Decisions, decisions...

Thomas Struth

Since I last wrote I have made the decision to stop my studies, I've spoken to SE about how to proceed...sooooo on the recommendations given of BY and KH he advised that I complete my MA and suspend until September 2013 after work load has calmed down, (validation - re-writes for BA's) SE thinks that my research is good, my theory is good and I can get the PhD! so I must stick with it...ok so now its the holidays I have made a start, I need to work on lit review and methodology with footnotes. The lit review concerns me as it brings back horrible memories of when I started the doctorate and received a foul mark, a mere pass as I recall, so I need to up my game, I also want to get into the habit of reading and reviewing as an on-going habit; thereby I don't end up having to review stuff again when the time come to writing the thesis!! (AS does this well). Reviews I need to do- Warhol, Robin Wood on Hitchcock, Hilliary Lloyd, Pierre Bismuth, Raimer Strange in particular who interviewed Bismuth and new find Thomas Struth*  The methodology will be ok, think through with a clear perspective and standpoints from others in the field.. 

The above film shows the work of Thomas Struth from early career to 2011...


Text taken from http://artnews.org/gallery.php?i=211&exi=6227 April 2007
Being close to this essentially private painting is something like going back to one’s emotional home’…. It means establishing an urgent relationship with the passage of events, with the existence Struth is asking himself about from his camera lens. Because deep down, a museum is a circumstantial stage, a place like any other that the artist doesn’t perceive with its connotation: there, he offers a straightforward view of the procession of people, those that gradually gain more presence in [his] work. … This parade of types... are new and concrete inhabitants of the metropolis. In Struth’s museum, a historical line is drawn that transcends all those who live in the instant: that, too, is existence.” TS


Signing off back tomorrow...

3 days in London

Invisible: Hayward Gallery 2012

..ok lots has happened since I last posted. AS and I took a trip to Northumbria University to meet and with BY and discuss 4 - 6 sessions (i think??) that we had missed in a space of a day...!! the surprise was KH said that the Design Doc would not be continuing in the foreseeable future so we have the option to continue and finish it or take the PHD route either practice based or theory...this is not bad news for me as the practice element of the Doc has always thrown up issues for me, so I am PHD (theory) all the way; but ha ha that is if I can get through this last module which I might also has the PA attached to it...oh god if only you could help me now...show me the light, guidance etc etc etc...
Anyway I have done so far my learning outcomes (draft) these I have gone through with SE  (Supervisory session Tuesday 3rd July) who actually thought they were good. Ok so now I need to reconsider my aim: taken from Report on progress Module: DE0935 

I perceive the creative process to function as a historical temporal proposition that’s intention is to interpellate the spectator into wanting to watch. Moreover it performs as a ‘conceptual narrative’ (Figure 1 & 2) (what I likened to the notion of the washing machine, Blog dated 29^th March 2012) that by putting the ‘artist, Strange (2005 p125) behind the idea and the viewer called on to participate in it’ will circulate the flow and exchange of ideas to encourage one’s horizon to change direction over and over again until there is no more use for it.

My aim then is... to examine and explore the notion of conceptual narrative as a model to a framework new discourse surrounding the creative process to student audience...

that sounds about right  ?     

Objectives: to be able to...

a. apply methods of mapping, research templates, journal entries and blog to build upon a discursive understanding of material gathered to strengthen hypothesis as research develops towards final thesis    

b. review literature associated to notions underpinning conceptual narrative theory by identifying a grounded theoretical standpoint to establish own contribution to new knowledge

c. design and develop a conceptual narrative model to acknowledge possible new modes of communication between the act of making performed by the artist (i.e. student) and student audience. 

d. examine visual culture, specifically concepts framing film theory, audience studies and psychoanalysis. Intended to establish alternative perspectives towards structuring conceptual narrative model in practical situations.  

e. employ 'live' studio situations to test notions led by b & d literature review anticipated to underpin and confirm conceptual narrative model 

f. provide and maintain peer review offered by research communities and communities of practice to expand upon and develop standpoint relating to conceptual narrative model and its contribution to new knowledge.    



There I think I may have it..shall forward to BY Monday if I get the chance, or possibly tomorrow however there seems to be a problem with logging on both email sites currently?? now that I have some sort of systematic order I can now focus on the methodology and lit review (the two areas that bother me and not confident in). Referring back to SS with SE (which I have recorded and type up, just about) he explained that I must confirmed on d, what are those areas exactly because they along with b need to determine c and e. are you keeping up here??
lastly on this I have looked at calendar to days I can effectively work on module...must get on with it and organise time in which I can safely sit down and pull all stops. My theory is if I can do well on this part and don't make it through to viva at least I've had a damn good go at it rather than just going up..and I would have completed the MA part of it too.


So to London, I went down to attend AA2A briefing Wednesday 4th July at Wellcome gallery, euston rd...good day, I met LH from Hull who is the administrator for Artist in residence scheme at Hull but will also look after Harrogate, I shall coordinate. Next week I will begin to send out emails, thinking about PG as a potential candidate! Thursday and Friday I attended the BFI creativity, learning and teaching conference, enjoyed this alot! I was hoping for new perspectives to work into my RQ, which in some ways I got, if anything it allowed time for me to reflect, talk to others, listen to disciplines in photo, film and writing...of particular interest was Ben Marsden (ITV researcher audience studies) I asked him about psychology behind AS, he suggested that I looked at Account Planning Group, David Ogilvy and Roy Langmaid. Ronan Bennett discussed clarity, structure, character building..throwing in the ingredients and seeing what comes out, meaning not to have a defiant focus of how something is going to end but to have an idea...further to throw in obstacles (can relate this to forming an argument) to make the narrative more exciting (i.e. toy story) grab the viewers attention at the beginning and then slow down. this relates to Tony Lawson (film editor) who spoke about pace, (I refer to forms of writing..shall look up memesis?? ummm no not it, its when writing is used in detail (slowed down) and then speeded up (no detail used) must look up??? tomorrow. He mentioned clarity in work, needs to be clear when considering ambiguity (Ambiguity of information, in words, pictures, or other media, is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is generally contrasted with vagueness...)  
Films to watch..Butcher Boy and In Dreams (Nick Rode films I think)