This week we had the first tutorial with Cai. She gave us a group lecture reflecting on the presentation from 5th October with practice to help us take one step back and have a holistic understanding of this course and my project.
Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers
Reading page 8-20 as recommended by Cai, I start to have an overall idea about research methods and methodologies. And through which I would be able to identify myself in the category of action research.
Fig. 1
Reference From Practice-led Research,
Research-led Practice Towards the Iterative Cyclic Web
I am a bit confused because I've found my research question is continually changing. The changes are based on the reflections of my previous intervention and the review of my original plan. But I'm not sure if I should stick on the same question a bit longer?
I updated my question as "How can Chinese tattoo collectors update their perspectives in terms of the gentrification of the tattoo industry?" But my previous plan of the intervention is more likely still updating my perspective instead of updating my stakeholder's perspective.
The structure was:
They give me an idea.
I do the first round design.
Collect feedback.
I do the research and prepare some materials for them to read, and I do another design based on the research.
They give me feedback after reading the material and based on the second design.
Take one step back, it's still a typical design process. Where is the innovation part?
Reflect on my journey in the research. I started from the connection between tattoo, and it's therapy function. I updated my perspective in terms of the gentrification of the tattoo industry after an interview with Maxime. But now, I think I start to realize that even the variety is the beauty of the tattoo world, the warm part connects tattoo with the carrier is still my piece of cake.
How to use tattoo as a tool to interpret people's thoughts is an essential part of my practice.
In this scenario, the biggest obstacle is communication. Most of the clients I encounter in the tattoo industry are individuals without art or design backgrounds. That's the cons of tattoo communication. But it could also be the pros because there is a bigger chance to make the clients become a part of the creative practice.
And talk about using my platform as a tool to update people's perspectives, maybe it would be helpful to develop methods beyond language for them to express themselves.
I found the academic support workshop "Thinking Through Drawing" is an excellent way to start. I want to find a way to apply that in the tattoo design process.
So my new to-do list would be:
Research the theories behind thinking through drawing. (Betty Edwards)
Develop an action plan which can apply to the tattoo process.
Test it with stakeholders.
Bibliography:
Bell, J, & Waters, S 2014, Doing Your Research Project : A Guide For First-Time Researchers, McGraw-Hill Education, Milton Keynes. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 October 2020].
In: Proceedings of an interdisciplinary symposiumon drawing, cognition and education. 2011. Thinking through Drawing: practice into knowledge. [online] Kantrowitz, A., Brew, A. & Fava , M.,eds. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Fava2/publication/320411147_Kantrowitz_A_Brew_A_Fava_M_eds_Thinking_through_Drawing_practice_into_knowledge_Teachers_College_Press_New_York/links/5e381c46458515072d7b1fc7/Kantrowitz-A-Brew-A-Fava-M-eds-Thinking-through-Drawing-practice-into-knowledge-Teachers-College-Press-New-York.pdf> [Accessed 17 October 2020].
McNiff, J, & Whitehead, J 2009, You and Your Action Research Project, Taylor & Francis Group, Florence. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 October 2020].
Smith, H, & Dean, RT (eds) 2009, Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 October 2020].
Watson, A, 2020. Methods Braiding. [video] Available at: <https://youtu.be/J4WPWiQq47w> [Accessed 16 October 2020].