Here comes Tomorrow – decolonising creative education and creating a better world.

PGCert Creative Education

“We’re here to teach our students to take care of themselves and other people”

– Jean Grey in New X-Men #123 (Morrison et al, 2001)

Apologies for the geekiness but the recent return of the X-Men animated series has been a nostalgic treat and reflecting on this week’s topic, it’s got me thinking a lot about community and the teacher’s role in co-creating better futures for our students. The X-Men have often been interpreted as an allegory of what it means to be othered by majorities, representing minoritised ethnicities, religious groups, and LGBTQIA+ identities (Briest, 2017). Muscle-clad spandex and supernatural powers aside, what appeals to me is their humanism; they’re teachers at a school trying to foster tolerance and a more compassionate world. 

Reading this week’s PgCert resource, the Shades of Noir zine, I recognised a similar theme emerge here. Richards gives a powerful and earnest account of systemic racism in HE. It’s sobering to read the painful experiences that she has been subjected to, but she ruminates on using them to “present my experienced based knowledge, specialist understanding and inspiration to create visions and strategies for a better world…” (Richards cited in Shades of Noir, 2020:75).

Both Richards and the X-Men show us how collaboration and radical pedagogy can chip away at oppressive structures. In spaces cultivated with empathy and friendship, I think we can use our lived experiences, positions, influence, or privilege to create more inclusive learning environments. I think the X-Men represent something sci-fi and utopian here, but Richards work isn’t comic book fiction; it’s real, rooted in reflexive action, and inspiring in the commitment to create change – as seen in the context of unit design, Richards states “we built, developed, and evolved it every year” (Richards cited in Shades of Noir, 2020:75).

I need to read a bit more to understand decolonisation more fully, but it feels like a way of reinventing or rebuilding education for belonging, which is something that’s symbiotic with the very nature of creative education. Creativity allows for transformation to take place – we talk to our students about their imagination, their lived experiences, and hopefully give them the tools to realise their ideas, bring forth possibilities, and create new worlds.

List of Illustrations

Fig. 1 Marvel Animation (2024) X-Men ’97 [Illustration] At: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Ftv-shows%2Fnews%2Fx-men-97-characters-guide-xmen-team-roster-designs%2F&psig=AOvVaw3iBCL-ZlUKn8_sdFdZLo7H&ust=1713017099880000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCKi66ZDsvIUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE (Accessed 12/04/2024).

References

Briest, S. (2017) ‘The allegorical X-men: Emblems, comics, and the allegorical potential of text/image hybrid genres’ In: ImageText 9 (1) At: https://imagetextjournal.com/the-allegorical-x-men-emblems-comics-and-the-allegorical-potential-of-text-image-hybrid-genres/ (Accessed 12/04/2024).

Shades of Noir (2020) Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching. At: https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/inclusivepractice (Accessed 12/04/2024).

Morrison, G., Van Sciver, E. and Derenick, T. (2001) ‘New X-men Issue #123’ In: New X-Men Imperial Volume 2. New York, NY: Marvel Comics.

Thinking and researching through writing – Creative Research Methodologies

PGCert Creative Education, Reflective

There’s something of a unity that many of us creatives have around writing – a fear of committing our thoughts to paper. I thought it was curious that this week’s PgCert resource seemed to reiterate a certain research hierarchy and so I jumped right to the last chapter titled ‘writing up’. When I meet students for tutorials, they too are often daunted by ‘writing up’, seeing it as the final point in their research process. But I wonder how can we disrupt this and encourage students to see research and writing as less like a linear line, or a contents page to work through, and more of an unspooling thread to discover? In praise of the motion of lines, I think of Ingold (2010) here…

…“Whether encountered as a woven thread or as a written trace, the line is perceived as one of movement and growth.” (Ingold, 2016)…

…I find the fluid momentum of flicking back and forth between research and writing helps me to crystallise my own thoughts, sometimes it makes no sense and I’m left with a tangle of words, but sometimes when a connection emerges and some sort of narrative appears, it feels like lightning, an ‘aha!’…

So yes, my research and writing is often messy…

.

jumbled…

..

unspooling…

…

the flow between the thoughts forming in my head…

.

sparks of electricity running down through my veins…

..

static spreading out into my fingertips…

…

distilled into the gentle ‘tap, tap, tap’ of my keyboard keys…

.

