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The reconciliation of the hostile ones: writing as a method in art and design research practices
University of the Industrial Arts Helsinki, FI <johanna.pentikainen@uiah.fi> |
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1. The pictorial turn needs the verbal The so-called “pictorial turn” of recent years has emphasized the role of the visual in our construction of the world (see, for example, Mitchell 1994). As we already know from the “linguistic turn” of the past forty years (see, for example, Rorty 1967), both the “turns” mentioned here strongly imply that everything is a construct. Nothing is natural. Therefore, it seems that with the pictorial turn, nothing has changed except the emphasized source or mode of the information. Still, “the pictorial turn” does not, surprisingly, neglect the role and importance of language. Instead, while we live surrounded and influenced by images, we understand, explain, and analyze images using language. We narrate in order to understand. It seems that analysis and verbal discussion of images is more important than ever; the language of thought is able to name emotions, give definitions, develop concepts and formulate stories. Do the education and research practices in art and design take this into consideration as much as is needed? In an education context in general, learning and thought has always been strongly identified with text and all that is textual. With the development of art and design universities and the academization of art and design education in the past decade, the highest level of art and design education has had to familiarize itself more and more, not only with speech about the objects studied and produced, but also with written texts and writing. Still, visual artists have often considered the pictorial and verbal modes of expression as being “hostile” to each other. They often – and naturally - feel the visual working process is their “own” mode of expression, instead of, for example, argumentative writing. Moreover, their education does not always prepare them to discuss their ideas and thinking through speaking or writing. In my paper, I seek a practical solution to writing in the context of artistic activity and art and design education. I think that artists' and designers' professional knowledge as image makers is needed in our cultural milieu. I see writing as a method of learning that is able to deepen the author's understanding of the object discussed and of him- or herself as a human being. In the “pictorial turn” we live in now, we need to educate artists who are able to critically analyse and process the use of images in every aspect of the visual environment. The only way to do this is to practice the use of language. 2. Studying text/production relationships It seems to me that much has been said about the relationship between “art and design” and “research”, but writing as a practice in this context has received little attention. The terminology concerning the combining of art and design and research is wide and allows different approaches to the theme. While a detailed discussion of specific aspects is not within the scope of this paper, it is worth noting the various terms employed: “arts-based research” (Barone & Eisner 1997, Levine 2005, with art therapy McNiff 1998), “practice-based research”, “arts-informed inquiry”, “artistic research” (Hannula, Suoranta & Vadén 2005, Balkema & Slager 2004) and “studio art instruction”. All the terms except the last mention the word “research”. My ongoing research (2005-, Academy of Finland project number 210528) consists of visual art and design students' texts produced during an MA or PhD thesis process. The writers have created the texts as part of their art or design production. I have collected the unfinished texts (currently about 120 texts of 2-16 pages as well as several versions from the same writers) from the students that have taken part in my writing and seminar classes at the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. In addition I have analyzed about 65 finished MA and PhD theses. The Study Guide of my university provides the following guidelines for the MA thesis: “The diploma work/master's thesis can be oriented to design and creative artistic work, which involves a production and research report. The diploma work/master's thesis can also be a written report“ (Study Guide, 25). For the PhD degree, the relationship between production and written texts is formulated as follows: “An art production, several art production series linked in significance to each other or a product development project can also be comprised within the doctoral thesis. In this case, the research section respective to the thesis must be in dialogic and analytical relation to the art productions or product development project concerned” (Study Guide, 29). What then are the functional roles of the production and the written text? The concept of a dialogic relationship does not limit the function of the text to be exclusively scientific research. In addition, there are no separate art and research parts as such. Instead, in some cases the process of artistic activity can be research carried out in different materials, and vice versa, writing may be art that produces, for example, fictional and self-reflective narratives, especially when the writer is discussing his or her own artistic activity using a subjective voice. In some of the MA theses, writing now appears to be a continuum of practice in artistic activity and development, but there has been discussion of the need for texts to be more academic. For the PhD degree, a scholarly text is presupposed. From the other point of view, the words “writing” or “text” are often used when referring to the activities of seeking, reformulating and meaning-making. These activities do not need to be considered as happening in verbal language only. Art and design research is by its nature multimodal: