Week 1, Contemporary Research Methods

September 14: Introduction to Contemporary Research Methods

Personal intros followed by an introduction to the course structure as well as a brief discussion of contemporary research methods across Art, Design, Media, Curatorial Practice and the Social Sciences.

We will review and elaborate on the course readings and assignment evaluation.

Suggested readings for week 1: pick a reading from below

Biggs, M. A. R. (2002). The Role of the Artefact in Art and Design Research. International Journal of Design Sciences and Technology, 10 (2), 19-24.

Stone-Sunstein, Bonnie and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater. 2007. ‘The Interview: Learning How to Ask. In Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research.

Butt, Danny. 2017. Artistic Research in the Future Academy. Intellect. UK. (chapter 5 and conclusion)

07/09/20 9:00 PM

Biggs, M. A. R. (2002). The Role of the Artefact in Art and Design Research. International Journal of Design Sciences and Technology, 10 (2), 19-24.

PRE-READ SUMMARY:

By definition research (Arts and Humanities Research Board of the UK) must advance knowledge, understanding, insight. What is the role of the artefact, do artefacts have capability to embody knowledge? Comparisons w/ archaeological and museum exhibits. Comparisons of criticisms of embodiment from museological studies, w/ claims for embodiment made by artists. Conclusion: interpretation is combo of intrisic and extrinsic factors, control must be exercised over extrinsic factors by providing context. Utility of words for explicatory purposes rather than because words have primacy over objects. Content rather than the form that is important.

QUESTIONS:

why do artefacts have capability to embody knowledge? what are their limitations? what do archaeologists say vs artists? How is context provided? What does “utility of words” apply to?

READING NOTES:

• Practice as research must…
  • define a series of research questions that will be addressed, or problems that will be explored during course of research; define objective in terms of answering those questions or reporting results of research project.
  • Specifiy a research context for questions/problems. Why is it important that these questions/problems are answered/explored? What other research is being / has been conducted in this area? What contribution will this project make to the advancement of knowledge, understanding and insights in this area?
  • Specifiy research methods. State how you are going to set about answering/exploring the questions/problems. Explain rationale for chosen research methods and why they are most appropriate.
• principal feature of practice as research is use of objects as argument for interpretation by the viewer instead of objects as evidence to be later reported on. implies that artefact can embody answer to research question.
  • “question and answer” difficult for art bc creativity seeks to problematise the familiar. resolved by rephrasing questions as “how can X be problematised” and “how can Y be raised as an issue”
  • contextualising issue of why it is important that particular questions/problems be answered/explored, dificult for art bc practitioners whose aim is “expression of the self”. Differentiate between activities for personal development vs activities significant for oters in the field. Personal development does not contribute to “advancement of knowledge, understanding and insight”. Personal development as precursor to research.
  • part of identifying context is finding out “what other research is/has been conducted in this area,” making further contribution should be significant to at least this group of co-researchers. additionally, may be educational, theoretical, critical, practical context for audience that should find outcomes significant. “why it is important” is not answered by saying research “will be” significant to identified audience but “should be” significant.
  • idealised notion that to be worthy research must have large impact. moma exhibit vs library exhibit, one has more value because of rigor of selection + audience size.
• museum studies embodiment of knowledge – all knowledge of pre-literate socities comes from interpertation of archaeological artefacts, key aspects of speculative.
  • intrinsic vs extrinisic: part of panathanaic frieze taken by Lord Elgin (Elgin Marbles) as part of grand tour for aesthetic benefit, in 20th century becomes subject of post-colonial arguments. Issues of colonialism now embodied in Elgin Marbles. Different interpertations come w passage of time, though there are intrinsic qualities in the frieze some meanings are extrinsic, projected though culture or means of exhibition.
  • Foucault in The Order of Things and The Archaeology of Knowledge critiques assumption that there are natural or obvious categories of objects. Arugments and assumptions raised as consequence of analysis of objects must also include account of classificatory approach towards objects that allows argument to be sustained.
• Cannot have research outcome that consists solely of artefacts (paintings) because the relationships between the paintings themselves and between the paintings and other artefacts or actitivities in the world are not intrinsic to the objects.
  • Wollheim, “physical object” hypothesis, “seeing-in”. Physical object hypthothesis implicit in exhibitions where objects are left to speak for themselves. Wittgenstein “seeing-as”
  • Vergo differentiates between “aesthetic” exhibitions and “contextual” exhibitions. Former-little additional information, process of understanding is experiential. Latter-complementary to “informative, comparative and explicatory” material. Vergo critical of aesthetic view, viewers may not share same social/cultural knowledge, context of object affects interpertation of object (valuable, poisonous, fake), being told nothing is not neutral but allows viewer to project prejudices. Aesthetic exhibitions give autor no control over object’s reception. If aim of research is to communicate knowledge or understanding then reception cannot be uncontrolled.
  • interpertation is intentional, actively creating a perception. Novel interpertations often draw attention to aspects embodied or projected about which we were not previously aware. Ex. colonial attitudes we now see as implicit in 1816 exhibit of Elgin Marbles were not apparent to audience celebrating their rescue from the destruction by the Ottomans.
  • interpertation can be manipulated by way which objects are displayed, juxtaposition and presentation in relation to others, non-display can be seen as intervention.
  • context affects our reading of objects, therefore objects alone cannot embody knowledge, this is comparable to meaning of individual words. Words have meanings in context of sentances, alongside oter words, and in social context in wich utterances are accompanied by actions. Interpertation of words and of works of literature changes over time owing to changes in intertextual context.
• counter-argument to objections re outcomes of art research being accompanied by combination of artefacts and words/text on the grounds that it gives words/text primacy over artefacts (“heresay of paraphrase”). Combination gives efficacy to communication.
• For contextualisation, particular content is essential, not medium. Must explain the way the research embodies contribution to advancement of knowledge understanding and insight.

INTERESTING CITATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

Durling, D. & Friedman, K. eds. (2000). Doctoral Education in Design: foundations for the future, Staffordshire University Press , Stoke-on-Trent.
Vergo, P. ed. ( 1989). The New Museologv, Reaktion Books, London.
Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical Investigations, Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
W’ollhcini, R. (1980 [1968]). Art and its Objects, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, London.

Putatively: Generally regarded as such; supposed.
Phenomenology: Phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view. The central structure of an experience is its intentionality, its being directed toward something, as it is an experience of or about some object. An experience is directed toward an object by virtue of its content or meaning (which represents the object) together with appropriate enabling conditions.

POST-READ

This reading is an arugment for additional material that provides context to research outcomes. This is easiest to provide with written material that outlines certain aspects ie: outlining question/problem, describing other similar research and who the research will be useful to, explaining rational for methodology. This allows researcher/artist to take control over interpertation and makes communication of outcomes more effective.

07/09/20 10:16 PM