PROCESS / PROGRESS UP-DATE – APRIL 15 2015
Due to extenuating circumstances, the past few weeks have
been very difficult.
… In my real life world, my partner & I have had to move
out of our live/work/gallery space in the charming historic church building in
the rural setting of Madison County NC.
I am currently living alone in my family house in Asheville
NC – where there is no Internet service & so have been at the mercy of
local Wi-Fi café opening hours (trying to complete extensive research plus
Advisor & Crit-group communications etc.)
But “woe-is-me” & “life-sux” excuses aside ….
My current Studio Project is very interesting & has
taken its own shape (again … due to extenuating circumstances – hmmm , there
seems to be a theme here!)
The thing that has dictated the shape of this project is the
unreliability of art student commitment in an experimental, private, hippy
liberal arts college in the NC mountains (very close to Black Mountain – yes,
indeed!)
… But we all know “necessity is the mother of invention”
& all that … so a plan was devised in order to absorb all possible
attendance dilemmas …….. that of ……. (drum roll) ….. REAL time/space &
VIRTUAL time/space duality!!!
Needless to say, it has been a somewhat complex procedure to
set up all the ins & outs of such an ambitious format – but it is working!
(kind of)
It is working in the sense that I am able to clearly set out
all my intentions regardless of whether any students show up to fulfill them or
not! … And actually they are (students – showing up, that is.) A couple here
& there. “Here” being in REAL time/space at Warren Wilson College on a
Friday morning. “There” being on the Tumblr group site, where the VIRTUAL
time/space action is all going down.
It’s all part of a big experiment entitled the “PERFORMANCE
ANXIETY WORKSHOP EXPERIMENT”. To see if a Performance Art syllabus can be
presented & successfully executed “Here” & “There”.
(Results for this coming May 15th)
The Research Paper has been …… um “challenging” to say the
least.
Again … not wanting to make excuses – but damn! Not coming
from a very academic background – this is HARD! ….. I think I described my
troubles fairly coherently during my last Crit group response – so I won’t
repeat myself too much – but …
Initially, my plan for procedure was just to speak in my own
voice & try to be as honest & clear & transparent about my process
of discovery as possible. I felt
this was the only possible mode of action to take, as I could not pretend to be
coming from any other place besides that of starting from almost scratch.
To me, this course of action implies a chronological
approach – what else can it be when taking the reader by the hand to lead them
with you through your journey?
This had been discussed with my Research Advisor, however
perhaps the implications of how backwards a paper that chronological journey
might produce had not been clear until it was presented in my first draft!
Because, as it has become apparent to my understanding, a
proper, nice, clean, traditional academic paper sets everything up by
presenting the field of reference first & then politely introducing one’s (informed)
part to play in that world.
Unfortunately (unfortunately for who, I don’t know!) – that
is not my own experience. I have been exploring, investigating, getting my
hands (& other body parts) dirty in the sea of experimentation caused by …
Original thought? Imagination? Certainly, I was in my own bubble with very
little conscious knowledge of what had gone & what was going on in the
world in regards to methods of experimental performance & body-based
performance pedagogy.
Yet I was producing work that people wanted to see & I
was teaching/facilitating classes & workshops that students were being
inspired by.
The very reason for putting myself in this academic
situation here & now is to challenge myself to contextualize my work &
put it under the critical microscope (& see if it survives!) But I have
really been struggling with the structure of a traditional paper, as it is not
the chronological order of my own experience.
I guess it’s a question of “putting the cart before the
horse” – but that depends on which entity one considers as the cart & which
entity one considers as the horse!
… Anyway, my Research Advisor has dutifully given me
guidance as to how better structure a paper, in order for me not to appear as a
completely ignorant imposter! So I do hope it has some sense of credibility.
… But wait a minute ….
Hey – this is MY paper!
Yes MINE.
I own it. I use it to state MY voice.
I can say what-the-hell-ever I damn well please!!!
Can’t I?
Anyway – one pertinent question I have is in regards to the
order of Final Research Paper & Final Studio Project presentation/report.
It feels as though it’s the wrong way around here … Wouldn’t it make more sense
to have the Studio Project deadline FIRST? Then there would be another month
for contemplation to draw conclusions & form them well for the Final
Research Paper.
It has been hard to try & offer conclusions for the paper
when the studio work is still in process.
Links to posts since last Process Up-date:
Performance Anxiety workshops – set up
Performance Anxiety workshops – week 1
Performance Anxiety workshops – week 2
Performance Anxiety workshops – week 3
Critique Group Response
Studio Advisor Meeting Response
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