our idea for boston - planning stage

Systems of objects – linking back to the abstract- our worlds are shaped by our interaction with made objects. Kate P explores objects and meaning and objects as collective texts and looks through an ethnographic material culture lens. We explore objects and their personal resonances and meanings through practical making and juxtaposition. This paper presents the notion that through collaboration Artist and ethnographer can work side by side to explore the same area of study and use their distinct approaches to enhance and triangulate research to produce outcomes which have value within both the artistic and academic context. Presenting the idea of validation for art practise within the academy but also the validation and visability of ethnographic research within the sites and communities explored.

Quote Baudrillaud
So perhaps talk about the fact that we are interested in the same thing and open to sharing insights rather than looking for a tool or a resource or something to study.

Set the scene:
Artemis – the background to residency, why academics
Background to our practice, what as artists do we do.

Conversation bit:
Kate we want you in this conversation – we intend to flash up paragraphs on a power point, so you become part of the conversation. In red is our questions
Role of artist? role of academic?
The role of Artist - seeing the value in the difference – frame of reference and lens
We are interested in systems, community, people and objects therefore the collboration is affective, reference art and anthropologly book. Please comment
Relationship to the field – do we /can we have a different relationship to ‘field”
We are thinking to introduce that people are participants in the project,and not subjects of a study and we are not sure academics do that, are we right?

We think that the AAA will like the fact that we are both practising artists and we want to sort of let the work do a bit of the talking for us so this bit is the meat of the presentation and we want to make the dialogue about the pieses why and how they work their agency the ability for a piece to make thinking visiable and be about very complex things but in fact be very simple. We also want to feel confident about what we are talking about and felt we could address the main points in our abstract submission by talking about the work rather than abstract ideas which seems
Steve bit – breakfasts - altering system and meaning
Kate bit – dwelling, we all have to dwell, function and meaning and how that says everything. Value.

Value, summing up, ideas for future
Kate / Lou please say something about the items in red
Where is the value in this kind of work? Where do we want to go?
Validation – do we and can this be about validating each others work, rather than the artist being the resource to open up academies. Not make work about people but with people.
Revelations – what does this collaboration offer for new ways of working and thinking for future. -Joint phd’s artist and academis working in same ‘field’ to explore same subject


We are quite confident speaking about our thing and the theory around it. Our concerns are we don’t want to sound thick or ill informed. Yet we want it to be accessable and personal.
Please advise
Do we need to frame it more in an academic context. Shall we talk about praxis. What about material culture stuff do you think we need