Exercise 2:1 Refine your ideas for research
The easiest way for me to refine my ideas is to bullet point where I am in my progress and bullet point the ideas and research as follows:
My rationale is already written in my notes and initial few paragraphs of my essay.
- First idea based on my text piece Why oh why do you children die. Artist research Robert and Roberta Smith, Janine Antoine Geurrila Girls. Theoretical underpinning research. Semiotics, Indexical linking. Debate why use text. Analysis of findings. Is this an effective method to reach the audience/impact. Why I chose text.
- Topic is about the above question and children who die with public care involvement. Ideas around exploring why lead to analysing all the inquiries since Colwell. Research includes Biographical/historical analysis of information. Methods Qualitative thematic approach in collecting and analysing data.Include rationale debate about research methods and choices. Devise qualitative based survey sample of practitioners in health and social care. Theorists include Philosophers Plato, Derrida, Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis Lacan, Focault, Erikson instead of Freud. Analysis of returned surveys and collective outcomes.
- Section around care. What this means in the wider sense. Defining care. Exploring different themes. To also include Significant Harm threshold. Books Care Matters and Significant Harm. Also to include Working Together HMSO.
- Activist artists who depict difficult subject matter including death. Ideas not only about how they create their work inc methods techniques, processes and materials but what is it that they want to impart or convey to the viewer? What is the affect on the viewer? Artists research Kentridge, Dumas, Kolwitz, Walker, Abramovic. Research Tina M Campt the Black Gaze. Define Activism as on art terms Tate website. Consider term contemporary drawings. Book catalogues Kentridge, Abramovic. Black Gaze book. Video’s of work suggested. I shall explain why I chose Abramovic.
- How are these artists works exhibited and displayed in public galleries. Curatorial reviews. I’ve seen Kentridge plus Abramovic. Use of Walker video. May need more info. Debate about Activism in contemporary art/galleries. Dumas all Tate website info.
- Conclusion Summary of findings re effectiveness of Activist artists and their place in contemporary art in particular the more difficult visceral material. Bringing together of the outcomes of inquiry research and sample survey. How this project has helped inform my own drawing practice and hopes for the future.
Exercise 2.2 Survey the current picture
I believe that there are a lot of inquiries to read and I have downloaded several so far. I have made lots of downloads of articles and web pages around lot of relevant information as well as all the books and artist research I have in several folders. What I don’t want to do is gather too much more information as I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. The main gaps I have are around helping me devise my survey, however I have downloaded a lot of information on methodologies. I feel that if my question is okay then I want to begin to write up. What I shall be mindful of is the key terms. I have defined activism as stated on the Tate website but will be mindful of others such as contemporary arts practice etc.
Following discussion with my tutor I re-looked at this question as she suggested. Whilst I do have a lot of material I have explored the question and this exercise more fully. There are potential gaps but I also don’t want to get bogged down and overloaded with a lot of material that I then have difficulty condensing. I’ve already experienced writing 5000 words in POP 2 when I should have kept to 2000. The information gathered was so important and I was able to use appendixes. I am very conscious that there could be many strands to this project. For example the psychology and psychopathic issues manifest in the killers, the psychology in regard to the viewer of the exhibition. The latter is quite important and this links with the issue around the arts and curatorial practices. I managed to undertake a search using this term and found some useful information on the Royal Academy website. I was also able to find a very useful curatorial tool kit. What was really helpful was to give more consideration to how my work will impact on the viewer. How its presented and curated is crucial to me achieving a sympathetic emotional response. As I look at the question of broadening the scope of my sources I shall look a little further at Plato. I researched more and I may look further at Plato’s philosophy on democracy as he didn’t prescribe to this. I will research further his book titled Republic. I will also research Kant and aesthetics as it might link to the visual work. I also reviewed today some work accessed in my various folders and I also have some useful information on socially engaged arts and collaborative work with communities. This is in my folder around rationale.
Exercise 2.3 Keyword search
I was able to access the link to the resource available. I do believe it may be useful and I have already lot of information that I need to assemble in some order.
Following discussion with my tutor I have revised the work on this question. I had downloaded previously all the relevant resources on how to achieve better search results and on checking a websites credentials. I had also been on the OU and OCA library resources websites previously. What I hadn’t done much of, was to test out some searches.
Exercise 2.4 Define your terms
It is interesting to note the suggestion of setting up your own glossary of terms. I have done this since starting the course several years ago. There are so many different words in the art world that I haven’t fully understood or even heard of before. I have quite a collection already and I am forever searching for their meanings.
Endless Possibilities 