[-empyre-] Practice in Research defenders

[Keith Armstrong]

Thanks Johannes :)

> –  these many many hundreds of  works created and theses written that we may never see or read. Thus for me the question of the (necessary) contributions to communal or societal knowledge (succinctly stated by SJN) are still relatively abstract and powerfully so. Who benefits from all this knowledge that is not read (or even accessible, readable?) and have we spoken about the writing yet?

Yes - this is a tragedy/ecology of waste  - there is of course the argument often given that just because a work is regarded as exceptional in the exhibition context - and is clearly  well recognised by peers and funders alike - it doesn't necessarily constitute good research or even is maybe research at all. (this point has been made before a lot )..  And so its inevitable that often we 'may' also see dreary or thoroughly turgid work submitted as part of a phd package that is well regarded by examiners (especially as often they may never see the work that we are being asked to examine) - so - not surprising its subsequently ( at face value anyway) uninspiring  and thus not well accessed (with finding and accessing being a further problem that many institutions are now addressing)

> I have only two small questions now, one in response to Keith:
> 
>>> what we're defending is our right to be considered professionals in our discipline, and to be considered to have the same level of professionalism as our colleagues in other disciplines>>
> 
> But surely you don't mean to argue that you needed to defend, say, your "Intimate Transactions," a complex & superb work, in order to be considered a professional. Neither in the performance art world, nor in academia??

Thanks for the complement - as always you are too generous!  Actually that was a comment by Kirk :)  But .. I must say yes ..  I don't feel the 'need' for a defence as I work both in and out (just a part timer) in academia - and yet my work I feel must/does stand up across that divide ..  you'll have heard me bang on about relational thinking enough now to understand why Im comfortable perched like the proverbial bearded dragon, sat on a rock between many hard places!

> 
> ..and then again, you might answer, well, why did they want a Phd in painting or performance directing or design or interactive installation, it wouldn't make much sense anyway, would it, if you are working in the 'industry" as one theatre colleague of mine ..

Again Johannes we find ourself asking maybe the wrong questions of why we do things. arguably in response to the powers that we may feel force us towards non-relational (entirely 'logical') positions  

.. sometimes/often we need someone to tie a rope around our midriff and slow us down enough just to be able to be within/see the landscape that is passing us by .. maybe thats why someone should need to do a phd..