Group Seminar Reflective Practice Unit Overview

29th July 2013

As it works out, this is a shorter academic year for us because of the longer final unit, and so it ends much sooner in the calendar year than usual, which feels rushed, especially as we have been allowing time for reflecting. However, thank goodness for a deadline. It also seems that most of the work comes at the end of the unit, and so now until the assessment, so we are working retrospectively on what we have learned through reflection.

The unit has been much more self directed, and although we have been getting on with it, perhaps feeling a bit isolated at time, working with each other in a variety of forms has been built in through group crits, interviews, etc. Some suggest revisiting the mapping exercise form a couple of years ago as a point to reflect upon. Personally I had a great talk with my dyslexia tutor which acted as a similar benchmark, reflecting upon all the things I initially resisted in the MA, but which has now become second nature - referring to other artists and research in my ideas, etc.

For assessment - instructions for work as if for exhibition set up - studio photos. Make all decisions about presentation. State intentions even if they can't be realised at OCA, but also use what they have.

Writing - meta reflection - reflecting about reflecting, to pull together unit.
Strategy - development - realisation.
Make headings, use a reflective structure, include images.

Statement - purpose/audience - print/online?
Perhaps write artist statement/paragraphs for each other - pick out phrases - more interviews.

Discussed the feedback from curator Lucy Day.
http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/lucy-day-curator.html

Here was my feedback from LD:

Eleanor already has some exhibiting experience under her belt and is clearly confident in her practice. We talked about ways of exhibiting her work, which she has obviously thought through. I was less sure about her recent 2d works that she made for an art fair and we talked about the issues with showing moving image and how to make other works alongside – ie stills, books etc. I sensed that Eleanor was less comfortable talking to me than some of the other students, perhaps a suspicion of curators? We talked for about 45 mins in the end as the conversation veered down some negative routes (about recent exhibiting experiences) and we both wanted it to get back onto a more positive path, which we managed to do.

Well, it doesn't sound great, and I was surprised at how negative the feedback was - I didn't feel uncomfortable talking to her, and actually we had quite a laugh when we got off topic. It was a bit disappointing really, and discussing it in this seminar I realised that LD had made no comment at all about the work - we didn't talk about that at all, and I think I had hoped not to dwell on the roundabout things, but LD never really engaged with me. I think the talk was scheduled for 45 mins anyway. I saw on others' blog that we covered the same issues about showing moving image, etc. James also found there was no critique on work, but Angela said that was possibly not how she saw the role - although others had comments about work. Sometimes you just don't hit it off, even on  Skype, but it was ok, and future contact may be better. I still gained from the talk, see other blog page, and hope I came across ok.

Susie MacMurray - former classical musician retrained Fine Art.
http://www.susie-macmurray.co.uk/index.php

Quality of critique really improved this year - less tutoring attempts of each other, more critical and constructive, and we are less defensive and sensitive.

Conversations between us - set up small group crits, etc, keep up, put in research, don't be isolated.

1st August 2013