Reading, Writing, and Research Methodologies 2013-2014

Handbook description: "The Reading, Writing, and Research Methodologies Seminar is tailored towards (further) developing research methods within the first year of this master. By establishing a solid foundation of research skills, it will eventually prepare students for their Graduate research in the second year. Through reading core theoretical texts, they will establish a common vocabulary and set of references to work from. They will learn the practice of classic ‘essayistic methodologies’, including close reading, annotation, description and notation, students learn to survey a body of literature, filter what is relevant to their research and create comparative pieces of analysis. The seminar helps students to establish methodical drafting processes for their texts, where they can develop ideas further and structure their use of notes and references. The course takes as axiomatic that the perceived division between ‘practice’ and ‘theory’ is essentially an illusion."

Curriculum:

The seminar over the two trimesters will involve:

(a.) Identifying the object of your research: description and analysis of your work

(b.) Contextualizing your work through description and reflection on contemporary and historical practices.

(c.) Identify research material key to your practice.

(d.) Synopsis and annotation of key texts

(e.) Writing machines: creating methods for group and individual writing.

Throughout, there will be an emphasis on working collectively, whether in a larger discussion group or in smaller reading and writing groups.

Outcome:

The specific outcome for the RW&RM seminar of 2013-14 will be a 1500 word text which reflects on your own method and situates your work in relation to a broader artistic and cultural context. The various texts produced within the RW&RM seminar will serve as source material for your text on method. In common with all modules on the course RW&RM serves to support the other elements of the course (Self-directed Research, Issues in Art & Theory, Practice-Group Critiques &c.). Therefore, the text on method will inform your Self-Evaluation at the end of the third trimester and provide the basis for your Graduate Project Proposal that you will produce in the fourth trimester.

Brief for 1500 word methods text (which you will do at the end of the second trimester).

The aim of this assignment is to use description of your work as a way of identifying and articulating your method. Describing first what and then how and why you make work often leads to discussions of the works context (what work is similar to the work you describe; what are the key ideas the work deals with).

The theoretical elements of the texts you write should therefore emerge from, and have a very clear connection with, the work you are making. For this experiment I am asking you to follow the method outlined above so that you can begin to reflect and write quite deeply about the work you are making. A second method you will find useful is to draw on annotations of texts you have read which have a particular relation to the work you make.

Trimester Two

30-1-14

n-town Contemporary Arts Centre

Vasiliki- Steve Interview (notes)

hello

Welcome to the n-town CAC

Audience and demographic

The exhibition

The catalogue

Planning the interview

conducting the interview

transcribing the interview

methods recap

Next session: editing the interview

16-1-14

Note taking- description-interview

Writing Machines - week one

5-12-13

11:00 - Intro to session: Review of first trimester. What worked and what room is there for possible changes?

11:30 - 12:00: A simple technique. Thirty minutes of note taking

12:00 -14:30: Using the notes from last session on the wiki, plus your own notes and images -- two groups will compile a text reflecting on Ruth Buchanan's seminar.

Buchanan notes group one

Buchanan notes group two

15:00 Upload on wiki and review

21-11-13

Ruth Buchanan

Artist's presentation and workshop

7-11-13

A record of last week's seminar can be found here:

FA-weblog

1) Go into groups of two and write up notes on the presentations you gave during the last seminar

11:00 - 12:30

Suggested template

Text = description (2 lines)

Media = description (2 lines)

Art piece = description (2 lines)

images and media links

Report = Your notes on the presentation and discussion

Upload onto wiki

12:45 review progress in group. Plan finishing process

14:00 finish off notes

15:00 2) introduction to the next 2-3 sessions = writing machines - intro and first experiments

16:30 finish

and here is TONY HARRISON going on a Shamans' stag night. HE'S 'AVIN IT LAAARGE !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WipL4gUveY

31-10-2013

You may remember that at the start of the last seminar I showed 1) a bit of media 2) read a bit of text. Both of these related to my own research in some way. You may also remember that at the time I could articulate some interesting links between the objects but I was still pondering what precisely the fascination for these objects was .

This thursday I would like you to do as I did and bring a few objects that you think have a relation to your work.

1) a media object [TV or youtube]

2) a piece of work by someone else you love or hate (the work, that is) and

3) a written text.

In the seminar we will start to generate texts relating to the objects of our desire.