Field of Inquiry
Creative Research Journal
Transart Institute PhD Program
Field of Inquiry can be found on Substack.
- Expression of Interest ()
- Programme Approval Form (Jun ‘24)
I knew little what I was undertaking, and perhaps it was better not to have realized too many difficulties that would bar the way...As it was, I set to work, brave in the strength of ignorance of what was before me.
Guidelines:
Transart asks you to create and maintain a monthly Creative Research Journal commencing with your proposal that documents your ideas, processes and the progress of your research, and to respond to critique in order to reflect, articulate and digest each interaction. Think of your journal as a research laboratory.
Begin by adding your EOI application research proposal.
We encourage you to devise a format that best suits your own research, making it a vital part of your practice where you experiment with presentation, documentation and articulation. Research milestones and final research project are also documented here.
Your journal can be password protected but will be available to your peers, advisors, critics and other invited guests forming an invaluable resource, archive and means of communication for the broader Transart research community.
Please make sure that you always adhere to the following guidelines when posting:
Descriptions
Along with your monthly uploads of studio documentation, please provide a 300-600 word description of your research; in the simplest terms describe what you have been doing. Be sure to include:
Reading Diary Guide
You will need to complete a reading diary for all "required" readings which will be found in the course syllabi.
We advise you to commence this journey as early as possible. Most readings will be available in the course syllabi by pdf 3 months in advance.
Briefly explain your understanding of the text(s), what problems they address, which questions they answer (and how) and which ones are left open. As time is very condensed in intensives and residencies this process will help you clarify your ideas and understanding of the material and lead to better informed discussions. Your diaries give session leaders an advance sense of what their group will be like. Your questions will alert them to areas of concern and special interest.
You don’t need to paraphrase what you read just confirm your understanding and what questions you have towards the material, this should be possible in 300-600 cumulative words.
Upload your diary to your Transart Creative Research Journal by the 20th of the month, before the Intensive so that your course instructors have time to review and to get a sense of your interests and any areas of confusion.
- Mary Louise McLaughlin, potter (1847-1932)
Guidelines:
Transart asks you to create and maintain a monthly Creative Research Journal commencing with your proposal that documents your ideas, processes and the progress of your research, and to respond to critique in order to reflect, articulate and digest each interaction. Think of your journal as a research laboratory.
Begin by adding your EOI application research proposal.
We encourage you to devise a format that best suits your own research, making it a vital part of your practice where you experiment with presentation, documentation and articulation. Research milestones and final research project are also documented here.
Your journal can be password protected but will be available to your peers, advisors, critics and other invited guests forming an invaluable resource, archive and means of communication for the broader Transart research community.
Please make sure that you always adhere to the following guidelines when posting:
- Label your journal updates clearly with the month and year of posting.
- Remember that it benefits you to provide as clear a picture as possible of your activities that month. This doesn’t have to be finished work: it can be documentation of work in progress, notes, sketches, whatever you feel most appropriately articulates your research
- Remember that evidence of journal is due on the last friday of each month we are in session.
- Don’t delete or remove assignments or posts: the journal is an archive of your process through the program and will also serve you well in the event of failed experiments and differences of opinions, interpretations and outcomes.
Descriptions
Along with your monthly uploads of studio documentation, please provide a 300-600 word description of your research; in the simplest terms describe what you have been doing. Be sure to include:
- A clear physical description of the work done including size, quantity, duration etc.
- Physical context is helpful: if it’s site specific, why not show us the site? If it’s paintings in your studio an image of your studio will give us a sense of scale and how you work.
- Describe your process of working on this project.
- What artists, writers, theorists informed, resonated with, influenced the work and how?
- Will your plans for this thesis change or have they already changed as an outcome of what you did this semester. If so, how?
- How did your meetings with your advisor/s go, what dates did you meet, what was covered?
Reading Diary Guide
You will need to complete a reading diary for all "required" readings which will be found in the course syllabi.
We advise you to commence this journey as early as possible. Most readings will be available in the course syllabi by pdf 3 months in advance.
Briefly explain your understanding of the text(s), what problems they address, which questions they answer (and how) and which ones are left open. As time is very condensed in intensives and residencies this process will help you clarify your ideas and understanding of the material and lead to better informed discussions. Your diaries give session leaders an advance sense of what their group will be like. Your questions will alert them to areas of concern and special interest.
You don’t need to paraphrase what you read just confirm your understanding and what questions you have towards the material, this should be possible in 300-600 cumulative words.
Upload your diary to your Transart Creative Research Journal by the 20th of the month, before the Intensive so that your course instructors have time to review and to get a sense of your interests and any areas of confusion.