Artefact

This blog hi-lights some of the significant discussions I had during Wednesdays Group Skype and this evenings Module 3 Skype on how we communicate ideas.

From the first call I took away the idea of staying honest to my practice. I have been worried about where and how I am going to film my choreography for my video, as I don't have the facilities of a theatre or a professional cameraman and was concerned filming it in my dusty old dance hall would look unprofessional. However, on the call, I was reminded that we want to give an honest representation of our practice and give the viewer of our artefact a real view into what we do and to keep our artefact in context with our practice.

Tonight's call also reinforced this idea, with Adesola saying that the length of our artefact should be in line with what we create in our practice. In my practice there's a time limit generally of 4 mins, dancers and choreographers only have that amount of time to capture everything they want to say in their creation.

Adesola added - The artistry is how poignant it can be, not how long. This made me think more about the content of my artefact. I want to tell a story of the journey of my inquiry that will communicate to everyone. On the call, we discussed how the art is telling a story that is understandable and not letting the watcher edit it for themselves.

I want to express the passion I have for dance but also show where the threads start to tie together. I have felt the journey has been quite emotional and I hope my music choices for different sections of my dance hi-light this.

Expectations were also a topic of Wednesday's call, how things very rarely go to plan and how deviating from the plan is part of the process. My artefact has changed shape a number of times now, but I feel it needs to in order to grow and strengthen as an idea. This evening we discussed how we have to be aware of our own creative process in relation to our practice. For me, this is a reminder that I usually play around with ideas, I'll create choreography at home and adjust it as I'm teaching. I'll change it dependant on the space available and pupils abilities and on watching it back. I can't expect anything different from my artefact.

Lastly, one point that was significant to me was the question - Will the process of making the artefact add to my already existing data in my inquiry? I hope it does, while my artefact is about the journey I have been on, not so much the discovery of information I hope I can use this process to add more to my practice.

It may help me concentrate more on portraying a story or working with my students to develop their storytelling skills. Once I have shared my artefact I may have new questions or ideas that I can take further and add to my presentation. I am starting to see how all 3 ways of communicating my inquiry process - Essay, Artefact and Presentation are linked together.