Doctoral Research
Doctoral research at UAL includes practice led research and there is a growing doctoral community of artist scholars who come to research with a sustainable practice. Doctoral candidates are admitted and supervised directly through colleges, and can attach their research to one or more centres, either through their supervisor or their own interests. The fine art doctoral community is a very active one, including a number of PhD specific research groups who create their own events and showings.
The university is particularly well equipped in terms of staff interests and resources to support PhD projects that address archival practices, moving image and digital practice, the artists’ book, the dynamic relationship between writing and drawing, text and image, art and performance histories and methods, as well as sonic and time-based work, performance and socially engaged practice, and painting and sculpture.
Supervisors have expertise across the fine art disciplines (both as artists and as publishing scholars), and prospective students are encouraged to draw on the expertise available across colleges and centres in finding the right supervision for their projects. Being attached to one centre does not preclude working with others. Staff supervising doctorates in the field of interdisciplinary fine art research include Claire MacDonald, Deborah Cherry, Joanne Morra, Anne Tallentire, Joanna Greenhill, Hayley Newman, Cate Elwes, Pete Brooks, David Curtis, Pam Skelton, Steven Ball, Susan Trangmar, Paul Coldwell, Mary Anne Francis, Rebecca Fortnum, Avis Newman and Jordan Baseman. Supervisors in related areas of lens based media, sound and audio art, narrative research, and design include Val Williams, Tricia Austin, Teal Triggs, Cathy Lane, Angus Carlyle and Malcolm Quinn. Further support is provided by Pat Christie, head of LLR, (Libraries and Learning Resources) and Sarah Mahurter, Head of Special Collections, both of whom have a strong interest in research collections, and who can be approached for information about how these fit into doctoral research.
ICFAR works across the university and can provide advice and support on finding a supervisor and submitting an application. We run workshops and seminars with practicing artists of doctoral standing that address the relationship between writing in art and scholarly practices. Over the past year we have created strong relationships with the universities of Roehampton, Queen Mary and Birkbeck and we have co-created a new inter-university research network called Translated Acts, exploring migratory practices across forms and languages. Students, artists, scholars and prospective students showed work at Translated Acts 1, and are encouraged to attend further events.
ICFAR can provide internship opportunities and placements with visiting artists. Doctoral student Carali McCall is currently working with Director Claire MacDonald and Visiting professor Bonnie Marranca on performance drawing research and ICFAR has a spring 09 Visiting Research Student from Sweden. Cecilia Grönberg is working on her own PhD project, as well as collaborating on Translated Acts events and a related publication.
Footage from a recent ICFAR two-day workshop run by Australian performance Artist, Barbara Campbell and with students from UAL and Roehampton University. See Events for details.
