DEGREES UNEDITED

edited by Richard Taylor
in conversation with Carolyn Shepherd

In sparking debate, from a toe in the water to research at the deep end

Introducing Carolyn as she embarks on the final year of her degree at Wirral Metropolitan. Heavily research based, her site-specific practice replaces that of the written dissertation. So as she winds her way towards a 'with honours', are there similarities between her investigative practice and the research that that otherwise makes up a word-count?

Join in and comment: visit Carolyn's blog

The jigsaw pieced together, Carolyn in her own words:

Exploration is the word summing up my life, my educational experience and my practice. I never let the grass grow under my feet and I'm always looking for something new. Not a good thing for generating a warm feeling of security, but its guaranteed creative stimulation.

Looking back, my practice has grown from an avid obsession for learning techniques and skill building on short craft courses, through to an academic "toe in the water" GNVQ Diploma year. Followed by the more structured framework of a Foundation: 2 yrs of pure indulgence with excellent facilities and teaching at Cheshire School of Art's London Road Studios. I'm also finding that skills gained from previous careers are oddly useful, joining together like jigsaw pieces, completing the picture.

I chose a BA (Hons) Fine Art at Wirral Met because of it's focus on developing professional practice, with a free reign to determine my own pathway from day one. Also it's close to Liverpool packed with contemporary art and a fab Biennial.

I'm working from a dedicated studio space near The Mersey Ferry with an inspirational Liverpool skyline "view to die for" just yards away. The first 2 yrs have been about finding my passion and uncovering the drivers behind my creativity - wandering a lot! Yet since the end of the 2nd yr things have suddenly gelled and I'm more focused, coherent and professional. Without the discipline of the course, I would still be meandering in the wilderness!

What's on your shelf and what is it for: Richard Taylor and Carolyn Shepherd in conversation.

Richard Taylor: How does your visual practice inform what you read about?

Carolyn Shepherd: As industrial landscape has fascinated me for quite a time I am looking more deeply into why this should be. Much of my current reading has been background research strengthening the site-specific integrity of my work: both historical reference material provided by the salt industry and educational material provided by the chemical industry.  

Also, during the last year I was focused on exhibiting, and so my reading centred on commentary on alternative art spaces and practicalities of showing work. Right now, a weighty tome on Anselm Kiefer is keeping me interested. Kiefer's rich range of textural materials and complex concepts is an inspiration to me.

Queued up on my bookshelf are one or two volumes relating to public & site specific art that will be very relevant to what I'm doing over the next year. I find the a-n articles very useful and referred to this recently when looking at ways of working with host companies. 

I'm also intensively using the internet to skim all the contemporary news editorial but I'm overwhelmed by information from a plethora of sources, and it's tricky to locate the material that has relevance to my practice - not to mention separating all the news that simply has to be read from the rest that has no relevance. 

RT: How do you think your practice informs where you visit and how you get there?

CS: I'm lucky enough to live within striking distance of Liverpool - one of the main reasons for choosing to study in Birkenhead at Wirral Met. Packed with contemporary galleries, it's hard to get round everything there is to see. I tend to plan ahead and do some research, then jump on the train into central Liverpool and have a "gallery day". 

Although it's great to visit with friends, and the private views are great for networking, I find I prefer to visit alone and study them quietly. Sometimes I visit three times just for the full effect!

At times I plan a "gallery week" to London - doing loads of planning beforehand and packing in as much as possible: I hope to catch the Anselm Kiefer show later this year. Armed with an AtoZ and comfy shoes I walk everywhere if I can - it's not such a big place really...

RT: So with London being not so much of a big place and Liverpool being a stone's throw away, do you see your fully researched gallery visits and topical reading as the same sort of activity?

They seem to be occupations that involve you exposing yourself to external instances and information: things learned that you then take back to Birkenhead to work with. Does this bear relation to the investigative approach that informs your practice?

CS: Yes, these external influences all get absorbed subliminally - not all of it comes out again!  Some of it emerges years later, such as my recent urge to use salvaged wood to create a sanctuary, echoing Louise Bourgeois' 'cells' in her recent retrospective.

Often it's the use of unusual materials that fascinates me, such as Mike Aitken's piece using salt dough in the recent 'Decomposition' show at CUC Liverpool, and I am irresistibly drawn to the crusted textures of Anselm Keifer's work. 

My investigative approach has led me to experiment with materials such as salt, found sound, chemicals and polymers that are products of the industries I've been visiting. I tend to research excessively in the early stages and capture diverse ideas so I've got plenty of material to work with, but it can take on a life of it's own. Sometimes wonder if my photographs and research could be an art form in itself - in a similar documentary way that Richard Long's walks and Jeremy Deller's mind maps present gathered information and experiences.

RT: Do you think that the relationship between use of material and the photo-documentation is the basis of your research? As a form of docu-art, you are implying the very research as an art form: but how does this replace the task of completing a dissertation? Do you think there are correlations, notions of primary research that would compare your investigations to that of someone producing a written thesis?

CS: The basis of my research is to go out with my eyes and ears open to spontaneously spot and capture things. I've tried to absorb the essence of the places I've visited without any pre-formed ideas or worries of what I'll do with what I find. Yes, my recording method is quite comprehensive and could be developed into an artform, but it's also an efficient tool for capturing wisps of ideas.

I agree, that all research needs to have similar elements of organised discipline, but I don't view my approach to research as that similar to a dissertation because I would probably tackle that in a more engineered way to investigate or justify a proposed question. What I'm doing may be different because I'm allowing my research to propose the questions and concepts and letting that flow into artwork. 

It's not a means to and end, it's an adventure.

RT: But some would regard the writing process of producing a thesis as a similar sort of adventure. In some cases the research forms the actual completed piece, I guess from the centre: from which then the question can then be asked after it is effectively answered. In light of your research this is an interesting debate don't you think? Something for the Degrees unedited blogs to take hold of?

CS: Yes, research can take many forms and underpins every stage of an artistic response, be that written or practical. I'm now researching the materials themselves and the learning that this creates naturally flows back into my research as an iterative process.

Also I'm researching how my practice fits into contemporary art practice, and that's where a-n is an invaluable resource. It would be good to have feedback on the blog from other artists, and to hear of their thoughts and experiences of the research process itself.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Carolyn looks to continue her research throughout this academic year and is open to debate through her blog. So get involved, ask her questions, tell her about your practice.

Want to start a debate of your own? Get in touch and get profiled: let's have our own mini-discussion, exposing your ways of practice, making the Degrees unedited experience more qualified and relevant.

Start your own run of posts making the community more discursive: tackling hurdles, getting advice and giving support in context of studentship. When else will you have access to such people who are facing the same adventure? You may find yourself on the same path.

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First published: a-n.co.uk September 2009