or flowing through the ink of the pen I hold in my left hand…

…There’s a lovely example of where Richardson (1992, cited in Blaxter et al, 2010) describes how writing her data as poems enabled her to engage with the subject of her research in a much more intensive and joyful way…

…Perhaps then poetry, or other forms of experimental writing could be an interesting way to remove the clutter of academic jargon and instill playfulness and narrative within our research…

…As Blaxter et al (2010:266) state “the idea is that as the clutter diminishes, so the potential for thinking and feeling around, within, and through the words and lines grows. The point is to open up the potential for new and unexpected ways of knowing.”

List of Illustrations

Bell, A. (2024) Thinking through writing. [Photograph] In possession of: the author.

References

Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2010) How to Research. (4th ed.) Berkshire, UK: McGraw-Hill Education. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=650302&ppg=6 (Accessed 16/03/2024).

Ingold, T. (2016) Lines: A Brief History. London, UK: Routledge.

A blanket or a binding? – reflecting on lesson design in creative education

PGCert Creative Education

Fig. 1 Sejersen (2023) Untitled.

Winter’s set in, and my desire for cosiness has got me thinking about how constructive alignment is a little bit like an educational blanket; wrapping around student and teacher to provide comfort, reassurance, and a safety net against ambiguity. Bigg’s (2003:1) explains, “the key is that all components in the teaching system – the curriculum and its intended outcomes, the teaching methods used, the assessment tasks – are aligned to each other”. I think when these key elements are knitted together, it enables good and focused lesson design aligned to outcome.

With similar tones to Roger’s facilitation theory, Bigg’s (2003:2) also outlines that we should “set up a learning environment that supports the learning activities appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes.” In the design of my embedded library workshops, I link my own professional academic skills framework (UCA, 2022) to unit specific outcomes. By connecting my lesson design to unit outcomes, I’m ensuring that my workshops have a sense of purpose to students; helping them search for sources that allow them to directly achieve their assessment tasks.

I wonder if there’s a tension here too? When the lesson design becomes too prescriptive by the outcome, could it bind the freedom and serendipity that happens during creativity or discovery? In writing unit aims and outcomes, Creative Education Network (s.d.) state that “it’s only possible to reward something like creativity if this has been identified in a learning outcome. On the other hand, bear in mind that a learning outcome must apply to all students. Therefore, if you want creativity, all students will have to demonstrate this”. I think it can be tricky to assess something so subjective and personal as creativity solely as an outcome, so I feel a stronger connection with the notion of capturing ‘processes’, ‘documentation’, and ‘investigation’ as much as possible within learning outcomes.

List of Illustrations

Fig. 1 Sejersen, C. (2023) Untitled [Film Still] At: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxpWAxcscjW  (Accessed 13/11/2023)

References

Biggs, J. (2003) Aligning teaching for constructing learning. Higher Education Academy. At: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/aligning-teaching-constructing-learning (Accessed 13/11/2023).

Creative Education Network (s.d.) Writing Unit Aims and Learning Outcomes. At: (Accessed 13/11/2023).

University for the Creative Arts (2022) Academic Skills Framework. At: https://mylibrary.uca.ac.uk/academicskillsframework (Accessed 13/11/2023).

Reflection – Facilitating discovery learning (or magic/mystery/curiosity!) – a vignette of a typical library workshop for fashion students

PGCert Creative Education
carygrant.gif

Fig. 1 Cary Grant’s magic trick. 

“The imaginary now resides between the book and the lamp […] and it’s treasure lie dormant in documents” (Foucault, 1980:90).

I meet a group of fashion students in the library and gather them around to immerse them in the activity of searching and sifting through the bizarre and the beautiful. They are exploring a variety of interdisciplinary resources to locate images and find ideas that will help spark and develop their creative practice. 

The students are initially scaffolded with a demonstration of search techniques, and shown examples of past students’ sketchbook pages; illuminating the possibilities of visual narratives formed from connecting together different sources. To gauge the student’s prior knowledge of their topics, I begin by tasking them to generate a mind map of what they want to research. They are asked to swap their mind map with the person next to them, to encourage them to ‘explode’ their thinking with the help of their peers. This shows students how different perspectives, cultures, and experiences can open up new ways of seeing outside of their own thinking. 

