MA Week 2 - Playing as learning

Reflection on taught session, Friday 9th October 2015

Creative Practitioner Presentation

 

Annabeth took the first session today and talked about her practice. It’s very different to mine – she is an animator – but there was still lots to take out of it. One important thing I took out of this was Annabeth’s desire to learn through play, or experimentation. It made me realise that it’s OK to investigate for its own sake, as long as you have the time, because you never know when you will need to apply that knowledge. Another important point was the idea of working with others. Annabeth had worked with a traditional Indian dancer to produce a “digital cloth” with moving images, which the dancer choreographed. She had also developed a virtual field trip for geologists, working with geologists at the University of Leeds.  These were very strong ways of demonstrating the importance of developing a community of practice. Annabeth also listed her networks and links. A third important point was taking time to evaluate and reflect. Finally Annabeth touched on a discussion of “craft” vs. “commerce” as drivers. Discuss!!

 

I felt very comfortable with Annabeth’s idea of playing and the way it can lead to mastery. I also identified with her point about evaluating, reflecting, and feeding that back into your work. I’ve done a lot of this in my practice and felt very comfortable with the idea of trying to continually improve. Posing a problem to yourself, coming up with potential solutions, working them through, reflecting, choosing how to go forward – I think this is one of the most important ways you can grow as an artist.

However...who is my community of practice? At the moment probably my fellow students and students from previous courses. I am also trying to develop my networks and contacts by attending events, seeing what’s out there, and where I (might!) fit into the Leeds Art Scene. This is something I’m very aware I need to work on. I’ve identified some events between now and Christmas and they are part of my plan to deliver the two modules that need to be completed by December.