Methods lens-based

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 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.

Editing Reading, Writing & Research Methodologies - handbook information

Plagiarism

Outcome of the seminar (trimester three)

The specific outcome for the RW&RM seminar of 2021-22 will be a 1500 word text which reflects on your own practice 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 practice. In common with all modules on the course RW&RM serves to support your self-directed research. Therefore, the text on practice 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.

Texts on Practice 2022

Text on Practice outline 2019-2020

Session one

Session One

TODAY' S OUTCOME: descriptions of work

11:00am -12pm

Intro Natasha and Steve:

General intro to the methods sessions how they fit into the two year programme and outline of the day.

Outline of today's session.

12:00-13:00

Describe three of your works/ projects

For each work describe

What (200 words max)

How (200 words max)

Why (200 words max)

600 word description of three works = 1800 words (max)

13:00

LUNCH

14:00

Meet as a group

For groups of three

Read each other's texts

Readers: give feedback (what were you given to understand by the text? how can it be improved to make it clearer?).

Spend no more than 10 MINUTES giving feedback on each text

Writer: REMAIN SILENT, do not try to defend the text, concentrate on what the text is actually communicating to your readers.

writer: Make notes of your reader's comments

14:30

Make changes to your draft. (Keep original version below edited version)

UPLOAD ON TO THIS PAD

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Methods28LB

15:00

Choose another piece of work and repeat exercise

What (200 words max)

How (200 words max)

Why (200 words max)

15:30

Meet in groups of three

Read each other's texts

Readers: give feedback (what were you given to understand by the text? how can it be improved to make it clearer?).

Spend no more than 10 MINUTES giving feedback on each text

Writer: REMAIN SILENT, do not try to defend the text, concentrate on what the text is actually communicating to your readers.

16:00

Make changes to your draft. (Keep original version below edited version) UPLOAD ON THE PAD

16:30

Round up and discuss

Session two

Session Two: Reviewing self-directed research

Sesion two

OUTCOME:

1) interview

2) edits to current and previous texts

3) texts up on wiki page.

TODAY'S AGENDA

11:00 Steve intro and group discussion

11:00-11:20 I would like to talk to you about making a space for collective reading and annotation, do you need this? What is the best way to organise it?

Here is a sketch of possible structure of these groups: https://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/Group_Reading_and_Annotation_Sessions

11:20-11:30 Organising our methods wiki pages

Last session's pad (what, how, why)

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Methods28LB

11:30 today's workshop

Interviewing each other: a interviews b; b interviews a

11:30 work on this pad: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/LBLensBasedSeshTwo22

Interview about your self-directed research. (Your current work).

Stage 1

30 mins:

a interviews b

a asks:

What are you making?

Why are you making it?

How does it relate to other things you have done?

How is it different to other things you have done?

What are the most significant choices have you made recently?

Throughout this exchange a takes notes on the pad

Stage 2

30 mins:

b interviews a What are you making?

Why are you making it?

Does to relate to other things you have done?

How is it different to other things you have done?

What are the most significant choices have you made recently?

Throughout this exchange b takes notes on the pad or makes a 'speech to text' recording of the exchange.

Stage 3

60 mins

A HANDS THE TEXT OVER TO B and B EDITS THE TEXT A HAS STARTED; elaborating on the points they have made in the interview

13:00 LUNCH

14:00

Stage 4:

14:00-15:30

1) Continue to edit today's text

2) return to groups of 2 (a & b).

Read each other's text;

a) ask questions about it

b) answers those questions in the text

15:30 review progress as a group.

Check list:

Make wiki page

upload text from session one

upload texts from session two

Make space for all aspects of the course = methods; reading and writing; thematic projects; notes; toolbox sessions &c. have a section, so your page looks something like this:

Methods

Pagiolink

Thematic project

Pagiolink

other stuff

Pagiolink

Use remaining time to tie the above loose ends and finish for the day.

Session Three

Outcome: a series of images (photo, videos), a scratch directory

ScratchDirectory

2NovMethods

Scratch orchestra.

Outcome: a photo-piece.

Also: Steve will meet for tutorials in your scratch groups. He will annotate what you read and write and talk about your ambitions for the next two years.

