Tutorial 1 - 12/10/2017
- 'Do we use clothing as a costume?' is a valid question
- Could end up writing a dissertation about it (?)
- Practice-based methodology
- Dry question – explore something more in relation to the question
- Difference between clothes and performance
- Performance environment = lecture, going to work
- Narrow down the question
- Research: Richard Layzell – uses the language/jargon of the people he is engaging with
- To what extent public space is a stage – how we dress or don’t dress to fit that stage
- Peep show machine – looking in through eye holes?
- Voyeurism
- Maybe ask people to dress the way they feel most expresses who they are
- Dad = life and performance are altogether/one
- To what extent are people’s daily lives a performance?
- Over 18, get permission (a formal agreement) to use them in my project
- Formal way for people to participate – invite people into a booth at Stockwell or set up a blog for people to register?
- Methods will be discussed in due course
- Need to resolve a clear expression of my idea
- I’m thinking of the performative aspect – who do people want to convey themselves as in public?
- Do their clothes give a characteristic to how they behave?
- Choose a number of settings around London, e.g. a night club, a work environment, a leisure environment (taking dog out for a walk) – this gives a range for comparison
- Research practice methodology = how I use that practice to get an answer/how I use resourced information to create the final project, thus creating/starting a point for discussion e.g. interviews
- Ask interviewees what they wear in specific environments (see above)
- Risk assessment for speaking to members of the public – make sure to mention that I won’t be working alone
- Walking up to people on the street is not an acceptable method – ethical issue is how I would approach them
- Focus on the idea of a range of very specific locations
- Interview people about what they wear in specific locations and how it makes them feel; wear the clothes myself; comment on them and give my opinion on how they make me feel/my experiences of them
- Distil information down into a clear practice and strategy that I favour in a methodical way
- TV/film costume designers? Do some clear research to help engage with the project
- Look at related practices
- Look at decision process of costume designers
Tutorial 2 - 23/10/2017
- More detail with methodology
- What am I trying to find out with my methodology?
- Participant consent form will have a clear description of what my methodology will be
- Data collected needs to be protected (e.g. with password)
- Give participants the right to pull out at any time up until publication
- Give participants my details so that they can contact me
- Find a safe method of approaching people (participants) in known spaces and forums
Tutorial 3 - 06/11/2017 (Group Session with Supervisor)
- Understanding of my field of study will help sharpen up my project, but what I’m doing so far is good
- Everyone in the group can relate to the notion of performing via clothing – are you putting on a character, are you dressing to suit a character, are you putting the first thing from your wardrobe on? Or all of them?
- Comment from Kala – “get dressed as you intend to go on”, e.g. clothes might reflect how you feel on the inside, so bad mood = dark clothes, ill = comfy clothes; “you dress how you feel”; “if you look good, you feel good”, e.g. certain clothing can influence one’s mood; can’t have one without the other
- Could do focus groups? E.g. open discussion
- Surveys could limit data, whereas focus groups are more open
- One methodology could be to dress in the outfits myself, perhaps instead of just having others dress in them
- Simple questions can become a minefield of complexity
- Keep on top of documentation now
- Reading – always make a reference of page number, etc.
Tutorial 4 - 10/11/2017
- Methodology: change “average outfit” to “most popular”
- Have a different number of outfits in each location?
- Dressing up = experience of normality?
- Current methodology will only get to the nub of normality, not necessarily to the individuals wearing the outfits
- Dress up in people’s clothing and take photos in their room?
- Get people to show me their wardrobe; things they bought but never wear and why; take photos of their wardrobe/individual items
- Putting on someone else’s clothing (skin) might be adding to yourself as a person?
- Possibly have a clothes rack?
- Ask family members to participate
- Event: Family Ties Network in December
- Think of an academic argument as to why I am deciding to use this methodology; look at other research on using family in research
- How does the knowledge from said research transfer to other people?
- I need to mention how looking at other examples have informed me on what I want to do
- Practice photography – different materials, circumstances, lighting
Tutorial 5 - 27/11/2017 (Feedback on Improved Methodology)
- Illustrates a curve in the project – started off as a general idea
- Use of ritualistic behaviour in another context can create insightful knowledge
- Exhibition environment can be imaged – realistic idea
- It’s a simple and structured methodology
- Participant consent forms need to be completed
- Consider health, safety and risks – these issues are overcome as the participants will be family and friends, so there is already trust/rapport there
- Research Sophie Calle
Tutorial 6 - 08/12/2017
- Put working title in for now as title will suggest itself over course of project
- Send all documents to David to be checked over and signed off on
- Upload proposal, ethics form, participant consent form & participant information sheet
- Look up practices similar to what I want to do for the final exhibition piece
- Research: Nan Goldin; Corinne Day; Juergen Teller; Vivienne Dick; John Cassavetes
N.B. Not all suggestions were pursued, and not all tasks were carried out.