Kasia Dembinksi
Conducting coincidence. The art studio as a space of suspension.
This research examines how to cultivate conditions for artists in education to develop a studio practice by creating or recognising a suspended space. I see the need to encourage ambiguity and spontaneity in art education, for students to become unburdened by the weight of expectation and outcome-focused work during their time in education and thereafter. Consequently, my intention has been to encourage students to develop their intuition and independence in making art, by participating in process-led learning in a studio environment. Fundamental to this research is recognising what a studio is, both in and outside an institution and gaining an understanding of what a ´suspended´ studio practice can be, especially when a physical studio is unattainable.
The research contains a visual component: the traces we leave in the liminal spaces of our studio and learning environments. The resulting images have been compiled into a book, Conducting Coincidence. The visual research process has also been translated into a methodology in four steps, containing proposals for the removal of obstacles within this process, as opposed to proposing a full or interim solution to the lack of available studio spaces. The methodology invites students to experience paper cutting and double exposure photography, both creating and recognizing suspension in the studio environment and offering a new perspective of a familiar surrounding.
Thesis:
This research examines how to cultivate conditions for artists in education to develop a studio practice by creating or recognising a suspended space. I see the need to encourage ambiguity and spontaneity in art education, for students to become unburdened by the weight of expectation and outcome-focused work during their time in education and thereafter. Consequently, my intention has been to encourage students to develop their intuition and independence in making art, by participating in process-led learning in a studio environment. Fundamental to this research is recognising what a studio is, both in and outside an institution and gaining an understanding of what a ´suspended´ studio practice can be, especially when a physical studio is unattainable.
The research contains a visual component: the traces we leave in the liminal spaces of our studio and learning environments. The resulting images have been compiled into a book, Conducting Coincidence. The visual research process has also been translated into a methodology in four steps, containing proposals for the removal of obstacles within this process, as opposed to proposing a full or interim solution to the lack of available studio spaces. The methodology invites students to experience paper cutting and double exposure photography, both creating and recognizing suspension in the studio environment and offering a new perspective of a familiar surrounding.