It has been a very long time since I’ve posted a blog on account of the Masters of Research degree I have been doing at UAL Central Saint Martins. Who would have thought all that has happened has happened and of course this has greatly impacted my studies. It was all going very well and I was thoroughly enjoying it and then suddenly we were impacted with 4 weeks of strikes. It really wasn’t that much longer after that when we all went into Coronavirus lockdown. I’m not going to bore the pants off people to detail the specific issues and fallout of this – we all know in one way or another. So instead I will briefly outline my current research interest which closely relates to my art practice.
My art practice primarily explores painting combined with photography, collage and montage. As part of this, the fragment is a key component, whether this be singularly, collectively or as a kind of absence and rupture. I am interested in exploring the use of fragment; the juxtaposition, the edges, the layers and rupture. What is the power of the fragment and what are the influences and considerations at play? What does it tell us about ourselves and what does it bring to learning and knowledge.
For my coursework I am currently in the middle of writing an essay looking at this and as a kind of metalanguage I am looking at the use of the fragment in writing as a methodology of acquiring knowledge.
In the next academic year I will be working on my final big project and at this point I am fairly sure it will build upon this. I am interested in producing something performative (probably a written piece) which will hopefully demonstrate the different tropes and mechanisms of how the fragment is used but nothing is set in stone. I have a fair few months to dwell over my ideas and to let them drift to different places.
As a way of illustrating some of my thoughts I am including a few photographs where the fragment could be seen to juxtapose, converge, rupture and be absent.