My instruction is then gently lifted like a curtain, and I invite students to freely explore the library. I encourage them to pursue their personal research interests, delve into unfamiliar subjects, and connect their findings to their practice by making notes and documenting, scanning, or photocopying their findings. I give them autonomy to choose what resources to look at (zines, magazines, books, archival material, trend forecasts). I keep a presence, holding the door open and offering guidance when needed. I may gently nudge students towards resources or areas of the library that may help them. Some students skim through vintage fashion magazines, some find quiet corners to pour over texts, others gather, laugh, and debate loudly over the weird and wonderful things they find. My intention is they end the workshop feeling inspired, having discovered something new to follow up on and the magic of possibility. 

List of Figures

Fig. 1 Cary Grant’s magic trick. [GIF] At: https://improvisedlife.com/2013/02/04/cary-grant-gif-inspiration-filng-system/ (Accessed 06/11/2023). 

References

Foucault, M. (1980) ‘Fantasia and the Library’ In: Language, counter-memory, practice: selected essays and interviews. Ithaca, New York, USA: Cornell University Press.

Reflection – On ‘Wonder’ and wading through to transformative ways of seeing.

PGCert Creative Education

“He looked into the water and saw that is was made up of a thousand thousand thousand and one different currents, weaving in and out of one another like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity.” (Rushdie, 1993)

I think there’s a particular wonder and complexity created in arts pedagogies. Creative practice requires looking beneath the surface of the visual world and working toward new and adapted solutions to complex problems or creating original artifacts. Research underpins these creative practices, where visual sources are found, recorded, and connected. This way of researching and knowing is often embodied, sensory, and emotional. (Shreeve & Sims, 2012:56-59). For learners, I think wonder plays an important role in this – it is often where research starts and where it ends, but crucially there is no single thread to follow, and the route may be transitory, ambiguous, troubling, and fraught with internal and external obstacles before it becomes transformative. 

I found Jarvis’s (2015) illustrated video very helpful for understanding transformative learning. Meaning perspectives frame the way we see the world. When learners encounter new knowledge in their research, they filter this through their own meaning perspectives. Transformative learning happens when we encounter new knowledge or have experiences that don’t fit into our ways of thinking and seeing. (Jarvis, 2015). I think research can be disorientating for learners because the process can challenge their fundamental ‘codes’. Mezirow (1997:6) states these can be “cultural, social, educational, economic, political, or psychological. Habits of mind become articulated in a specific point of view—the constellation of belief, value judgment, attitude, and feeling that shapes a particular interpretation’”. Transformative learning (the processes and findings of creative research) alters the way learners see and understand the world, and what they know.

Thinking back to my working week, a lot of these ideas and theories where present in my library workshops and tutorials with BA Fashion Atelier and BA Fashion Design students. It was a week very much about giving learners tools to guide them through their research. A few things I taught which I now recognise as threshold concepts, were search techniques and how to ‘explode’ or ‘narrow’ their ideas using keywords or mind maps. There’s an ‘aha’ moment within this for learners – they learn how to row (search), they wade through (evaluate) their findings – and begin to see/notice exciting connections and new ideas forming – research in of itself becomes transformative because it changes the way learners see/think about their creative practice.

 Fig. 2 Lost Words                                         Fig. 3 State of Being

I think these two images of Chiharu Shiota’s work illustrate the threshold and transformative processes of creative research and I’ve started using them more in my workshop slides. Learners go from gathering a tangled web of sources – to wading, sifting, stitching them together – until research is transformed into something more complex or whole – whatever that may be… the final garment, the narrative, the conclusion, or the learners thinking and ways of seeing.

Some actions:

  • Through the weekly reflections on the PGCert, and reading up more on experiential learning, I’ve started to realise I’m a bit of an abstract thinker (I love a metaphor!) and this way of thinking permeates that way I teach. I think I need to start find ways to include more direct experience and concrete examples in my teaching, particularly to support learners who think more rationally and objectively. Something I need to create is guided handouts, practical examples, and step-by-step instructions in my library workshops – particularly for ‘go off and rummage’ activities in the library. I’ll try and find a few examples in the next week or so to start adapting and taking a bit more care with this.
  • I’d like to explore how to support learners when their ‘codes’ or ‘meaning perspectives’ are challenged, so that learners “move toward a frame of reference that is more inclusive, self-reflective, and integrative of experience” (Mezirow, 1997:5). How can I get learners to slow down and contemplate all the words, images, research they find? How can I get them to challenge their findings and be more open to searching/seeking rather than dismissing information that doesn’t fit into their ways of thinking/seeing?