the artistic and research activities are performed and manifested in at least two modes, in production and in written text. In multimodal theory, the modes of showing may be, for example, pictorial, verbal, or gestural, or a combination of these (Kress & van Leeuven 1996, Kress 2003). However, the multimodality in production and presentation may not be the most significant aspect in art and design research. When compared to art and design research conducted in other universities, such research in art universities presents one important difference: It is connected to the practices of artistic activity, not only to the theory, history and philosophy of art and design, and that marks its paradigm-like speciality. The writer of the MA or PhD thesis is a historical / physical author of both the art or design produced and the text. According to current thinking, authorship appears to be a context for the artefact and the research (see, for example, Bennett 2004). (Questions concerning intention and the role / position of the author in the analysis and interpretation of art and design will not, however, be discussed here.) In the following, I will concentrate on certain practical questions in order to analyze the production-writing relationship. First, I am looking for the ways the dialogic relationships between the production and the written report can be constructed in texts. How can the author and the context of artistic activity be discussed in texts, especially in the composition of the texts? Can we speak about a methodology of discussing artistic activity, and if we can, what could be included? How are the research questions formulated and what kinds of structures are used in texts where artistic activity is discussed? 3. Multimodal writing When the phenomenon of writing is investigated, the aspects most emphasized will be reflected in the subsequent interpretation. For example, if we see writing as the production of a finished object, a written text, only the final outcome will be valued. On the other hand, if we emphasize the process, then we may understand that writing may serve the process, which may have different roles and points of significance. At the moment, the tuition of writing in general has shifted from exclusively product-process-thinking towards the social practices of writing, which underline the social uses and purposes of the texts, as well as the writer's capacity to critically transform common practice (see, for example, Ivanic 2004). According to general multimodal theory, different modes of expression “specialize” in certain functional tasks (Kress & van Leeuven 1996, Kress 2003), and if we follow this, we will seek to identify the different purposes of the texts in an art and design context. In earlier research investigating the purposes of texts, the texts have been considered as demonstrating exegesis (Paltridge 2004), being instrumental (MacLeod 2000) or showing the gesture of thinking (Mey 2006). In general, the functions and the uses of the texts may be identified, and therefore we may be able to speak about the texts as a genre on a larger scale; inside the “umbrella” of the genre, there still are many different ways of performing the task, from scientific analysis to the use of narrative structures and style. The definition of a “dialogic and analytical relation” between the production and written text does not, however, offer any definition concerning the quality of the relationship. When analysing the material of my study, I have identified several possibilities for creating a dialogic relationship with the production process:
The formulation of the dialogic or analytical relationship presupposes that the relationship can be textually performed only subsequently, after the making of the artefact. As in qualitative research in general, the final composition of a text may appear as a latter part of the thesis process, being the result of a study. Writing can also be simultaneous with the production work, in the form of a preliminary working diary or more a conscious research method, for example, a thematic study conducted while planning the production. However, the typology above points to the texts as products only, not to the actual process of writing. Methodologically, a process and methods investigation (1), as I call it, presupposes the active work of the author as a producer of both the artefact and the text. In contrast, the other modes of research (2-4) may benefit more from the research attitudes known from the theory-based art and design research. In the methodology of a process and methods investigation (1), the artistic activity and its representation or reflection is in a central role, motivating the method, content, and structure of the written text. The process and methods investigation (1) may be performed by combining the following objects of further investigation:
Because of the lack of a well-established research paradigm, the process and methods investigation (1) benefits from a systematic write-up, using analytic and narrative language resources, as a collection of the research material. In the following, I will discuss how the relationships between the author, the production and the context of activity may be identified. I call the aspects “critical processes” because I see that, without the identification of, reflection on and research on these processes, a dialogic relationship with the production and artistic activity is not truly attained, or remains superficial, not deeply questioning the complex quality of artistic activity in general. 