A quick note for Mike before I start. Yes, I do know what you mean. My Welsh connections aside, I think West Wales and Cardigan Bay are some of the most beautiful places anywhere on earth. I gave up a PGCE place mainly because I feared I would spend the rest of my days floating around the Cambrian Hills and never get down to life proper. The Aber experience is a bit like North East England or an undiscovered holiday spot – you don’t disabuse people of their negative preconceptions because it leaves more for you.
Back to the blog. Thursday was a very good day. The Boro, to quote our local football commentator, ‘made the greatest comeback since Lazarus’ and my interim feedback tutorial went as well as could be expected at this stage. It’s amazing how Teesside civic pride is connected to the success of its football club. At the moment, the pride of being ‘a small town in Europe’ is almost palpable. I’m not a native of Tees Valley though my husband and children are. I was born and grew up in Hong Kong and, like Jay, have always felt a sense of displacement. I suppose our situations are sort of opposite; if he’ll forgive me, if he’s a BBC does that make me a CBB? (ouch) I can hear Dr. Jung making mutterings about synchronicity….
We haven’t been used to receiving formative feedback over the years. The full timers finish their semesters in January/February and June, whereas we do the equivalent of one semester a year. So you go the whole year without a clue as to your grade progress; I’ve always quipped that it’s a little like one of those old-fashioned game shows where you ‘open the box’ or a where a waiter whisks away the silver top from your order – you’re either delighted or have to fix your face to suit. Not that grades are the be-all but indicative assessment can only inform, in my opinion, and is very welcome.
How the full-timers cope with their dissertation and final show in the same year defeats me. They also have to cope with 4 production/evaluation modules and professional practice. The college is pretty hot on its professional practice emphasis, which I think is valuable for those actually looking to survive in the art workplace. There is now a strong ‘curatorial practice’ theme running through the programmes behind us, again of enormous value for the workplace. Those of us who are in our 6th year have seen the course change several times for the later intakes, presumably to accommodate the needs of a professional art world. So, for us, this year is preparing for our degree show and collating a professional promotional ‘package’. Alongside that, we are also assessed on our production and research/development strategies. The latter were the basis of the feedback on Thursday and, not surprisingly, the main weakness many of us display at this stage is the progression of ideas and skills (or lack of same) because of the inevitable limitations imposed by planning and producing a body of work for a specific purpose: the final show. I don’t know how one avoids that.
My work next time when I have sorted out some images as well. I’ll try and make Monday blog-day and perhaps add the odd comment here and there. Mike, you need to allocate time when you have more to do than the time available comfortably allows. Tell me about it!