List of Figures

Fig 1. Shiota, C. (2022) Across the River. [Installation Art] At: https://www.koeniggalerie.com/blogs/news/chiharu-shiota-across-the-river (Accessed 08/10/2023).

Fig 2. Shiota, C. (s.d.) Lost Words. [Installation Art] At: https://annaschwartzgallery.com/asset/library/_fullscreen/Screen-Shot-2018-01-26-at-5.39.18-pm.png (Accessed 08/10/2023).

Fig 3. Shiota C. (s.d.) State of Being. [Installation Art] At: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/99642210491917890/ (Accessed 08/10/2023). 

References

Jarvis, C. (2015) introducing transformative learning theory. At:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liU1zsi3X8w. (Accessed 08/10/2023). 

Mezirow, J. (2002) ‘Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice. In: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 1997 (74) pp.5-1.2 At: https://go.exlibris.link/ZN1F3nqB (Accessed 08/10/2023). 

Shreeve, A. and Sims, E. (2012) ‘Signature Pedagogies in Art and Design’ In: Chick, N. L. et al. Exploring More Signature Pedagogies: Approaches to Teaching Disciplinary Habits of Mind. London: Routeledge. pp. 55-67. At: https://go.exlibris.link/4RzGXFm6 (Accessed 08/10/2023).

Rushdie, S. (1993) Haroun and the sea of stories. London: Penguin Books.

Reflection – Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

PGCert Creative Education

As Liaison Librarian at University for the Creative Arts, my role supports creative arts students with research and information literacy; facilitating learners to independently find, evaluate, manage and reference information (MacDonald, 2018). I started my claim for Associate Fellowship to reflect on my practice, apply pedagogy and build my confidence as an early career library & information professional.

Ray Land’s (Deverson, 2017) Threshold Concept has been a vital lens through which I have been able to reflect on links between the library’s role in the creative learning process and the information seeking behaviours of creative arts students. Many of whom can find the academic library a troublesome new realm; from accessing and using specialist subject resources, to ‘meta’ concepts of information and academic integrity (Duncan, 2019). The weekly seminar readings and mentoring enabled me to identify the transformational and constructivist learning theories (Meyer et al., 2010; Mezirow, 2008; Scales, 2017) that underpin the creation of my learning and support materials. My goal therefore is to inspire learners to be curious information seekers, construct knowledge from self-discovery during research, and adopt new ways of thinking about the wider world in which their own creative practice is situated.

I have most enjoyed the collaboration with my mentors. To have a peer and supportive voice to review my teaching materials has been invaluable. These open conversations allowed me to consider how neurodiverse students learn as well as how international students may see themselves represented in library resources and wider bodies of knowledge. I plan to adapt my teaching materials using British Dyslexia Style Guide (British Dyslexia Association, 2022), experiment more with new technologies to gather formative feedback, and use equality, diversity and inclusion policies (Hanesworth, 2015) to enhance the internationalisation and decolonisation of my learning materials.

The process of aligning my practice to the UKPSF framework has given me the opportunity to be part of a vibrant network who work to enhance the student learning experience. To be in fellowship then is to be in company with those who are reflective practitioners; to be part of a community where theoretical research is linked to action and positive social change (Schön, 1991). I am excited to use my claim for Associate Fellowship as a steppingstone to strengthen my professional practice and continue to further research areas of creative information behaviour and visual literacy.

This short reflection was written to support my application for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Riddell (2018) Art Matters [Illustration].

References

British Dyslexia Association (2022) Dyslexia Friendly Style Guide. At: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/employers/creating-a-dyslexia-friendly-workplace/dyslexia-friendly-style-guide (Accessed 07/06/2022).

Deverson, J. (2017) Ray Land: Threshold concepts. [Podcast] 25:34. Evidence Based Education. At: https://evidencebased.education/ray-land-threshold-concepts/ (Accessed 07/06/2022).