4. Identifying the critical processes in process and methods investigation In the following, I have applied a multi-layered model of written language (Ivanic 2004, 222-223) in order to identify the different parts of the discourse in which the author, location, activity and context are constructed. Writing in general consists of many aspects: 1) the text can be seen as a product or process influenced by someone's skills or individual creativity; 2) the event of writing may be emphasized by looking at the purpose/content of the text; 3) the textual form and style of discourse may be investigated; and 4) the social, cultural and political contexts of the language used in this piece of writing and elsewhere. (Ivanic 2004.) Each of the following critical processes I discussed constructs the author's communication and relationship with the artistic activity and its context. These processes limit each other and are inseparable in their true nature. A. Author discourse Meanings related to the author are discussions concerning his or her personal history, skills, sources, idea development, emotions and feelings, as well as his or her personal opinions concerning artistic activity and working. Statements manifested in art and other material also refer to the intention of the author. These investigations may be in the form of a personal narrative, subjective essay, autobiography or a diary, that is documentation of self-study or case study, but they may also appear in genres other than subjective narrative. B. Process of making discourse Meanings related to the process of making and different versions of the text or artefact are not fully separated from the author, for both the “author” and “process” function appear to point to the creativity, skills and process/learning functions of the activities. Still, the process here may be understood to mean this singular, unique process alone, with its unique phases and on the basis of which stories may be narrated. When reflecting on the process and especially on change, narrative structures tied to time are most often used, either in narrative prose or sometimes in a diary novel. C. Artefact(s) and art discourse This function points to the indexical relationship the text constructs, as well as to the author's discussion concerning his/her art and design or the art and design of other artists. This can be performed in many ways. Some writers feel uncomfortable discussing their own works, especially by using concepts that refer to the analysis and interpretation of single artworks. Instead, they may develop other ways of questioning the themes or philosophy related to their thinking and working. Discussion related to the artefacts is often material-based, reporting on the materials, techniques and skills used, as well as the material history and traditions. D. Event and context discourse (idea, purpose, genre) The production process and the written text are located within a certain historical situation. What then are the time, place and phenomena they point to as a part of their form and content? How are the ideas and purposes of artistic activity represented in verbal language, or is representation in another mode possible at all? As genre is constructed between the language used and its social and content purposes, what are the appropriate verbal expression genres of these purposes? E. Socio-political context discourse The context of the artistic activity and writing can be understood to cover not only the special event but also the historical and synchronic context that surrounds the location, situation, and tradition of artistic activity. The significant context is both the art and design context (for example, contemporary art or postmodern art) together with its social, cultural and political situation in local and global contexts and the artist's location and relationship to that location. Many writers who are not interested in writing their own personal history or about their own artefacts find the possibility of studying visual culture more engaging. They probe a deeper understanding of how their work in general appears in a socio-political context, by identifying, framing and producing new alternative possibilities. The critical processes identified here are not always discussed as the main purpose of individual texts; rather, they situate and locate the author/writer and artefact with respect to the research question (the main target) discussed. When the artistic process and the nature of creativity are the main target of the study, these questions may cover much concerning the function and content of the text. When the written text is a thematic investigation, for example, then the artistic activity is one part of the method, content or object of investigation, or the activity forms part of the context of the written research. The critical processes discussed here are also of great help when identifying the emotional aspects of learning in the art and design activity. Social contexts and the emotional atmosphere have a significant role in all learning, and therefore, the effects of emotions are worth noting. For example, those students that find writing difficult or alien may still find it productive afterwards. They may realize that writing has helped them to note and recognize self-evident or latent aspects of their art and working. 5. Meta-narratives of the production study The discussion of process and methods investigation (1) is very often conducted and structured in chronological order in a textual composition. The artistic activity occurs on a certain timescale, and time allows the frames for working and reflecting on the activities. Most compositions for process and methods investigation are based on the following meta-narrative: planning, performing and evaluating of work and change. The evaluation as results means the re-structuring and subsequent understanding of activities. In the following, I will briefly analyse three current graphic design MA theses that were written as a part of a production process. All these theses are multimodal in their nature, both in their word-image combinations and in their variety in text genres. They consist of research texts, as well as poetry and prose narrative script for a comic in productions, for example. The first MA thesis example is a work on children's picture book illustrations. The production part is a book called Suomen lasten