Critical Evaluation of Project
My Final Major Project Submission is presented in the form of a dissertation entitled Inter-Disciplinary Practices, the relationship between art and architecture which is a study that uses practical and pragmatic research to investigate branding within the art industry, and the relationship between the different disciplines contained within the creative professional sector (The Interdisciplinary).
The two disciplines that my research focuses on are art and architecture as these are integral within the context of my practice. I decided to approach the major project in a written format because I found it to be the best way to communicate my thoughts and ideas was through documenting research that I could then look back on after my masters when thinking about how I will conduct practice beyond Art School. My research question came about because throughout my master’s degree I have been producing work that is heavily influenced by architecture and the making of structures which meant that I had to develop many methodologies and ideologies that architects would utilize within projects. However, this presented me with a dilemma in terms of identity because I couldn’t decide whether I was playing the role of an architect or whether I should consider myself as an architect I didn’t know where to place my-self and my professional practice which I feel can sometimes hold back the work as it is important as a practitioner to know what societal role you wish to adopt in order to produce the best work and not knowing what role you are playing can make this more difficult as it creates a mental block which limits the projects and ideas. The first sections of my dissertation looked at branding and the Interdisciplinary. For these sections I read several books whereby artists look at the philosophy of branding, identity and the Inter-displinary I found mark Rothko’s book The Artist’s reality- Philosophies of Art by Mark Rothko (2004) and Elizabeth Fishers book on not knowing how artists think (2013) were very informative when thinking about branding in the art industry especially when discussing what the term artist means and the preconceptions that it brings. After which I wanted to better understand what the contemporary views were on navigating the interdisciplinary, I therefore conducted a series of questionnaires with localized artists. I also considered the artists of the renaissance period who worked in multiple fields like Leonardo Da Vinci.
I selected materials through reading and research which informed my chosen area of study some of the research was sourced online when applicable like the case studies at the end of the essay as the practitioners are contemporary meaning that most of the relevant information is found digitally rather than as published books, there were many books on Ai Wei Wei however they mainly spoke of his sculptural work rather than his architectural projects.
I chose my display by looking at other printed dissertations and how they are bound and considered different papers to use I choose to go for a spiral binding with silk paper as I think that this gives a professional look and feel giving the reader a comfortable experience both visually and in terms of texture which fits with the context of the work which is a research paper.
My decisions were informed by a series of debates, ideas and they were also informed by different strands of research. I made decisions logically by analysing ideas and information at each stage, as the project progressed for example, I found that architects must be qualified in order to use the term architect in one of the sections whereby I then researched the pathways to become an architect through education.
I wanted my dissertation to communicate a good understanding of branding within art, identity and the relationship between art and architecture. But also, how other artists/ interdisciplinary practitioners have navigated these shifts in practice and identity when operating in multiple fields. I want other practitioners that read my study who have similar questions in relation to crossing disciplines and the inter-disciplinary to be able to gain greater knowledge about these subject areas and how they can conduct pragmatic research to determine how they might navigate their practice.
My methods for writing my dissertation were informed by my previous written projects which I have undertaken throughout my four years of study most notably my research in practice project which I undertook during the maters which helped me to develop my style of writing to a high level. I started by determining my research question and the themes which are relevant to explore by conducting a series of bubble maps and initial research. Which then assisted me in determining how I would plan my time. I spent the first 4 weeks reading literature around my area of study and researching my topic, I then structured the further 8 weeks by planning how many words I should write per week whilst still conducting, further research, reading and conducting interviews/questionnaires. I also made sure that I left two weeks for the editing, printing and binding my dissertation.
I tested my dissertation at each stage of writing by reading my essay and rewriting/editing meaning that I had several drafts before reaching the final printed study to make sure that the writing was as strong as possible. I also asked my peers to read my essay and had meetings with Carla Hammer who assists with written projects, she was able to give me advice on referencing, Layout and structure when writing a dissertation at masters level I found her help to be invaluable especially when writing appendicitis, referencing and producing a table of figures which I previously had a limited knowledge of.
My methods for researching were reading, conducting interviews and doing online searches on google and through summons which I then narrowed down as I progressed to the most relevant and significant pieces of information. This proved successful as it meant that I could find a variety of different sources and strands of informative research which can often be difficult to locate with such a broad subject matter therefore I think looking in multiple areas for research strands was the best way of achieving a good body of research. I made sure that I was conducting research simultaneously across multiple areas and contexts to ensure good time management. Whilst reading I made sure to use post its as a way of book-marking significant pages so that I could find previously located important information easily without having to re-read the whole book which again I felt was helpful in organizing my research and ensuring that I was conducting research efficiently and effectively.
My dissertation articulates relevant ideas through a series of debates and practical research like the use of interview/questionnaire transcripts, I have also looked at information in the sections where I discuss the term architect and architecture education which was supplied by various institutions and government bodies to inform my research. During the last section I also conducted case studies based on two different practitioners that operate across art-architecture disciplines. By conducting research in a variety of ways it has helped me to construct a body of knowledge that can be navigated in a logical way which flows well and is well supported. I don’t think I would have been able to have conducted a study which is as in-depth without the use of multiple research approaches because the subject is so philosophical and complex that it needs to be well supported by many relevant outlets, ideas and debates.