Duncan, A. (2019) ‘Crossing the threshold: innovations in information literacy’ In: Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal 4 (1) pp.16–22. At: https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/125/206 (Accessed 07/06/2022).

Hanesworth, P. (2015) Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: a model for learning and teaching practitioners. At: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/embedding-equality-and-diversity-curriculum-model-learning-and-teaching-0 (Accessed 07/06/2022).

MacDonald, G. (2018) What is information literacy?. At: https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/421972/What-is-information-literacy.htm (Accessed 07/06/2022).

Meyer, J. et al. (2010) Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning. London, UK: Sense Publishers.

Mezirow, J. (2008) ‘An Overview of Transformative Learning’ In: Illeris, K. (ed.) Contemporary Theories of Learning. London, UK: Routledge. pp.91–106.

Scales, P. (2017) An Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Supporting Fellowship. London, UK: McGraw Hill Education.

Schön, D. A. (1991) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London, UK: Ashgate.

Illustrations

Bell, A. (2022) The Hand of Fellowship. [Mixed Media Collage]

Riddell, C. (2018) Art Matters. [Illustration] At: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures (Accessed 13/06/2022)

Pigment of the Imagination – Visual Analysis & Dissertation Update

Information, Reflective

I am currently undertaking my dissertation titled ‘Pigment of the imagination: in what ways is colour information?’. We live in an age of multiple, overlapping ‘informations’ and there is a growing dialogue in the field of LIS on the concepts of information across different domains. (Janich, 2018). In library and information sciences the philosophies of information have a particular focus on communication and semantics. (Ibekwe-SanJuan & Dousa, 2014). Colour, which is semiotic by nature, is integral to artistic research, practice, and communication, and through this research project I hope to understand it is a form of information. Perhaps it is the artist in me too, but I have always been fascinated with colour and the cadences of the senses, and since I started the MSc I have been drawn to the idea of what information means within the context of visual arts.

As part of my own research it felt necessary to carry out some visual analysis to explore these ideas. It will also help me to understand and find any links with the philosophies of information science, colour theory, and aesthetics. I could therefore not have asked for a sweeter treat than the Olafur Eliasson retrospective at the Tate Modern. Eliasson is widely known for his interactive socially engaged art and for exploring the signals and flux of the natural world; all the while twinkling in multi-colours like the jewelled wrappers from a box of quality street. (Godfrey, 2019). Smoke and mirrors aside, ‘In Real Life’ is an important retrospective and full of intriguing ideas relevant to LIS, from immersive experiences, documenting ephemerality, phenomenology, and revealing the vital documentary and studio processes that are an important part of practice-led research.

The first time I saw Eliasson’s work was on a school trip back in 2003. I still remember the awe of standing under the ambient faux-sun of ‘The Weather Project’, the calescent colour limning the turbine hall in amber. Returning to this retrospective filled me with that same giddy schoolboy wonder I had felt over a decade ago; art meets science, technology, and illusion. Din Blinde Passeger ‘Your Blind Passenger’ 2010 was a colour work that especially stood out and got me thinking more abstractly about information, experience, and aesthetics. The installation forms a long, narrow corridor where visitors are temporarily blinded by a brightly illuminated fog, requiring them to rely on other senses to orient themselves. Stepping into the stark white mist I felt excited and afraid, immediately I thought of Stephen King’s novel ‘The Mist’. The power of the threshold should not be underestimated here in terms of creating the experience. The moment I walked through the door I was instantaneously transported into something transitory, metaphysical, and even a little sci-fi. All sense of direction and perception was lost becoming an information black-out with no point of reference other than colour. Moving forward the fog began to change, tinging slowly from powder white, flesh peach, to ochre yellow and through to the densest burnt orange. Bathing in the rusty atmosphere felt uncanny, like I was walking on Mars or through the atmosphere of an alien planet. The strangeness was marked with happiness and laughter too, not just because I could not help but smile as people bumbled past each other in a daze, but because of the overwhelming warmth the colour evoked. Like the warmth of laying under a summer sun with my eyes closed, or the feeling of being embraced by a loved one, this was a powerful and evocative use of colour.