References:

Scratch Orchestra's Nature Study Notes (1969) http://intuitivemusic.dk/iima/sonsn.pdf

John Cage's Song Books Vol 1 (1970) https://monoskop.org/images/0/03/Cage_John_Song_Books_Volume_1.pdf

Pad: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/LensBasedScratchNov2

Addition to small library: Eno: Oblique Strategies (card game)

https://monoskop.org/images/8/8c/Eno_Brian_Schmidt_Peter_Oblique_Strategies.pdf

Order of play

We start at 11:00. Please be prompt. 11:00 AM

1) Look at Nature Study Notes (1969) by Scratch Orchestra (ed.Cornelius Cardew) read out some of the instructions. Look at other examples. Talk about restraints as agents for making work (Dogma, Sol LeWitt &c).

2)

Write your own notations (instructions) Compile Scratch Directory (below).

In groups, invent, perform, make work from notations in the Scratch Directory (below). Over the day, we will use the directory as an 'engine' to produce images.

a) make work from your own scratches

b) make work from another group (so, we end up with different versions of the same piece = cover version).

12:00-13:00 write scratches, add them to the directory and make work from your own scratches.

Take no more than 10 mins to write and produce work from each scratch; move on to next scratch.

13:00- 13:10 meet to review progress and plan the afternoon

13:10 LUNCH

14:10 continue to write scratches, add to directory and make work from your own scratches; make work from other scratches (cover versions).

16:00 Gather together to review the pieces we have produced.

Discuss how to archive today's work.

Scratch Directory

ScratchDirectory

Session Four

Outcome:

Draft of a text exploring a question relevant to your practice. This is material you can draw on when you work on your text on practice next semester.

In this close reading and writing session, taking Anne Boyer's text 'Questions For Poets' as a starting point, we will be looking at ‘mode of address’: how a text speaks to its reader. We will also consider how texts can be in conversation with other texts.

We will explore practical ways to facilitate the writing process using prompts and freewriting, with special emphasis on the question as a form for generating written material. We will also think about questions around our own work.

Today's pad:

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/LB1_RWRM_16_Nov_22

Luni / Sam https://pad.xpub.nl/p/qEY7q1dfiZQm5GjBHE8v

Until the impossible can be proven impossible, is it? -Clara text

Free writing assignment - Yalou text (poem)

Session3 - Exploring a relevant question - Aitana

What time is it in Rotterdam? - Te text

Anus - Muyang

Two holes (first scribble/draft) - Arabella

Revised Overview of the day

11:00- 11:45 Introduction to the text + Collective reading of the text + Intro to close reading exercise 12:00 – 12:30 Collective discussion

Break

13:30 – 14:00 Individual freewriting session (20 mins)

Intro to writing session - discussing mode of address + structure (10 mins)

14:00 – 15:20 Review of material for development into a text using the questions we have discussed OR second freewriting session (20 mins) Individual writing session – developing material to produce a draft text (1 hour)

Break

15:30 – 16:30 Small groups: discussion of draft texts

16:30 - 17.00 Collective review of session + wrap-up

The day in more detail:

11:00- 11:45 Introduction to the text: Anne Boyer's Questions For Poets:

   https://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/questions-poets#_edn1

Collective reading of the text

Intro to close reading exercise - overview of guiding questions:

What is 'mode of address'? How does this text speak to you as a reader? How is this text in conversation with other texts? What thoughts do you have about the structure of the text? What other comments, thoughts, questions, do you have on/about this text?

Break

12:00 – 12:30

Close reading exercise in groups of 3 Taking guiding questions as a starting point

Collective discussion

Break

13:30 – 14:00

Individual freewriting session in response to a prompt relating to your research Possible sources of prompts: Questions For Poets or scratch directory:

 https://pzwiki.wdka.nl/mediadesign/ScratchDirectory

Individual freewriting session (20 mins)

Intro to writing session - planning your text (10 mins)

Use your freewriting material (or elements of it) as the basis for a more structured text which asks a question of your practice, or its broader context.

Begin by thinking about the text’s mode of address: how would you like your text to speak to the reader?

Some questions you can ask yourself as you plan your text:

What will the function of your text be? (e.g. To entertain, provoke, explain...?)

Who will your reader be?

What form will your text take? (e.g. script, diary entry, letter, essay, series of fragments)

Will you include any structuring elements e.g. subheadings, short numbered sections

What is the title of your planned text?

You can decide its length from the beginning, or you can wait and see what you end up with.

14:00 – 15:20 Individual writing session

Begin by reviewing your freewriting material for development into a text OR doing a second freewriting session (20 mins)

Work on text (1 hour)

Break

15:30 – 16:30 Group exercise

In your groups, read and discuss one another’s texts, paying attention to mode of address. Talk about the decisions you made in relation to the questions above. Discuss how texts could be developed.

16:30 - 17.00

Review of session + wrap-up