historia, “History for Finnish Children”. The author of the thesis has provided images and graphics, while two other authors are responsible for the text. The author of the thesis has written a separate report called “The Essential Nature of the Picture Book” (81 pages plus references). As the following synopsis of the MA report illustrates, at the very centre of the text is the investigation of the picture book genre and its spatial and narrative aspects. There are at least two ways to understand the continuous and therefore interesting relationship between the parts. Authorship and the production discourse appear as a context for the study, or, alternatively the production part can be seen as the “research” of the theme, while the results are discussed in a text. 1) Introduction – the graphic designer and the picture book in metamedium *What is a picture book? *The author of the picture book *Starting points of the study *Concepts * Production. 2) The scale of the picture book *The book as a product/artefact *Openings of the book *The picture book as text (3 subtitles) *Information graphic and picture book *The scale of the paper (5 subtitles). 3) Narrativity in the picture book *Semiotics of the picture book (4 subtitles) *Narrativity of the image *Narratology of the picture book *Alienation *Pictures as series, advertising and memory aid. 4) The remediation of the picture book *Comics *Cinema and theatre *Computer programs and games. 5) Discussion – The theory of relativity of the picture book. The second thesis example is also a picture book Hännän laulu, “The Song of the Tail”. The production is a published book, a fictional archeological study of a fictional ancient people called the People of the Tail. The book includes poetry and narrative prose quotations, as well as pictures and other “found” archeological references. The research report is long (119 pages plus references). It documents and describes the themes and other relational issues connected to the production process. The research question the text seems to answer is not as clearly defined and disciplined as in the first example. Instead, this text uses the narrative structure of an explorer's tale. The text appears more as common discussion of issues belonging to the production and its genre, being more a thematic than a theoretical study. Because the text is divided into 89 chapters, in the following I refer only to the first level of the outline with some references to the content: 1) Introduction 2) Looking for the “Big and Unknown” *The graphic designer as a message producer *The picture book *The fascination with mythology etc. 3) Travel Plan *Aims of the book and its reliability, of the content (e.g. feminism, fairy tales) and learning objectives etc. 4) Wearing Hitchhiking Shoes *Working process *Writing: small stories, poetry etc. *Images (“ancient images, woodcuts etc.) *Make-up of the book: aims, typography etc. 5) The Notebook of the Explorer *Is the story trustworthily ancient? *The functions of fairytales *Rules of folktales *The traditionality of heroes and heroines etc. 6) The Gathering of the Explorers *”Hännän laulu” as a picture book *Feminism in the picture book *Map or summary of the events *Appendices (different versions of the story, evolution of a poem) etc. The third thesis example consists of a comic book Kanerva ja yks juttu, “Kanerva and One Thing” as a production and a written report. This written text is shorter (30 pages plus references) but it uses the same order as the two already discussed. First, the process of production is described, and second, some material and visual choices made. The text ends with the question of the story/visual relationship: Introduction 1) Who is Kanerva? (the comic's main character) *The main character and spirit *The guiding ones *Kanerva's form language *Realism in Kanerva 2) The Birth of the Album *Slow start *Things start to settle down *Theme of the album 3) Material Choices *The paper I drew on *Equipment I worked with 4) Visual Choices *The nature and quality of the graphic *Breaking down of the scene into panels *Word balloons * Lettering *Reference material * Page numbering * Pages between / Empty Pages 5) A Strong Story Affecting Visuality 6) Discussion These three outlines show that all the texts are oriented towards an analysis of the genre of the production. The discussion of process, analysis of artefacts and the very nature of the genre is a continuum. It forms a pathway starting from the work and heading to a wider understanding of the essential nature of the target via practice and thought. One of the central aims of process and methods investigation and all writing in art and design is to locate the artistic activity in a specific context. This is why any of the parts of the critical process typology can be considered only in communication with the other parts. For example, some of the personal impulses for the artistic activity, such as family relationships or attitudes (for example feminism), appear at the same time to be also important cultural and political issues (such as the use of power or misuse of drugs or alcohol). The relationship between the personal and the common often motivates the whole thesis idea and questions. Therefore, the important metanarrative of the production report is how the artist sees, reflects on and operates in the world, in different situations, genres, and contexts, by using his or her personal attitude towards the world. 