Clearly this work is a highly subjective example of colour, my reaction to it based on my own social, cultural, and personal experiences. However, if colour can communicate an emotion, summon a memory or delight a sense, is that not then informational by nature? Eliasson’s work is interesting in that it draws this tension between feelings and facts, the invisible and communicative, and the mental and physical. During my literature search I have found a pool of interesting texts on information as a physical and fundamental aspect of the universe, information appears to be just everywhere! The physicality of information is an interesting idea in relation to colour; what is the difference between the orange colour of a star, a traffic cone light, and Eliasson’s ‘Your Blind Passenger’? The colour a star emits can indicate the complex alchemy of chemical elements present in the atmosphere, the traffic cone light beams a warning or a indicates a barrier, and the work of art is a subjective and personal experience. All are sources of colour, but what are the distinctions between them being physical, informational or purely aesthetic? Other questions also spring to mind, how do we construct meaning from the perception of colour? How integral is colour to the way we experience documents? Are all aspects of colour well-formed and processes of communication? How is information theory understood in art and semiotics?

The course of reading literature for the dissertation has been like opening Pandora’s box, each time I begin to think I am understanding and starting to answer my research question, the curiosity of engaging with research unleashes a hundred more questions. I will be carrying out a more detailed visual analysis in the dissertation itself, and to help me find my focus I will also carry out a conceptual analysis of Floridi’s General Definition of Information. The next update will coincide with a visit to the Colour Reference Library at the Royal College of Art. I will be looking at more conventional forms of colour information from colour charts and taxonomies, to colour theories and models.

 

References:

Godfrey, M. (2019) Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life. London, UK: Tate Publishing.

Ibekwe-SanJuan, F. & Dousa, T.M. (2014) Theories of Information, Communication and Knowledge: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.

Janich, P. (2018) What is information? Minneapolis, USA: University of Minnesota Press.

 

Illustration:

Bell, A. (2019) Din Blinde Passeger. [photograph]. UK

Taking the Plunge – Art Librarianship as a Career Option

Reflective

This post was written for the ARLISMatters blog. ‘Taking the Plunge: Art Librarianship as a Career Option’, ARLIS/UK & Ireland Professional Development Committee, Chelsea College of Arts, University of London, Tuesday 25th June 2019. 

On Tuesday 25th June 2019 the professional development chapter of ARLIS held the yearly event for aspiring library and information professionals considering a career in art librarianship. I attended the workshop to find out more about art librarianship and to explore the skills needed to progress in my career. I have always thought of the library as a Wonderland, a place to find a collection of ideas and a vault for the imagination. Walking through the corridors of Chelsea College of Arts catching fleeting glimpses of the studios and works of art made that summer afternoon feel like a tumble down the rabbit hole. I was led to the Colleges’ Red Room where the event took place; a gorgeous room of caramel lacquered walls, lofty ceilings, and the June-light pouring through the windows. Just a stone throw from the Tate Britain, Chelsea College of Arts forms part of a community of art schools held under the University of Arts London.

 

Introductions

Nicholas Brown, Learning Resources Manager at Christies Education, led the event and gave the group a rousing talk on the current position of art librarianship within the UK. The ‘Book’ is very much alive, with print still the wider form of scholarly communication in arts and humanities. There is a growing prevalence for functional specialisms and skills in digital literacies and digital humanities due to our information-soaked society and shifts towards practice-based research methods. There are challenges though; the multifaceted and interdisciplinary practice fits into a landscape still bearing the weight of financial cuts from the current system of government. Despite this, the creative industries in the UK still have a strong global influence and the profession is finding ways to innovate and challenge the status quo of the current social/political environment. Many of the talented speakers who spoke on the day come from arts backgrounds and it was inspiring to see how all of them implement progressive ideas into their practice. From zines and special collections, decolonising the library, material literacies, haptic learning, makerspaces and collaborative practice, there was plenty to be excited about here!

 

Entering the profession

In a discussion about accessibility into the profession, Nicholas handed the room over to us, the attendees. We each had an opportunity to say ‘hello’ and share the aspects of librarianship we were interested in pursuing. There was a great mix of people in the room, from arts and humanities backgrounds, those straight from industry, and many graduates taking their first steps into librarianship. Completing a Masters degree in Library/Information Science alongside work experience is a common route for progression. A Masters enriches practice and gives a solid foundation for theory, but there are also many routes for newcomers to gain experience, from volunteering and gaining transferable skills for job applications, to graduate trainee schemes and reaching out to a mentor. We all enter the field of work from different starting points, and as long as you have a keen interest for the subject and the willingness to reach out to people, librarians are kind and generous people happy to support new professionals into the industry.

