & its programmes - least: Henri Lefebvre considering it was the starting point and has moved on from that

What changes has your research made to your work?- depersonalised it, allowed for distance. The bigger picture - create stronger roots and meaning, not so vague.

Have there been any been any negative effects of your contextual research? - the amount of research, being lost in ‘objects of everyday which can be general.

What specific influences and ideas have made the most positive impact on your work? - the input of philosophy and large scale thinking, realising the place of my thoughts regarding the ‘world’ and not from a personal perspective  

not for citation or circulation