Following my draft submission earlier this week – and the feedback I have subsequently received – I thought it would be a good idea to give an update on my plans for resolving my research project.
My main plan now is to produce a research outcome in the form of a self-published, illustrated “artists book” which outlines my central thesis in a clear and accessible way. This book will be made available online as a PDF / downloadable document (published primarily on the WORKSITE blog), and ideally also in hard-copy / physical printed form.
The content of the book will be a combination of my thesis (written in the style of a “manifesto” or “instructional” text) and additional images / illustrations which link the text to both my own (art) work and that of previous WORKSITE contributors.
I intend the book to be quite short and to-the-point, and I am taking inspiration from notable publications including Seth Price’s Dispersion (2002), Sol LeWitt’s Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969), Tom Sachs’ Ten Bullets (2010), Lawrence Weiner’s Statements (1968), and Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies (1975).
This to me seems an ideal way to articulate my thesis as the book should become a useful document that artists can use as a tool to aid them in making work. What’s more, the means of publishing allows the document to be readily available and editable, encouraging its adaptation to different needs.
As well as the “artist’s book”, I will also continue to work on my portfolio, adding further notes on my research process and the development of the research outcome. My immediate focus will be on researching the artist’s publications noted above, as they will be a useful reference point when formulating my own publication. I will also add some blog posts which respond to the suggestions given in my draft submission feedback.
One of the suggestions given in my draft feedback was that I produce “diagrams” which map each of the original responses to the WORKSITE Q&A, incorporating my own ideas and reference to my central thesis. This should be a useful exercise, as I can incorporate this work into both my portfolio and the research outcome. As such, this work is another priority for me at this stage.
Finally, I will continue to work on my critical reflection, which at present contains the beginnings of a literature review, as well as space for discussing both the WORKSITE case studies and the research outcome (when finished). I will also add to this text key images and appendices which should provide a more detailed insight into my work on the project.
In conclusion, my final submission will be composed of three parts:
- my portfolio / blog, which will contain evidence of all the work I have done on the project to-date;
- my research outcome – in the form of an “artist’s book” – which will appear both in the portfolio and as a separate, self-published document;
- my critical reflection, which will summarise and evaluate the work I have done on the project – including my central thesis and research outcome.
