Dear Terence

Thanks for taking the trouble to respond.

Yes, it's always possible to see things in different ways. It is also
possible to see the limitations of words in conveying meaning. I would love
to know for instance, what you mean when you use the term 'art skills'. I
suspect that you may be referring to some minor aspect of the process more
usefully described as 'rendering techniques'.

I think it was Edward Bawden who said, "Drawing is another way of thinking"

I don't see this debate as some kind of contest between theory and practice,
I feel that they are vital to each other.

Could you just run me through why it is now the turn of the Art and Design
Schools to become science schools?

Best regards

Martin

On 11/8/09 9:49 am, "Terence Love" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear Martin,
>
> It's possible to see this in a different way. Much of the discussion so far
> seems to assume that Design activity is a fixed phenomenon.
>
> The reality is more interesting and exciting. Design in the Art and Design
> world is changing.
>
> One way of looking at the practice-based PhD is that it is:
>
> 1. A product of the factors acting at this moment in the evolution of design
> practice (similar to way that sundry factors created temporary enthusiasm
> for professional doctorates a decade ago)
> 2. An ephemeral phenomenon that is naturally evolving into a dead end,
> rather than a new development.
> 3. A temporary consequence of transformation to mass education of the
> previously privileged university sector (which requires a reduction in the
> selection mechanisms).
>
> Until recently design was an almost completely a tacit skill. It is rapidly
> becoming a well explained semi-professional activity whose improvement is
> based on science. Many other fields of design have been through this change
> from art to science, it is now the turn of the Art and Design schools
>
> At the moment, best practice in design is marked by an evolving mix of
> theory skills and tacit art skills in which the importance of theory is
> increasing and art skills are reducing. In this process of change, sometimes
> industry leads, sometimes universities lead. Whichever happens, older
> skills, mostly the art skills, become outdated and redundant. Computer
> software such as that of Adobe enables designers to produce output beyond
> their artistic skill level by basing output on expert systems and making
> these systems easy to use via the Mac interface. The outcome is less need
> for art skills.
>
> Sometimes industry pays for the new theory knowledge that is evolving the
> field of design (and replacing the need for tacit artistic skills),
> sometimes governments pay universities to develop it.
>
> Typically it is universities that teach the theoretical understanding and
> industry that offers learning through practical experience.
>
> Taken together, these factors seem to explain most of the issues that emerge
> in relation to PhDs in many design fields, and many of the current drives
> to include practice in Design PhDs.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Terry
>
>
> ====
>
> Martin wrote:
> "At present, it is virtually impossible for an artist-lecturer to maintain
> the highest level of practice and also study for a PhD. So we are heading
> for
> a situation where leading practitioners in applied arts are only available
> to
> students as occasional guests, wheeled out now and then, while most teaching
> is delivered by theorists or lapsed practitoners. It is a particular problem
> where the 'expressive' arts coincide with the applied arts such as my own
> area of illustration. A colleague who is an internationally recognized
> practitioner was recently advised to undertake a PhD in order to safeguard
> her position in a fractional post. As things stand, this would be impossible
> if she were to maintain her level of practice, which is so important to her
> teaching. "
> stems=


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