Art as Research: A Glossary
(in words and pictures)

This presentation is informed by fourteen years of practice as an artist, working in the context of research, while noting that ‘research’ is only one of many structures that impinge upon an artist’s work.

Acknowledging that institutionally, arts-based research in Iceland is emerging / yet to emerge, I want to flag the positive dimensions of ‘starting out’ – with reference to my own experience of being a pioneer practice-based PhD student: the first to graduate in Fine Art from Goldsmiths.  In particular, I want to emphasise the possibilities this opens up for constituting the discourse around specific interests and needs, however these are conceptualised.  At the same time, there is an emergent discourse in the field – however undisciplined – and to the extent that much of this does useful work, it’s important to acknowledge this, too.

To this end – and avoiding the temptation to present a single position, never mind a prescription - I intend to offer a resource that may be plundered as wished.  This will take the form of a Glossary of key terms associated with the debate in ‘art and research’, from a UK perspective.  Entries will include: • Methods and Methodology; • Positions on Research: a Bibliography; • Practice-based Research; • Practice-led Research; • Supervision; • Theory; • Writing … alongside entries for terms such as; • Bad Art; • Pleasure (and aesthetic theory); • Rule-breaking; • Un-thinking.

This anthology of varied points of view, observations, definitions, and anecdotal evidence, will draw upon my equally diverse experience of research in my roles as artist, writer, Fine Art research-student, tutor on BA and MA degrees, Research Fellow, and PhD supervisor.

Entries will be verbal and visual, across different registers of those, and putting them to use in a range of ways.

In using words and pictures, I want to ensure that one of the key media of practice-based research – the visual – is represented in the conference-hall (where it tends to get marginalised in favour of words).  There may be a way, too, in which the Glossary per se can be taken as an instance of practice-based research, alongside its role as aid-to-reflection on that topic.

The Glossary will be shown as a power-point presentation. If time and resources allow, it will also be available as a handout – either at the conference, or afterwards.

Mary Anne Francis is an artist and writer (currently working on the argument that ‘writing’ is an aspect of an artist’s practice).  She is Research Fellow in Writing + Art at Chelsea College of Art & Design, London, and Senior Lecturer on the Critical Fine Art Practice BA at the University of Brighton.  She finished her practice-based PhD in Fine art at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in 2000. This comprised a 60,000 word text: ‘The artist as a multifarious agent: an artist’s theory of the origin of meaning’ and a solo exhibition at Beaconsfield, London ‘Mary Anne Francis: Group Show’.  She is currently supervising three research students at Chelsea having completed the University of Arts London training course ‘Research supervision for professionals in art, design & communication’ in 2006.  She has published writing on art in many contexts, contributed to a range of conferences, gallery-talks programmes, and exhibited widely.  www.maryannefrancis.org