(1) Identify your key responsibilities and list the main areas of work you have been involved in. Briefly highlight the skills and competencies that are relevant to this project/work area.
In my research work for the project, I have focused on revealing little known stories about the history of the Old College. My work included a detailed study of the honeysuckle frieze, John Playfair’s iconic neo-classical motif that is still visible today. This work required meticulous historical research and interpretation of the architectural design based on a non-digital university catalogue.
In addition, my role involved exploring the history of the collections within the context of the building. I conducted extended searches along existing footnotes to obtain information on the puma and browsed the archive system of the Centre for Research Collections to obtain relevant image material. This often required identifying and understanding handwritten letters, as well as dealing with old and sometimes inaccessible reference materials. These challenges honed my ability to critically process archival documents and extract and integrate relevant information albeit from materials that are old and in poor condition.
In terms of visualisation, my background in photography and production made me particularly sensitive to the visual aspects of the project. I was involved in the entire process of developing the exhibition programme, using SketchUp’s 3D modelling skills to envision the exhibition space, constantly coming up with options and determining the feasibility of the vision. I consciously documented our progress with photographs, which helped to effectively communicate our progress through the final presentation slides.
For project management, I completed a comprehensive budget checklist that accurately recorded our expenses and in-kind contributions. This ensured the sustainability of the project and acknowledged the support provided by the University and the Talbot Rice Gallery. To enhance team coordination, I promoted the use of shared documents for research compilations and developed a detailed post-session to-do list with timelines and actionable steps to achieve goals to ensure the project’s methodical march.
(2) Looking ahead, list your key objectives for the GRP. 3-7 SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed) objectives should be noted with realistic timescales and focused outcomes. The objectives should cover the project itself and your own role. See here for a definition of SMART Objectives.
- Finalising the Exhibition Text: we are now in the process of fact-checking the material and information that we have gathered from each other, which is expected to be completed before the start of the second semester. In January after the start of term, on this basis, we will try to put together a thread to link the different stories together to form a central theme.
- Visualise Display: over the holidays gather inspiration for visualising the display settings in the gallery, exploring how to make more interesting use of the space while ensuring that the historical information from our research outputs is delivered to the audience. This needs to be confirmed and communicated to the technical team as soon as possible in January after the start of the academic year for implementation and budget control.
- Individual objectives: to collate and confirm the authenticity of material collected by themselves during the holidays; to collect available image material related to the architectural history of Puma via the CRC online database, and to output a printout once confirmed at the start of the academic year; to find and accumulate visual inspiration and possible ways of presenting the exhibition on documentation.
(3) Discursive self-reflection
Use this section to, 1) reflect upon the progress of the project to date (both as a whole and with regards to your own specific area/role). 2) Critically reflect upon your experience working with the group. Here you may consider your contribution so far, the value of your specific strengths and expertise, the effectiveness of group communications and your performance in group meetings. How might the group [have] enhance[d] its performance?
This exhibition was a breakthrough for me, moving away from the typical artist-centred presentation to a narrative presentation based on the archival legacy of the Talbot Rice Gallery. Our shared goal was to create an exhibition that not only presented the results of our research, but also charted the gallery’s rich and unique history for future artists-in-residence to draw inspiration from.
The CRC’s digital collection played a key role in our research process. Online searches were initially sufficient to identify potential display materials, but direct interaction with the collection was beneficial in deepening our understanding, such as discovering the double-layered, interactive nature of the archive College of Edinburgh, Plan of the First Floor, No.18, Coll-13, an architectural overhead views. This lesson reinforced the importance of having direct access to research materials whenever possible.
Our group worked conscientiously on our individual research tasks, but we found that our work might have been more cohesive when integrated. Identifying overlaps and intersections in the historical narrative early on would have resulted in a more focused and accurate exhibition theme. We now understand that the narrative of the exhibition could have been more effectively communicated by synthesising our individual findings.
The constraints of the space posed a great challenge and demanded innovative solutions in terms of material presentation. Our late entry into the actual exhibition space taught us a lesson in the need to anticipate practical constraints and adjust our planning process accordingly.
My contribution came from my photographic background and installation experience, mainly in visual conceptualisation. I was involved in the selection of images and provided input for the visual marketing assets despite my laptop malfunctioning. The diversity of language and cultural backgrounds in our group posed a communication challenge, which I proposed addressing by creating shared documents to clarify and validate our discussions after meetings.
In retrospect, I realise that there was room for improvement in my active participation in the group, which could have led to clearer communication. For group projects, it is vital to utilise individual strengths, and whilst scheduling conflicts made regular meetings challenging, the workflow that had been put in place at and by the Centre of Research Collection and Talbot Rice Gallery ensured that we progressed without feeling overwhelmed.
Acknowledging and adapting to our limitations while striving to remain flexible was a central theme of our project. This exemplifies the spirit of collaboration, where even in the face of limitations, a team can still accomplish meaningful and impactful work.
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