6. The Materiality of the Language In my paper I have discussed writing as an inseparable part of art and design research practice. I have attempted to discover the process of the verbalization of artistic activity aiming at a significant form in textual composition. Thus far, I have discussed how the author may investigate his or her artistic activity. How then is the investigation performed in written language? Language is by no means a transparent medium. The linguistic turn of the last decade led us to see language as a meaning-making medium itself, and therefore, we are not able to see it as a mere documentation of something already done. Instead it is seen as a vehicle and material of a construct and a creative activity, as well. This also affects the way writing is seen in qualitative research methodology. Writing appears as a method that does not only reflect and store the reality but produces it (Richardson 2000) by using its constitutive force. Richardson lists some constructing elements of language, like metaphors and symbols as well as the narrative structure: 1. Metaphors and symbols: The use of narrative, symbolic and metaphoric expressions as well as other poetic modes of expression studied in literature and in creative writing offer the possibility to create a unique text on the making of the artefact and artistic activity in general. 2. Narratives: Narratives make the change meaningful. For example, some narratives in the studied texts do not only refer to the production of the artefact but are also meta-narratives about the writers' artistic activity and thought. These meta-narratives appear as the research results of verbal working. 7. Practice studied, practice in the end Because of the metaphoric, symbolic and narrative creative resources of language, writing is a pedagogical tool because it may bring about a change. Do these ideas presented here mean strategic and pedagogical challenges in the use of writing as a learning tool and research method in an art and design research context also? Do we need research that has its core in the author's artistic activity and experiences? What forms should this take? Good practices in writing on art and design research should most seriously take into consideration the reason that the research is connected to the practice. The continuous documentation of working would be preferred (but in the final text, the material need not to be strictly followed). The close integration of reading, speaking, making and writing would be conducted in all tuition and curriculum development in order to “naturalize” the activity of writing and other argumentative use of language. Textual analysis of different genres should be conducted in order to deepen the knowledge concerning different styles and forms of written language. The writers might also benefit from the development of close word-image relationships both in artistic activity and writing. They should work with multimodal texts in general. They also should be able to use continuous consultation in order to develop their own personal, meaningful, and investigative way of connecting scholarly questions and writing to their artistic activity. Acknowledgements *Cindy Kohtala and Paul Graves checked the language and Susann Vihma and two anonymous readers gave important remarks. All translations of the examples are mine. References Balkema, Annette W. & Slager, Henk (eds.): Artistic Research. Amsterdam: Lier en Book, 2004. Barone, Tom & Eisner, Elliot: “Arts-Based Educational Research.” In Complementary Methods for Research in Education. 2nd Edition, ed. Richard M. Jaeger. Washington: American Educational Research Association, 1997 (1988). Bennett, Andrew: The Author. The New Critical Idiom. London: Routledge, 2005. Hannula, Mika, Suoranta, Juha, &Vaden, Tere: Artistic Research. Theories, methods and practices. Helsinki and Gothenburg: Academy of Fine Arts, and University of Gothenburg, 2005. Ivanic, Roz: “Discourses of Writing and Learning to Write.” Language and Education 3/2004. Kress, Günther & van Leeuwen, T.: Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge, 1996. Kress, Günther: Literacy in the New Media Age. London: Routledge, 2003. Levine, Stephen K.: “Arts-Based Research: A Philosophical Perspective.” http://www.lesley.edu/journals/jppp/9/levine.htm. 1.12.2005 (original published in 2000) MacLeod, Katy: “The Functions of the Written Text in Practice-Based PhD Submissions.” Selected Working Papers in Art and Design, Volume 1, 2000. http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/artdes_research/papers/wpades/vol1/macleod1.html 1.12.2005 McNiff. Schaun: Art-Based Research. London & Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1997. Mey, Kerstin: “The Gesture of Writing.” In Thinking through Art: Reflections on Art as Research, eds. Katy MacLeod & Lin Holridge. London & New York: Routledge, 2006. Mitchell, W. J.: Picture Theory. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Paltridge, Brian: ”The exegesis as a genre: an ethnographic examination.” In Analysing Academic Writing: Contextualized Frameworks, eds. Louise J. Ravelli & Robert A. Ellis. London: Continuum, 2004 Richardson, Laurel: “Writing. A Method of Inquiry.” In Handbook of Qualitative Research, eds. Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2004. Rorty, Richard (ed.): The Linguistic Turn. Chicago: The Chicago University Press, 1967. Study Guide 2005-2007 / Degree Requirements 2005-2007. University of Art and Design Helsinki. Master's theses cited in this paper Jussi Kaakinen: Kuvakirjan olemus. Lopputyö. Graafinen suunnittelu, Visuaalisen kulttuurin osasto, Taideteollinen korkeakoulu. Book: Jussi Kaakinen, Juha Kuisma ja Kirsti Manninen: Suomen lasten historia. Otava, 2005. Salla Viikka: Hännän laulu – Löytöretki kuvakirjaan. Graafinen suunnittelu. Visuaalisen kulttuurin osasto, Taideteollinen korkeakoulu. Book: Pool-é-Sh: Hännän laulu: Kadonneen kansan kansalliseepos. Paradigma Kustannus, 2005. Petteri Tikkanen: Kanerva ja yks juttu. Graafisen kertomuksen tuotannon vaiheet. Visuaalisen kulttuurin osasto, Taideteollinen korkeakoulu, 2006. |
to cite this journal article: Pentikäinen, J. (2006) The reconciliation of the hostile ones: writing as a method in art and design research practices. Working Papers in Art and Design 4 Retrieved <date> from URL http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/artdes_research/ papers/wpades/ vol4/jpfull.html ISSN 1466-4917 |
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