Important reading - We See You

This is a recent open letter from people working in Theatre in USA - We See You.

The signatories include the Pulitzer Prize winners Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda; the film and television stars Viola Davis and Blair Underwood; and many Tony Award winners, including the actor and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the playwright David Henry Hwang, who is the chair of the American Theater Wing and choreographers such as Dianne McIntyre.  

The statement, outlining a series of ways in which, it argues, artists of color are unjustly treated in the theater world, declares itself to be “in the legacy of August Wilson’s ‘The Ground on Which I Stand’,” an important 1996 speech by the playwright about race and the American theater. Headlined “We See You, White American Theater,” the statement repeatedly uses the phrase “we see you” to punctuate its observations about the theater world, and adds, “We have always seen you. And now you will see us".

http://bway.ly/i23u2a#https://www.weseeyouwat.com/

Ethical thinking and Critical Reflection

We had people from each Module, so we traced across the Modules. We traced ethics and critical reflection across the development of the Modules.

Points we made were:

Critical reflection and ethics - we suggested ethical considerations are a 'sub-set' within critical thinking practices.

Ethical considerations - are not things to solve, they are things to reflect on -

But ethical procedures are things you can put into place to be aware of one's own privilege.

Ethical procedures can start to feel like tick box activity but they come from ethical considerations.

Ethics helps you see/notice what you have been 'taught' to think, and what you have been 'taught' to expect from those around you.

Look at the 'rules' of the MORE form and linking them to the actual ethical considerations discussed in your inquiry.

Reflecting on ones practice: looking at where you have made ethical procedure disisions such as 'I am not doing that/ or saying that because I know how much of a negative feeling I got when a teacher say it to me. These are procedural decisions.

Reflecting in the action of the Module you are in, but also reflection back on the Modules you've done (or heard about). 

We also traced the idea of 'not knowing' across the Module experiences. At first (in Module One) it can be almost frightening but as you learn about your self and practice you find that the more you know the more you be come aware of what you do not yet know. Perhaps education is about how we find ways of being comfortable with, and available to the known and the not known, the learnt and the to be learnt.

Please comment below...

Campus Session

We looked at Mapping - mapping practice, mapping for inquiry -
We asked each other questions about the maps we had of our practice and inquiry.
This led to thinking about:

Anushka - The exploration of different cultures/ environments within my training and how these have influenced how I conduct myself while training and performing. This has added discussion point for my ethical considerations to link into my areas of learning.

Bronte - Today we looked how previous experiences have changed the way we approach our practice and looked into the grey areas on our maps - Broaden your minds!

Tom - I found it very helpful to understand that we are casting a large net in order to come up with our point of inquiry. I was maybe trying to be too specific immediately, rather than allowing the research and mapping work to inform the choices that I made to take to inquiry.

What are your thoughts on mapping
Comment below...

Twilight discussions -

In the Twilight conversations we talked about a range of ideas. please see peoples blog post. One idea that was significant was the idea of the importance of having different perspectives. Not to 'agree' with them but to understand your own position better by understanding others positions. Here is a really interesting video about perspectives.

MORE (Module Two)

News about Module Two on-line ethics form:
1.  a draft is due in week 9 (in a couple of weeks). The draft is so your Supervisor can give you feedback on the form. Your feedback should help you with the form and also with the design of your inquiry. The form is finally submitted at the same time as all your other work in December.

2. When you go to the MORE folder of the our BAPP Programme Page, the folder opens to a lot of information. To start make sure you read:
section 1

1. MORE User Guidance Information

section 2 (go to Arts and Creative Industries section)
4. Templates - consent forms etc 

section 6
6. Health & Safety and Risk Assessment

You can read the rest but start with these key sections.

3. Once you start the form make sure you name your project and include "(BAPP)" at the end of the Project name.

4. Make sure you put your Supervisor's name and email in the Supervisor section. That way we have access to give comments and feedback on the form for you.

5. When we give you comments and feedback on the form it comes back to you as 'rejected' (it is not rejected!!!). This just means it is not submitted, which is fine because we don't do the final submission until December.

Thinking and considering ethical reflections helps you shape your inquiry as well as gives depth to your inquiry. Here is a video that I think is a warning about not thinking deeply enough in the design of a research project and coming up with questionable and un-informed conclusions as a result of bad design!! 

Its ok its Onion News...

Exploring your practice through ethical questions: ethical considerations

Thinking about ethical questions leads to different ways to better understand your practice. Exploring these ethical considerations leads to ‘big’ questions within your practice – such as questions about gender, rights, cultures.

Here is a talk where Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox talk about their practice. Questioning their practice and their experiences led them to questions about gender and identity.   

Your art form tells the story (or the text) of the principles of the society from which it has developed. Concepts for things such as gender, power, age, relationship with community emerge in the practices of any group of people.

Watch this ted talk by Trevor Copp & Jeff Fox that talks about the assumed principles behind their dance form. The point of watching this video is to recognise that our practices reflects the cultural values of a society at a particular time and place it stems from.

Think of questions you can ask when you watch something from the field of your practice that will help you be more aware of the nuances of the culture and history with in your practice.  You may not be sensitive to thinking about these questions because you come from the same perspective as the mainstream expectations of your art form. You assume what things mean. As you engage with the ideas of ethical questions you can see that what we assume about other people has more to do with us than it does with them! This is significant for planning your inquiry (in ACI3622 Module Two) and analysing your data (in ACI3633 Module Three). In some ways, you need to be able to observe yourself noticing the situations the inquiry creates.
What 'big' questions are you coming across? 
Please comment or post addresses to post where you discuss this...

https://www.ted.com/talks/trevor_copp_jeff_fox_ballroom_dance_that_breaks_gender_roles?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

https://www.ted.com/talks/trevor_copp_jeff_fox_ballroom_dance_that_breaks_gender_roles?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

MORE Module Two

Module Two you are starting to be at the point where you need to draft a Ethics application (i.e. MORE form filled out). The actual form is due with your other submitted work on December 17th  but you are asked to start working on it and have a draft done by November 23rd for your Supervisor to look at. Supervisors can look at your MORE work on-line through the MORE portal.

