All of the reading that I’ve been doing up until now, and will continue to do, has given me a deeper understanding of interconnectedness and entanglement. I feel that it’s improved my foundational knowledge, and put me in a better position to understand where I’d like to go with regards to Practice-Based Research, which has been a necessary part of the process.
According to Skains, RL (2018), “In addition to the creative practice, significant contextual research is generally warranted in the scholarly domains pertinent to the creative project, including close readings of extant creative works as well as awareness and understanding of relevant critical theory. This research not only contributes toward contextualisation and analysis of the creative work, it also has significant impact upon the creative process and artefacts.”
When mentioning serendipity as part to the creative process, Skains et. al seem to feel that serendipity is less about luck and more about the confluence of foundational knowledge/research combined with experience: “it is the convergence of the knowledge and experience to make the mental connection and to recognise the significance of that connection, with the skills necessary to to exploit the connection and produce a worthwhile outcome or artifact.”
This is something that I have never considered before: that serendipity is not merely a random coincidence… but it makes absolute sense that a person’s foundational knowledge, their contextual understanding would make them more open to, more aware of and therefore more able to readily accept and recognise moments of serendipity. And so I am inclined to agree with what Skains et. al say on the matter.
With regards to my own Contextual Knowledge, it is only now that I have done a deep-dive into research about Scientific proof of interconnectedness, that I am able to consider a research question that is close to my heart, and pursue it through practice. Furthermore, the wide literature review has helped to give me the language to write, think and speak more clearly on my topic and research questions.
In a nutshell, I am interested in delving deeper into whether working with elemental materials* makes the artist feel more connected.
*elemental materials: This is a term that I have created to describe the materials that are made up of elements from the periodic table that are also found in the human body (all mammals), the earth’s crust, rocks and sand, the oceans, the atmosphere, stardust and
the universe. The fact that these elements occur so pervasively throughout the natural world, is just one of many ways to illustrate just how interconnected all beings and non-beings are.
The Method:
My proposed methodology will encompass a four-pronged approach – one which is not linear, but rather one that is organic, intuitive, entangled and interconnected too – encompassing:
- textual analysis to deepen foundational knowledge and understanding
- materials analysis and research to find materials that contain the aforementioned *elemental materials
- making art with *elemental materials (painting, sculpture and writing) and much like Agnes Martin’s work, allowing the subject matter to become an inner map to the subconscious understandings of interconnectedness
- making written in situ explorations, observations and reflections amidst both the art making and the textual analysis
The reason behind a non-linear approach is that part of my observations would entail taking a step back and observing the changes to my artworks – subject matter and materials used – as the research journey deepens and unfolds.
Here’s a video that shows and describes my first Investigation using the above mentioned methodology:
References:
Skains, R.L. (2018) Creative Practice as Research: Discourse on Methodology, Media Practice and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682753.2017.1362175 (Accessed 4 November 2023)
Debbie New 