Hi Hele,

Remember that the voices you hear in the discussion at any particular time on
this list represent only a fraction of the variety of views that are held by
people qualified to say something on the issue. To me, the recent
definitional thread is to some extent rehashing some ground already covered,
and my sense is that some of the previous contributors are probably exhausted
after hundreds of pages in March-June and lots of discussion at the La Clusaz
conference. (I wish I could have been there, but I was too poor and too busy
to go.)

Anyway, I think some worthwhile distinctions about the D.Des. and Ph.D.,
among others, have been made. It sounds like the latter, as a Doctor of
*Philosophy*, requires a high level of theoretical contribution and
engagement with philosophy that impacts (and fertilizes!) the chosen area of
practice. It sounds like the D.Des. could be more for outstanding, rigorous
and inventive professional practice, perhaps without the same level of
philosophy and theorizing -- I'm not sure, that was a new one for me as well.
 I think it may be true that some practice-led PhD proposals might be a
better fit for the D.Des., but it is also a matter of who recognizes what
degree, what degrees your institution offers, and how they are accredited.
Certainly the PhD is most widely recognized, but the institution has to be
able to support work that merits the degree, and it should be part of a
system of peer review that ensures this. From your side, you don't need to
know exactly where the path will lead you, but you should feel sure of your
reasons for starting the adventure, and have an idea what sort of thing you'd
like to have at the end, and why.

What can your potential supervisor, and/or other students at your institution
say to answer the questions you raised? You've got to feel they can answer,
and that you have confidence in their answers. I think that's the first test.

I am a registered PhD student at the Royal College of Art, though I am
conducting fieldwork in the States. There have been some good postings from
Anthony Dunne, whose work I am somewhat familiar with and respect greatly. I
can only say that, within the RCA environment, doing a practice-led research
degree is neither a contradiction, nor are these people seen to be doing
second-class research. Many people I have known DO experience tension
between doing the highest quality studio work (by the standards they are used
to) and what they perceive to be the demands of research methodology. I
think the best projects are the ones that move beyond the methodology being
an extraneous burden, to where the focus and depth become an enabler to doing
work that could not be done otherwise. Leaving a trail which can be followed
by others, being clear about whom you have followed, and building a solid
basis upon which others can extend the work, are indications of intellectual
craftsmanship that must accompany outstanding practical results. Not
everybody is willing to do this.. but as I said, I think the best projects
make this a platform and not a burden. I think the description of this work
as "practice-led" is apt, because choices among the myriad paths one may take
in theorizing, philosophizing, and methodologizing, are motivated by an
excitement about where the *practice* can go. (..and this probably involves
deviations from the well-worn paths of the mature disciplines that have given
rise to the theories and methods you must embrace.)

In my experience, you can and should expect that your project will undergo
significant shifts in definition, certainly over the course of your first
year if not more. It will continue to change and morph (becoming deeper and
more focused) throughout. I also noticed a pattern -- that most people I
know who have done successful design research degree projects go through a
period of doubt and confusion, and intense frustration.. until finally, after
a lot of hard work and maybe not as much help from the institution as they
might have hoped for, the pieces come together. This has, in several cases I
know, involved finding an outstanding external advisor, supervisor or subject
expert, to augment your supervision, or even another organization to help
support the work or to provide access to specialized equipment, etc. I
honestly think that, once you're off and running, a lot of your energy should
go into making that happen sooner rather than later!!

Below I'll list three recent PhD's from the RCA which were conducted by
project (this is in addition to Jane Harris' project completed this year,
which I've already mentioned to you.) .. this is a small sample, from the
period I was at the College (96-98), and only a fraction of the interesting
work I was exposed to. (I'm guessing that about 15-20 PhD's are awarded by
the RCA each year, about 1/3 to 1/2 being done as practice-led, or "by
project" - which means the submission consists of a body of practical work
and a written thesis.). In each case, I believe the projects below achieved
outstanding results, and were judged to have met the various tests of
PhD-quality work. I am sure that none of these people would say that it was
EITHER a straight or particularly smooth road getting to completion, nor can
I say how they feel about the College or their experience. In each case
though, I think their work demonstrated both exciting and stimulating
practice, and appropriate rigour.. and I enjoyed and deeply valued being at a
place where this sort of thing was going on.

--------------------

Ian Ferguson - PhD in metalsmithing & jewelery 1996
The development of solid state diffusion bonded Mokume Gane


Jennifer Tillotson - PhD in printed textiles 1997
Interactive olfactory surfaces: the Wellness Collection - a science fashion
story


Anthony Dunne - PhD in computer-related design 1998
Hertzian tales: an investigation into the critical and aesthetic potential of
the electronic product as a post-optimal object


(I was going to suggest getting more info from the Alison Research Index in
Art and Design, or "ARIAD" <http://www.ariad.co.uk/>, which catalogs
completed research in the UK. However, I just decided to have a look myself
since the web access is not something I've used before. (We had it in print
and on CD-ROM in the college library) I was very disappointed to find that
none of these authors come up in the search. I checked the RCA library
on-line catalog and all do show up in the holdings of completed PhD theses.
I don't know what the problem is. I'll be interested to hear if you get any
other responses about ways of searching for completed research.)

Very best wishes,
Ben Shaw


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%