Written feedback from tutor can be read here

Hangout with my tutor 27th August 2021

This was the final meeting I had with my tutor following the submission of Assignment 5.  As previously, he sent me 0 before we met so that I had a chance to reflect on his response.

I have found this to be a very good way of working as it gives you a chance to consider your tutor’s response and think about his thoughts and ask any questions you may have.

My tutor fed back that I had produced a conceptual work which showed how I had  taken the idea of my name explored in Assignment 4 and turned it into something very different, exploring the idea of nomination whilst remaining in the context of naming as a phenomenon and it relationship to identity.  He felt that the most effective pieces were the ones where I had found photographs of the actual people, because it really tied the names to an actual identity. He felt that more historical ones were a bit dry.  Benjamin Grey Drive which I presented upside down because of the link with Australia, he thought was a bit silly, and might be better expressed by linking with a picture of the actual twin street in Littlehampton, SA.

Benjamin Gray Drive – Littlehampton SA Austrailia (google maps)

We discussed how, without the time limitations of completing an assignment, I could have taken the concept further, by doing more exploration of the named person, such as where they lived in juxtaposition to the street that is name off of them, what do the people who live there think about it, where did the idea of naming streets after local people come from. Etc etc.  My tutor suggested that I note all of the other projects that could come out of this piece of work as ideas for future work at Level 2.

Having used photographs I’d taken, together with found images, google maps and text to bring this concept together, my tutor suggested that I could have also considered photographing artifacts linked to the names and included them within the set.  I liked this idea, and although I hadn’t considered it at the time, I would definitely like follow up on that idea. As I think items that people can physically touch could create a greater connection to the person. 

My tutor also suggested, I thought about exhibiting my images locally, as it would be interesting to get feedback from people who know these streets and maybe even some of the people named.

We had quite a long conversation about how and why people do or don’t change their names. For example women who change their surnames, actors who have stage names versus people who don’t like their given name but chose not to change it.  Something I would definitely like to explore.

In my tutor’s feedback, he said that he thought that I have made progress during this course and I reflected that I had struggled at the beginning of this unit, partly because of the Pandemic Lockdown and having to work from home.  However, in some ways that has also pushed my to consider different ways of working.  My tutor mentioned how lockdown had in fact led to interesting pieces or work such as the mobile I made for Assignment 3 that came out of working from home.

My tutor fed back that I have always done interesting, intelligent work, that is never simple or straightforward which shows some kind of conceptual depth to it.  It was great to hear this, but conversely I know he has also said that sometimes I do need to curb the complexity and simplify the message so that it is easier for the viewer to understand.  I quite often use mindmaps to help me do this as otherwise, I am want to follow the rabbit down many different holes.

Next Steps

Consider my choice for the next course, my tutor recommend Self and Other, but I am also considering Landscape.  However, I am also conscious of the change to the photography programme, so may wait until all of the details for that are known.

I thanked Robert for all his help and support during this course.  His feedback has been honest and thought provoking and been invaluable in helping me make progress.