DISSERTATION STRUCTURE
| Proposed Topic: | Explain a social exclusion in a context of immigration in London and current situation. I would like to also consider a notion of care in the context of curating a diverse/immigration community in London.
London ‘as a global city has been a ‘contact zone’ (Pratt 1991) of multiple flows of people, cultures and ideas from around the world, and a ‘migration lab’ for academic research’. Key definition – diversity, diverse community, culture, multiculturalism, foreigner, immigration, inequality, social exclusion, notion of otherness, Curating as care – care for immigration. |
| Proposed Title: | Curating as caring – Bridging borders through building a partnership between curators and immigration community |
| Research question
(Please make sure that you include an issue together with the topic and formulate this as a research question. For further information of how to design a research question please see: Layder, D., 2012. Doing excellent small-scale research. London: Sage.
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What is a role of curator nowadays? Why does curating become a care?
How do curators respond to the multicultural community needs? What is a multicultural community? How to curate a multicultural community? What is a community impact of the socially engaged exhibitions? What are the consequences of the community approach to these exhibitions? And how do curators build a partnership with a multicultural community?
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| Proposed research paradigm
(Please make sure that you combine your individual research approach – how you interpret the world – with your research interest as reflected in your research question) For further information see research methods slides and Paquette, J. and Redaelli, E., 2015. On Paradigms: From Epistemology to Epistemic Cultures. In Arts Management and Cultural Policy Research (pp. 92-111). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
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I will conduct my research within a contextual framework which sits in a postmodernist paradigm to consider the ethical and structural aspects of artists and curators’ participation in communities.
Refer to the meaning of curating, I will review existing relevant literature to figure out how other researchers have defined key terms such curating, community, socially engaged art in the contemporary studies. I will look at different definitions proposed by art critics, researchers, curators, artists and will compare critically and analytically. I will also try to identify the relationships between the terms explained by other theorists and I will apply the existing concepts in my dissertation research. |
| Proposed research methodology
Following on from your research paradigm, choose from the range of methodologies (e.g. ethnography, discourse analysis, constructionism, critical theory, post-feminism) that suits your interest/knowledge and helps you to answer your research question. What is the most suitable way to investigate your research questions? NB – Research methods slides offer a more detailed overview of which methodology corresponds to which paradigm. |
To investigate the research problems, I will focus a discourse analysis using relevant literature as main ‘objects of analysis which help me in understanding a context of art projects I will be focusing on. I am going to select few art projects organized by organizations such Tate Exchange, Counterpoints Arts and Migration Museum as a case study approach in my research.
I will refer to Michal Foucault’s theory on the deconstruction of knowledge and truth which introduces a narrative referred to as linguistic turn (Foucault 2019). The narrative describes an approach of participation and engagement in the community. On the other hand, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habits and cultural capital will help to define the meaning of working with the challenging community and building a relationship with them. Referring to different sources, it will help to interpret a key characteristic for curating immigrant group to understand their needs.
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| What are the research methods you will apply collecting your data/information?
Please make sure that your research methods correspond with your paradigm and your methodology. Please note that primary research methods (interviews [be they face-to-face, skype or email], questionnaires, surveys, focus groups) require consideration of ethical issues and completion and submission of an ethics form for approval.
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Using a discourse analysis, I mainly focus on texts. As a key point in a discussion on curating a diverse community is a workshop ‘Curating Community?’ ran by dr Alison Rooke that I believe it will help me in focusing on different aspects of community curating.
I am going to collect the information through analyzing different sources, but also observing and interviewing people who worked on the projects.
Referring to dr Rooke report (2013), it was noted that the curators of modern art are susceptible to hyper-exploitation. Their close collaboration with artists and members of the community can help them advocate for their value. Commonly, curators acknowledge the importance of affection from artists that they collaborate with or associate with. Some claim that curating careers depend on those of the artists. As a result, modern curators do not prefer themed group shows. Instead, they favour monographic exhibitions which, according to Rooke (2013), allow them to mobilize specific artists or art brands to attract funders and audiences. However, Obrist (2014) notes that such an approach can have a negative impact on an exhibition as curatorial formats can overshadow the work of the artists. I would like to bring different voices in a discussion on community curating and its role in a multicultural London.
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| What are the research methods you will apply analyzing your data/information?
What methods (comparing, deducting, coding) will work best to analyze your data? Are you using different coding methods (e.g. summative, emotive, value) to analyze your data? (NB – Research methods slides offer further details on the choice of methods)
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I am planning to conduct a comparative study based on an analysis of socially engaged projects ran by chosen organizations such Tate Exchange, Counterpoints Arts and Migration Museum.
My role in the research study will be to challenge conventional habits of partnership by bringing a summative evaluation of analyzed projects. Through a comparative study I would like to emphasize collaboration between curators and the London community. Focus on the theme of immigration/migration in selected art projects to see how these projects have been organized and curated. Where do art and migration meet? – Tate Exchange https://www.tate.org.uk/art/tate-exchange/art-and-migration Can art go beyond borders? Where do art and migration meet? What is a migration policy? Can a work of art create a welcome? Can art really transcend national and cultural borders? Counterpoints Arts– ‘is a leading national organization in the field of arts, migration and cultural change. https://counterpointsarts.org.uk/about/ Counterpoints Arts support, produce and promote the arts by and about migrants and refugees. Their work is done in collaboration and through co-productions – with artists, arts, cultural and educational organizations and civil society activists working with refugees and migrants. Central to their mission is a belief in the ability of the arts to inspire social change. Learning Lab – Counterpoints Arts A space where diverse communities of learners explore the creative arts as a driver for social change.
https://whoareweproject.com/ – Who Are We? is a cross-platform event designed for Tate Exchange (Tate Modern) reflecting on identity, belonging, migration and citizenship. The programme is shaped by co-creation, co-production and exchange among artists, arts and culture organizations, audiences, activists and academics.
Project to be analyzed: Isabel Lima – Gresham’s Wooden Horse https://counterpointsarts.org.uk/artist/isabel-lima-greshams-wooden-horse/ Alketa Xhafa-Mripa – Refugees Welcome https://counterpointsarts.org.uk/artist/alketa/ Room to Breathe – Migration Museum interactive exhibition which offers an immersive journey through the arrival of an immigrant in the UK. ‘Room to Breathe is an acutely personal and immersive exhibition, drawing on the stories and objects donated to it by men and women who came to Britain over the years and made it their home’. https://www.migrationmuseum.org
https://www.migrationmuseum.org/exhibition/room-to-breathe/
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