I think that the dissertation successfully articulates my research question because it gives a deeper understanding of how we brand our selves in art using terms like art/architect but also the fact that nobody is just an artist but we operate in multiple contexts or fields (The inter-disciplinary) and it is breaking down the particulars & similarities of these disciplines that helps us to determine who we are as practitioners and where we can take our practice next by utilizing relevant knowledge, debates and research in a pragmatic way. One of the most important elements within my project would be the opinions of others using Interviews and questionnaires left me with a series of transcripts which I utilized within my essay and research which has allowed me to collaborate with other practitioners when conducting my study, which was highly informative in determining how other people feel about working in the interdisciplinary and how it can be navigated in different ways. This is important because there are a lot of artists that have similar questions and ideas around identity and it is good to consider these opinions as they can inform, support and even sometimes contrast my findings which I think is of significance when conducting an in-depth impactful study. Within the Mid-section of my essay I looked at the similarities and differences between art and architecture which enabled me to think about how the two practices are similar so that I can determine if an artist has the skills and knowledge that is required to become and architect this section was informed by both literature and online sources. After discussing the relationship between the two facets I determined that artists present many skills that an architect must have in order to conduct a successful practice so I therefore questioned the term architect like I did in the first section of the essay with the term artist to figure out if I can adopt this term to form my identity. However, I found that the word architect is protected by law and you cannot use this term without being qualified through architecture education. This therefore led me to looking at architectural education in greater which was mainly informed by online research sources studying different architecture courses, institutions and the knowledge that they provide. I found the Royal British Institute of architects to be significant when looking at architecture education as they are the government body which provides the certification required to become a qualified architect in the uk.
When Identifying the role an artist could play in an architectural practice, I found the book entitled de-Architecture to be highly relevant especially page 50 onwards where Wines discusses the advantages of visual communication within architecture which is currently lacking in modern buildings of which he says could be better communicated by artists. (J,Wines, 1987).This was significant as it shows that there are benefits for artists working in a discipline like architecture which must be noted when considering the role of an architect. Studying Assemble and Ai Wei Wei have been very informative in relation to my practice as they work within art and architecture creating innovative projects through case studies I was able to get a good understanding of how they brand themselves, how they conduct practice and the importance of collaboration that exists in both art and architecture which I can utilize going forward when considering where to take my practice next. Like forming a collective between artists and architects or work between the disciplines like Ai Wei Wei. I found the art-architecture complex (H, Foster, 2011) and the Art and architecture a place between (J,rendell,2006) when discussing the relationship between art and architecture and how they have been used to collaboratively to produce thought provoking contemporary public art I also used a series of books to help strengthen my practical skills the main book being 15 methods: 20 Questions Interviews with UK Art and Design Educators(2013). In helping me to form questions for interviews and to help strengthen my writing by looking at how other educators talk about art and ask questions in an interview format which has been beneficial in strengthening my writing and commination skills.
I would say that my dissertation is unique because it brings together thoughts, ideas, opinions and research in a way that has a logical trajectory with a key goal to establish where I should go next. I think that there is limited knowledge about how artists think cognitively about their practice beyond their making it is under-documented or the public doesn’t have access to it, but I think that needs to change as the art sector is becoming ever more diverse therefore we must have a better understanding of the operational roles contained within it and how they can be navigated.
It contributes to the field of art-based research in showing how a practitioner can effectively navigate their practice by considering opinions and debates formed by many practitioners to inform findings about how contemporaries can form their identity through research in a logical pragmatic way.
If I had to change anything, I would probably conduct even more interviews with practitioners although these can be quite hard to set up because most professionals have very busy schedules meaning it can take months to organise talks, but this is something that I can explore in further projects to further develop my research. I would have also liked to have conducted further case studies however I feel like having too many would have made them less in-depth, but this is again something I can tackle after the project without the time constrains and word limit that the 12,000-word dissertation presents.
I have drawn independent conclusions by reflecting upon each piece of research therefore forming my opinion about how art-architecture practices can be best navigated by an artist and at the end of the essay where I concluded my studies by looking at how I should progress based on the research I conducted.
I think that the dissertation was successful in communicating key knowledge and ideas on the relationship of art/architecture and the Inter-disciplinary. It is logical and easy to read which is one of its biggest successes I often find research papers can be overwhelming, but I think that the logical order and structure makes the information easy to digest and look back upon at ease. Another success would be it’s use of multiple debates and opinions about working within art and operating practice because these prove very informative when considering contemporary societal structures like art and architecture which can be reflected upon in the future.
I would say that the main weakness of the project would be the fact that the notion of branding and the relationship of art and architecture is such a broad subject matter which contains many different complex strands of applicable knowledge that can take many years to fully understand so I would say the limited time frame of three months would be the biggest weakness as you can only do a certain amount of research in three months. However, I have broadened my knowledge to a high level which can be utilized within my professional practice and the subject is something that I will no doubt explore further after university as it is integral to the context of my work and my identity within the creative sector.
When conducting research, I considered ethical issues for example when doing questionnaires and interviews I made sure that I had the consent of the participant to use the research within a written document and to inform my research. I did this through consent forms which required the participant to sign and tick that they understood where the findings would be used.
I have considered the audience within the display of the dissertation by making sure it flows logically making it easy to read and ensuring that it was comfortable for the reader to hold and spend time with as I want the document to be used in a practical manner to gain key information therefore I want them to spend time with it, I also made sure that I provided appendices at the back of the essay so that the reader can read some of the important documents which I produced without cramming the text with too much information. Although I didn’t put all the documents within the main body of the essay, I still think that they prove useful as key opinions, debates and transcripts which the reader might find relevant.
My dissertation will inform my professional practice after university as through studying the two disciplines in detail and how they are operated by other practitioners I have identified what my role is in the creative sector and the different career pathways going forward which will inform the next 7-10 years of my professional career. I have decided to study architectural education and become a practicing architect which takes up to ten years but in the mean time I will work collaboratively with other architects and artists to produce buildings and public art projects. The dissertation will also act as a document which I can look back upon if my practice shifts and I need to rethink my societal role and branding in relation to my projects it will provide the knowledge that I need to inform further decisions and conduct further research using a similar methodology which I adopted in this project.