First Day

Well, sort of not my first day. I've been hanging around UWE for some 10 years since starting my BA in 93. I've been a sort of hungry ghost ever since, wandering purposelessly around various departments looking for some sort of purpose. I'm trying to decide whether it's a good thing, because it means I'm not an unknown face and I know certain things about the different departments, or a bad thing because people will assume that I'm aware of things I simply am not. It remains to be seen, although I should guard against ascribing any problems to this slight peculiarity. Truth is that the support for research students is a lot more on the flexible/ad hoc basis (with the empahsis ther being quite neutral, honest) and I need time to get used to the various systems that it is composed of.

Today saw me sit in on a mandatory module that they make all the new research students do these days: a year-long module on methodologies: potentially very welcome. Anyone for practice based research in the Fine Arts? No? Thought not. So I figured this would help a bit and help me try to fashion some sort of shipshape research model I could take around the block for a spin.

It sure is confusing. I haven't helped: not being able to turn up on Thursdays- which is when the other raw researchers are attending has meant that I'm in with the 2nd and 3rd year MA students who follow the same program I'm doing over 3 years ( I think), but on a slightly different timetable to me: and lots of other possible things I could attend or not, and a reading group to share wee snips of useful texts and various inductions I have to attend to be allowed near the saws and glue I need to make my art&research Frankensteinia. Confused yet? Me too. However, help is at hand, with my supervisor and the module leader both promising enlightenment via personal tutorials wher it will all be cleared up, of course. I need to ask the right questions and get my peace of mind out of the way before I attend to the getting-rid-of-paperwork that will possibly be what the time is really for.

I haven't found today all that inspiring. A bit raw from parsing down so much information intended for people in other circumstances ( I think there are at least 3 different award/research groups within the group that sat down wit5h me today. And, really, I didn't come out of it with much more knowledge than I started out with about what I'm supposed to be up to for this module, because I am (blush) different from the rest.

Actually, maybe not quite so. There was talk of the MA students keeping logbooks of studio practiuce and commentary of various stuff they'd come across which had informed their work, which sounds like a good thing to get hold of: various things arising from this will certainly comprise some facet of a practice based research in the fine arts, I would've thought.

For now:

Must sort through a couple of emails: one to try to sort out some inductions, and one to my supervisopr to remind/confirm with him what he said he'd do as regards a tutorial.

I suppose I should be making some artwork too, hadn't I?