(My tutorial report)
Reflections since last tutorial (if applicable)
During my last tutorial with Michele on the 21st of Sept, she mentioned ‘Matters of Care’ by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa. I was able to get a hold of the book and it has been part of a pivotal point in my research journey. Her work resonate with me on many levels. She explores Care in the broader sense and also references the work of Joan Tronto and the Ethics of Care which is fascinating. I have found it very interesting, and it has given me a broader vocabulary for my own work and concerns. She has a strong focus on Human-soil relations, which at first, I thought I was not necessarily related to my work. But as I started writing my contextual study, I realised that perhaps there was a significant overlap due to the fact that clay-soil forms the base of my materials. I work with dry pigment (derived from rock and clay), wet clay which I use for ceramic work or sculpting and wild clay that I forage and use as slip. I can see how this overlap can potentially lead to interesting ways of weaving my research into my practice. I was excited to discover this and look forward to looking at ‘Matters of Care’ in more depth.
The other person that Michele introduced me to was Patricia Leavy and her book: ‘Method meets Art’. This book offers an enhanced view of how the arts can provide new ways of knowing and become a source of deep enrichment in science and a means for all people to understand scientific discoveries more clearly and even take it to heart/action. Leavy uses fictional writing in her research practice and uses the strength of fiction to connect with readers and to make Science available more people than purely academics or students who take the time to read research journal papers. It is important that all people gain knowledge from the sciences in order for us to understand and to generate Care. Combining the arts (whether that be literary, visual or performance art etc) with the sciences has proven many times, to be an effective way to communicate knowledge in such a way, that it inspires and move people to action.
Overall feedback notes from tutorial discussion
It has been a while since I had a tutorial with Hayley and a lot has happened in my practice since then. I was able to send her a short extract (introduction) to my Contextual Study and some links to my research journal to show what I have been busy with.
I started off by telling Hayley what I have been experimenting with this week which was – developing my skills on the pottery wheel in order to make some vessels and also trying my hand at encaustic medium. Hayley was excited to hear that I have a pottery wheel and kiln in the studio and was supportive of the idea of making some vessels that I will manipulate so that they intersect/interconnect. I also told her that I wanted to see if I could use my natural earth pigments in a slip in order to decorate my vessels with a Scraffito method. I am very please that I got the go-ahead this that as it ties in well with my research, interest in soil, the therapeutic benefits of clay as well as the concept of interconnection with nature.
Hayley’s feedback about my Research Journal posts and CS extract was very positive and she encouraged me to keep going in the direction that I am. I felt relieved about this and we talked about where I started and how this journey has been challenging but perhaps needed to be so, in order for me to find work that authentic and true to me.
Hayley mentioned the following names and concepts and thought I might want to read up about them to see if there are more overlaps:
- Donna Haraway; Phonoscene; Eco-feminism, Patricia Piccinini,
- Anna Tsing; Anthroposcene
We spoke about audience. Hayley agreed that incorporating some kind of workshop or participation from the audience would make sense, seeing that Process is an important aspect of my work. So a building/structure in nature or close to a tranquil outdoor space would be ideal. She encouraged to me to bring in other specialists (ie. Psychologists, Mindfulness based meditation instructors) in order to help facilitate something that could be a type of retreat or workshop or ‘right of passage’ event or youth camp etc). I love this idea and I just so happened to have a conversation with a psychiatrist friend (who also has a psychology practice) at my birthday last weekend. I told him about my studies and that my interest in Eco-psychology and Eco-art-therapy might lead me to look at studying further to become and Art-therapist. He then asked me if I’ve ever considered collaborating with other specialists to facilitate a group session where an expressive art workshop in nature can be combined with a therapy session for a small group. He said that it is often done with horses and he seemed open to the idea if doing this with art. So that’s great and I like the idea that this is another way to interconnect people with each other which is part of my research.
Hayley felt that I could even dream bigger and think of taking my work to academia and propose a body of work.
With regards to my Contextual Study, Hayley suggested that I move my quotes from ‘Matter of Care’ right to the top of my CS and also give my introduction some breathing space by stripping it back just a little. For the rest of the essay, she suggests that I weave my research and references to the book that I am reading into my aspirations for audience and participant possibilities. She thinks there is a lot of synchronicities happening in my practice and research together with audience-related possibilities and that I should not hold back on elaborating about all of this throughout.
I feel very encouraged and my confidence is up which is something to be celebrated in the light if where I as a few months ago!
Thank you Hayley!
Action points arising from the tutorial
I think I touched on most of my action points already. Mainly I will focus on the following in the weeks to come:
- Developing the contextual study
- Finishing off some of the practical work that I started.
- Reviewing all my journal posts.