Unit 1: Assessment

Evidence of Learning Outcomes

Students have been asked to produce a review of this first stage of the MA (see here for the guidelines: MA Fine Art Digital Unit 01 Assessment Brief 2014-16 EFT) and this is detailed below.

Formulate, describe and implement a challenging and self-directed programme of study, relating to your Project.

The simplest way to demonstrate how my work has been shaped is to view the five versions of my project proposals – see here. These demonstrate how the programme of work moved incrementally from a general idea to one with specific and challenging criteria and outcomes over time.

The shape of the proposal became sharper in response to my research and reflection. Much of this has been practise based, resulting in 20 projects so far with their outputs placed on a dedicated website here. Just looking at the number of projects the range is wide but with a clear focus. I have listed these below indicating their titles (in blue), approach, and link to the summary outcomes.

1. Public landscapes – double exposures. Link here.
2. Domestic landscapes – straight formal. Link here.
3. Surreal landscapes (Out of Place) – straight formal. Link here.
4. Intimate landscapes straight formal. Link here.
5. Kit – forensic (Evidence). Link here.
6. Urine bags – typology (A Picture of Health). Link here.
7. Blood and Shit. Link here.
8. Abstractions and clarity (How I feel). Link here.
9. Bar codes (Code) appropriation. Link here.
10. Symbols – digital painting. Link here.
11. Signs – diptychs. Link here.
12. Imagined Landscapes (motifs). Link here.
13. The Face (Portraiture). Link here.
14. The Body Link here.
15. Elemental (Blueprint). Link here.
16. Movement (Appropriation, slow shutter). Link here.
17. Feet (typology). Link here.

In addition to my primary projects three others have arisen during the period of study and experimentation. These are:

• Twelve Days in Summer. Link here.
• Getting On. Link here.
• Emergency. Link here.

The scope of the research can be seen by my blog’s tag cloud and bibliography, with references to both primary and secondary sources. The reflective nature of the work can be seen by the number and type of posts  made in this blog, with the edges of the research being sound, gifs and video.

The research paper – see here – is, in a way, a summary and echo of the research detailed in my blog and reflects how the direction of my research proposals changed and developed into something sharper and more exact. Indeed, I see the research paper as a contextual stepping stone that has helped shape my ideas both on subject matter and issues about: representation of the body or not; and approaches to presentation. These have yet to be realised.

Critically engage with practice-based research and contribute actively to debate and discussion

My research has included experiments in realist, formalist, and expressionist photography – and much in-between – physical imagery (eg cyanotypes) and digital image making culminating in 17 main project based approaches so far with the edges of the research being gifs, sound and video applied to still imagery.

I have engaged with, and contributed to, debates and discussions though the following:

• Submitted work for consideration at Conflux, The Photographer’s Gallery, Xhibit, Photofusion Salons 14 and 15; Shape; and Prescriptions exhibitions.
• Interested online communities such as A-N; Disability Arts Online and our MA cohort as well as Flickr 
• Tutorials and Symposiums including the mid point review – all attended
• Paper submitted to 21st Century Photography-Art-Philosophy-Technique
• The Nearest Faraway Project

My Unit 1 Video presentation can be found here.

I’ve greatly enjoyed the interactions.

Numbers

The central vehicle for engagement has been my blog. Indeed my first post was way back in December 2013 where I outlined it’s purpose here in regard of this MA. Below is what engagement looks like in numbers through that portal as at the end of October 2015.

• 764 posts
  • 10,634 views
  • 3,363 visitors
  • 863 likes
  • 633 comments
  • 160 followers
  • 69 blogs followed

These figures indicate a couple of things: the average page views is 3 per visitor; the blog is more than a publishing portal – it’s a tool for engagement.

Critically reflect upon your practice and articulate a clear understanding of methodology and context of your creative practice

The clearest way to demonstrate how I have reflected upon my practice and have a sharp understanding of my methodology and context of my practice is through my research proposal and research paper.

Other indicators are:

• My general research posts (under the Research category) – especially those looking at the representation of other classes of people such as Black people, Women, and Gay men and women, as well as disabled artists.
• The scope of research, practice and reflection (see tag cloud and bibliography)
• The difference between the blog and website with the former indicating process and experimentation and the latter provisional outputs.

However the clearest indication of my understanding of methodology is the fact that I have not produced final products on my website and rather embraced the notion that the only final products will be those with production values made for specific outputs (eg online, physical, performance based).

Conclusion

This summary recognises that I am now moving from the first stage of research, development and practice to a period of reflection and presentation. However, I still fully expect that the practice and methodology reflected in this blog will continue as I appear to have found a working rhythm. I also feel that both the practice based research and written paper have created a platform for more experimentation and research into this area.

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