Dear List,
Methods for Research and Methods for Practice, April Theme of the Month
The recent CRUMB-CultureLab event 'Creative Digital Media Research
Practice: Production Through Exhibition' explored current research
methods employed in both new media art practice and curatorial
practice. Documentation of the event, and ongoing planning for the next
one, can be found on a wiki at:
http://dm.ncl.ac.uk/events/ahrc-crt/wiki/
The Summary session at the end of Day 2 identified some key recurring
questions for researchers and practitioners working in the field of
digital / new media art. We have picked two to discuss on the CRUMB
list this month:
1. 'I'm a .....' Given that clear explanation of complex systems,
cross-disciplinary knowledge, or immaterial qualities is an important
part of sharing your research findings with peers, how would you
explain what you do to a stranger you meet in a hot tub? How do you
'translate' vocabularies and methods? Can you 'name your practice'?
(This is based on the Banff New Media Institute experience of having to
explain methods across disciplines, based on an idea by Pamela
Jennings).
2. 'I noticed how ...' How can formal research be best 'applied'? The
formal PhD and post-doc research of Lizzie Muller, for example,
documented artist's intent and audience experiences of interactive art.
This lengthy formal process is unlikely to be duplicated in the
practice of a working artist or curator, but nevertheless it can inform
artistic processes, such as giving more consideration to the
'prototyping' of artworks (as reported by Gina Czarnecki, one of
Lizzie's case studies). Can formal research help artists and curators
recognise different patterns in their hectic working lives? Do you have
'quick and dirty' research methods that work for you? In your
experience, has research changed the way you practice?
All attendees at the event have been invited as this month's Invited
Respondents (their bios are here:
http://dm.ncl.ac.uk/events/ahrc-crt/wiki/index.php/Biographies), but
all CRUMB list members are of course welcome to respond, whether or nor
you consider yourself a researcher.
References: The Banff New Media Institute:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/bnmi/research and
http://banffcentre.ca/sbb/tour/ Lizzie Muller's work:
http://www.lizziemuller.com/research/ and
http://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2096
Yours,
Beryl
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Beryl Graham, Professor of New Media Art
School of Arts, Design, Media and Culture, University of Sunderland
Ashburne House, Ryhope Road
Sunderland
SR2 7EE
Tel: +44 191 515 2896 Fax: +44 191 515 2132
Email: [log in to unmask]
CRUMB web resource for new media art curators
http://www.crumbweb.org
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Beryl Graham, Professor of New Media Art
School of Arts, Design, Media and Culture, University of Sunderland
Ashburne House, Ryhope Road
Sunderland
SR2 7EE
Tel: +44 191 515 2896 Fax: +44 191 515 2132
Email: [log in to unmask]
CRUMB web resource for new media art curators
http://www.crumbweb.org
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