XS-4 24/1/11 Graphite on Paper XS-7 7/5-8/5/11 Graphite on Paper XS-8 20/5-7/6/11 Colour pencil on Paper XS-12 17/8/11
Ideation
During the daily sagasuation period, questions, concepts and ideas that emerged were recorded briefly as textual notes and logged as part of the journaling process. Emerging thoughts, occurring over the period of 721 days, were inevitably filtered and assessed for value, thoughts deemed interesting or relevant to the learning process were subsequently recorded. The criteria were based upon initial cognitive and visceral responses, filtering out routine domestic thoughts, etc. Preliminary responses to the thoughts classified them as themed, or not.
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Psychological and neurological research (see dot L103) proposed a wide gamut of temporal periods best suited to sagasuated insights/understandings. Correlating the recorded concepts -‐ the data generated in this period -‐ with the conceptual outcomes, was intended to allow for identification of catalysts for such thoughts, and perhaps provide some evidence of temporal periods between input and ‘insight’. Emergent themes would potentially illustrate variations between
internal/emotional triggers and external intellectual/theoretical triggers.
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These concepts are defined as such;
Emotional -‐ Intrinsic interpretation and response to psycho-‐social events; embodied, relational, psychological processes (Lazarus 2006); “internal feeling states, emotion-‐ related physiological, attentional processes, motivational states” (Eisenberg & Spinrad 2004:338). Key factors; involuntary, unintended.
Intellectual/theoretical - Combinations of intrinsic and extrinsic knowledge. Ideas that are classifiable within the epistemological knowledge base, expressed as semiotically communicable knowledge.
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Post drawing time
Following the sagasuation period, two hours were allocated to researching and writing the concepts into an academic format. Themed concepts emerging from the sagasuation period were used as catalysts for further and deepened enquiries in preparation for the writing of essays. For example, an initial and ongoing theme within this thesis is that of how the atomisation of knowledge results in mis-‐knowledge.
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Being based entirely in the interdisciplinary concept required a broad and evolving review of literature. There were no enclosing parameters, resulting in research ‘surfing’ epistemological fields, in ways similar to current social internet habits. The journeys were tracked and recorded through the chronological filing of academic papers, and through the recording of details and summations of those papers in an Endnote database. This research period (2009-‐2012) was intended to produce learning outcomes
proposed through the method.
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Emerging from the sagasuated concepts and subsequent literature search, the writing allowed the expansion of the notions into the more traditional academic realm. The process of elemental enunciation was intended to further clarify the emergent concepts. The practice of academic writing was also an intended learning outcome for the
researcher.
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Afternoon art time: Variation from morning
Afternoon periods of four hours were allocated to the production of artworks for publication/exhibition. This period was intended to allow for extrinsic motivational influences to be reviewed in comparison with the morning session. The greater external influences were by necessity aural, chiefly through listening to music or podcasts of ABC Radio National programs, such as All in the Mind, Artworks, Philosopher’s Zone, and Big Ideas. These programmes were regularly listened to prior to the research.
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The afternoon period applied various media, and occurred in various locations, For example the imaging of the Google Earth series of works occurred at the desk used for morning sagasuation periods, while experimentation with drips and wave viscosity occurred in the studio/workshop. Concepts emerging from these sessions were, where possible, recorded in the same manner as the morning sessions.
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The works emanating from the afternoon sessions, having emerged from the same cognitive space and process as other recorded data, can thus also be seen as data.
Within their image remains traces of both data collection process and sagasuated
thoughts that may never have translated effectively to textual semiotics. As is the nature of art in an A/r/tographic methodology, these works also contain within them the analysis and publication of the gathered data, issues that will be considered shortly.
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Development of method to include environmental data.
These research periods occurred throughout the candidature period, but were in three distinct periods. Initially, (12/3/09-‐14/7/10) the journal notes were recorded
anticipating alignment with subsequent literature research. As the study progressed (30/7/10-‐23/02/12), it became apparent that recording the intrinsic and extrinsic environment in which the data was generated would assist in identifying patterns. As such, a simple questionnaire (as a FileMaker Pro database) was designed to record potential influences occurring at the time of concept awareness. This questionnaire of Likert scales (Likert 1932), included queries of whether the study environment was one of production (for assessment, including publication) or playfulness, and so included data from outside of this specifically constructed cognitive space. While consideration was given to the possibility of recording environmental influences at regular periods, it was deemed that the environments’ relationship with the ideation was the relevant factor, and further recording would likely confuse analysis.
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Factors that potentially influenced the confluence of concepts and ideas were identified and recorded based upon these criteria;
Health: (1= poor, 5= good)
Nutrition; consideration of dietary inputs over the past three days.
Rest; consideration of effective sleep period and potential impact on cognition. Hydration; consideration of influence upon cognitions.
Local environment: (1= poor, 5= good)
Comfort; consideration of thermal/ humidity comfort, or distracting physical irritants, such as insects.
The following responses were recorded through ‘radio’ buttons from a pre-‐ existing list, allowing multiple selection.
External inputs; choice of-‐ None, Radio, Music, Podcast, Academic paper. Light; Consideration of potential influences of wavelength and luminosity. Choices – Sunny, Cloudy, Roomlight, Desklamp.
Weather; choices – Bright, Dull, Wet, Windy, Stormy.
Inspired?; instant value assessment of the thought – yes/no.
Mental Production Stage:
Production; consideration of mode of production at ideation.
Choices -‐ reading, writing, art conceptual, art making, daydreaming, unrelated activity.
Production workmode; consideration of concentration intensity and deadline pressure.
Choices – deadline, resolved (process directed), content (goal directed), ‘Flow’ (Csikszentmihalyi’s notion see dot L47), unrelated activity.
Experimental workmode; consideration of variety of experimentation methods. Choices – fun ‘play’ (undirected), exploring (directed), lost (disoriented). Concentration period; period of time within uninterrupted sagasuation space. Range; less than 15minutes – greater than120 minutes.
Psychological wellbeing – Likert scale radio buttons –(1,poor and 5= good).
Psych general; subjective consideration of psychological state in preceding days. Prior to session; Subjective consideration of psychological state immediately prior to session.
Psych @ concept moment; Psychological state at moment of ideation. Level of conscious thought prior to session.
Level of conscious thought at ideation.
Progress satisfaction; consideration of anxiety level at project advancement. Initial Valuation; Consideration of motivation interest in the idea.
Motivation; Subjective consideration of enthusiasm for project. Conceptual Stage; consideration of alignment with project schedule.
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The data was recorded by ‘self-‐report’ observations, tied to the journal
note/artwork link. This data was intended to be presented visually as a graph. The triangulation of these datasets enables interpretation of the events that may have contributed to the cognitive responses. Each of the datasets remains available for review.
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