We will be having a two part Skype session on using MORE and this process:

Part one November 5th at 9pm (sign-up below)
Part two November 15th sessions (12:30pm, 5pm) - see regular Skype session sign-up for 15th (which will be posted later this month)

Please sign-up in the Comments below if you want to attend Part one November 5th.

Collaboration in creative processes, Collaboration as creative process

In Module One we introduce ideas about ‘networks’, the ‘networked professional’ and cooperation. There is a discussion on Game theory, particularly the ‘prisoners Dilemma’.

To explore this further visit:  http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/playground/pd.html.

The idea of cooperation is explored in many artists processes. Art activism often uses the idea of making something together as a way to value and highlight community. I feel collaboration has a part in the map of an artists practice. Where is collaboration in your practice, in your inquiry, in your field of work?

Here is a video talk about collaboration and the work of a poet who uses collaboration as part of process. If you asked yourself how to collaborate each time you started a creative process what interesting ethical considerations does it raise - different for each situation I would think. In this way collaboration could be seen as a principle for learning not just an organising tool. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQVNE-MbKI

What are your comments?

Online session with Module Three focus: The art of Noticing

We had two online sessions with ACI3633 (Module Three)  focus today. The general topic was 'research terms-what are you doing?' !! The session was really about how all the elements we use to design an inquiry in ACI3622 (Module Two) are actually manifesting in the inquiry process of ACI3633 (Module Three).

Now there were people from Module One and Two in both sessions which is great because these ideas are not secrets only to be discussed on ACI3633 !! And also great because what we are saying about the inquiry in ACI3633 inquiry is 'true' for the 'inquiry' into what your practice is/can be in ACI3611 Module One and the 'inquiry' into designing a practice-based research activity/inquiry in ACI 3622 (Module Two) . In other words its all connected.

So, where is analysis manifesting in your inquiry? - we talked about the relationship this has to noticing and reflecting on what is happening around you. Also analysis is manifesting in how the literature/art work reviews you do inform or shine new perspectives on things ...

We talked about how Method is manifesting in your inquiry - are you noticing how you are doing thing. Are you aware of what it is that you are doing? and that in what you are doing you are making choices. There is a method to what you are doing but it is important to notice and analyze what it is. Just like in ACI3611 you are peeling your practice away from the back ground noise of your training or circumstance, in the inquiry you are peeling your activity (what you are doing) away from the autopilot or assumptions of.... should be done.

We talked about how ethnography is manifesting in your inquiry - in this course you are central to what you are doing. Its about your practice. Noticing yourself and making a space for you to be present. This is not about being neutral (not bias) because from the perspective of this course you can not be non-bias. "Wherever you go, You come along too!" You can only see through your eyes but you can imagine, empathize, notice consider other perspectives = reflection. In the inquiry the learning is in the reflection not finding  something that will tell you what to think!!!

We talked about how methodology is manifesting in your inquiry - The philosophy behind why you are doing things the way you are doing them.

We talked about how ethics is in everything, not isolated.

Overall we talked about noticing things

People are posting about:
The significance of You - see ethnography ....
Ethnography and method can disclose methodology
Methods = looking at/taking note of how you are doing things
Notice everything - keep reflecting
(personally I feel noticing can make you quite raw so hand-in-hand with it is to forgiving yourself)
Nothing is waisted  it is all part of (the) process
Analysis - critical thinking can be happening all the time.

Please 'notice' the glossaries at the end of the handbooks and start to add words and add to the meanings that are there so that you start to develop your own understanding of the language we are using.

Please comment below 

Tuesday discussion ...

Tuesday (am) discussion group went well. We talked about a range of things making connections across ideas. The discussion groups are a place to ‘find your voice’. People in the group will be posting short blog posts on things that felt resonated with them and will put links in the comments below.

Here is a list of points people made to summarise the important moment in the conversation, explore the blogs to hear more:

Sometimes things click when you don’t look too hard.

Explore the blog network…

Teaching ideas and research about ‘Hands on and Hands off’ makes one realise there is a lot of discussion (discourse) about your practice that you might not been a part of or been aware of.

Some people will share their general notes from the conversation

About the blogs

We are now a network – a learning community

Not waiting for the ‘energetic beginning’ or permission to start – interact…

It is ok to have questions (great even)

Everything is relevant to all three modules

Ethics within networks (also the differences between ethical procedures (rules) and ethical considerations (the flow of how you engage with things).

Don’t be shy and finding your voice

Technique and /or interpretation - on being told what to do

Not being told what to do – how to stay motivated

I felt a lot of the conversation was about how we locate ourselves in the places we work, the ideas we encounter, the networks we engage with. I think about this often also in terms of how willing we are to forgive ourselves – How willing we are to hear our own voice, to own our own mistakes or misunderstandings and our own wonderful moments of being a part of everything in a good way. How willing we are to dive in, listen, be kind, share and be ok with changing what we would have done when we look back on it. Learning seems to be part of what nurtures this. and it resonates with ideas about what 'professional' can mean... What do you think? comment below and follow the links other people leave too…