Thanks Simon. and finally for me, an item in the news today that sums up part of the problem with writing about art:
IAE always uses "more rather than fewer words". Sometimes it uses them with absurd looseness: "Ordinary words take on non-specific alien functions. 'Reality,' writes artist Tania Bruguera, 'functions as my field of action.'" And sometimes it deploys words with faddish precision: "Usage of the word speculative spiked unaccountably in 2009; 2011 saw a sudden rage for rupture; transversal now seems poised to have its best year ever."<http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2013/jan/27/users-guide-international-art-english> IAE has made art harder for non-professionals.In fact, even art professionals can feel oppressed by it. The artists who've responded most positively to the essay, says Rule, "are the ones who have been through master of fine arts programmes" where IAE is pervasive. ** ** > > *From:* empyre-boun...@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au [mailto: > empyre-boun...@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au] *On Behalf Of *Simon Biggs > *Sent:* 27 January 2013 16:51 > *To:* soft_skinned_space > *Subject:* [-empyre-] empyre January 2013 wrap**** > > ** ** > > As we approach the end of the month of January we bring the month's theme > on research and practice in relation to the artist's PhD to a close - > although informal discussion can continue. In the next couple of days > Renate and Tim will announce the empyre theme and our guests for the month > of February.**** > > ** ** > > We would like to thank this week's discussants Keith Armstrong, Wendy > Kirkup, Mike Leggett, Daniela Alina Plewe and Miguel Santos, as well as the > invited discussants for the prior two weeks, Cécile Chevalier, Laura > Cinti, Talan Memmott, Maria Mencía, Anne Sarah Le Meur, Maria Grade > Godinho, Sue Hawksley, Donna Leishman and Bronwyn Platten. We would also > like to thank all those members of empyre who have contributed to what has > been a lively and intriguing debate and everyone who has been following the > discussion. Empyre continues to be a dynamic living community of people who > continue to find the listserv environment one that can facilitate critical > and discursive exchange.**** > > ** ** > > To place this month's discussion, on the relationship between research and > practice in connection with artist's PhDs, in something of an historical > context it might be relevant to remind ourselves that the empyre listserv > was, itself, developed as part of an artist's PhD project. Melinda Rackham, > who's PhD titled Empyrean: Soft Skinned Space was awarded in 2003, > established the empyre listserv as part her doctoral research in order to > seek clearer insight into how creative practitioners actively form > themselves within the nebulous and motile spaces that are the internet and > consider how that discursive space can foster more motile and fluid > properties that often absent in other structured contexts. In a sense our > discussion this month has, over ten years later, seen a revisiting of some > of the themes Melinda was engaging and which, as we have seen, other > creative practitioners, seeking to understand how research can inform their > work, have continued to query. Over the decade the internet has changed > enormously, with the advent of Facebook, Twitter and other mediating layers > and protocols that have functioned to remediate the internet, forming what > is sometimes called Web 2.0 or the social web. In this context Melinda's > model of what the social might be continues to be highly relevant.**** > > ** ** > > It remains apparent that the circle is not closed and the debate > concerning research and creative practice remains open, active and > disputed. Given that as artists and researchers we wouldn't want it any > other way we can assume we agree this is generally a good thing.**** > > ** ** > > Many thanks to all for this month's enlightening and engaging discussion.* > *** > > ** ** > > best**** > > ** ** > > Simon**** > > ** ** > > >
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