 

Working in academic libraries alongside public libraries – Lydia Julien, Library Services Assistant, Ravensbourne University London / Hackney Libraries

Lydia began the series of talks by sharing her experiences working in academic libraries alongside public libraries. It was fascinating to hear about the contrasts between different libraries and how they operate to meet the individual needs of the users. Work in public libraries is very much about the local community, with coordinating volunteer support and enrichment activities such as oral histories and craft workshops. In contrast to this, Lydia’s work in academic libraries pushes the boundaries of arts/science research methods, with the nature of the job being multidisciplinary. Lydia talked about her love for networking with fellow professionals and visiting events such as the ‘Zine Fair’ at Glasgow Zine Library and London #libmeetteach. Taking the time to engage with the wider library community can give plenty of opportunities for continued learning and professional development.

 

Working in a museum or gallery library – Lluis Tembleque Teres, Librarian, Museum of London.

Lluis gave us insight into the mix of research and archival practices that take place in museum libraries. It was interesting to hear about the role of the librarian as a curator, having key responsibilities for collection management. The museum is an educational environment, balancing the responsibilities of informing users, providing cultural context and enrichment. The library in this setting therefore plays an active role in the institutions research by having a direct impact on output. Museum libraries contain special collections, with a small, localised audience and sometimes a ‘team of one’ structure. Lluis kindly shared his impressive journey into library management and demonstrated that switching roles every few years can provide a route to building managerial experience and engaging with the different needs and demands of the profession.

 

Working with archives and special collections – Siobhan Britton, Assistant Academic Support Librarian, Chelsea College of Arts, University of Arts London

Siobhan talked to us about working with special collections at Chelsea College of Arts library. Special collections are often unique treasure troves of materials. From rare books to artists’ books and zines, these unique resources require more detailed cataloguing. Collections like these may feel closed-off or under lock and key, but Siobhan works hard in her role to outreach the collection into the wider institution. Librarians can encourage users to engage with the resources through reaching out to academics and tailoring projects that integrate directly into the curriculum. This role provides a wealth of opportunities to collaborate directly with artists and support research. For anyone coming from an arts background too, working in libraries can provide the flexibility to blend librarianship with your own artistic practice.

 

Notes and experience of a recent graduate – Billie Coxhead, Materials & Products Co-ordinator, Central Saint Martins & London College of Fashion, University of Arts London

Billie spoke about her recent role as Materials & Products Co-ordinator, which is hybrid mix of subject and academic liaison librarianship. Her role has a focus on sensory research, material literacy and one-to-one client based work. Inspiration, serendipity, and discovery are key components to a materials library and there is an interesting tension between physical and online resources. Haptic learning provides hands on experience for library users during inductions and user engagement is a great way of getting to know your cohorts research needs. Billie also talked through her journey starting out as a library assistant, completing an MA part-time alongside employment, to her new role. A love for collecting, organising, and supporting researchers was evident, and is a tangible thread linking all the speakers together. A subject specialism can be a good way to carve yourself a niche in the profession but be prepared to engage with the subject area at all levels, from visiting exhibitions and fashion shows to scouring trade shows for the latest innovations and research.

 

Working in an activist arts organisation – Tavian Hunter, Librarian, Stuart Hall Library, Iniva (Institude of International Visual Arts)

Tavian gave an inspiring talk on her work as a Librarian at Iniva. The Stuart Hall Library is Iniva’s critical and creative hub, supporting diversity and cultural identity by documenting and facilitating research into visual arts within an international and transnational context. Librarianship is not a neutral activity, and the talk raised many interesting points about the systems we do not often think about when building a collection. As caretakers of stories, research, and ideas, it is important to extend the viewpoint from traditional western perspectives and work to build collections that are more representative. Tavian also gave us advice on reaching out to mentors for professional advice and work experience. Many libraries offer graduate schemes for those seeking to enter into the profession straight from university. Taking professional advice from a mentor can also provide you with one-to-one support. “Learning is a multifaceted process”, something that stuck with me from her talk, the nature of librarianship allows you to keep on building on your experiences and your knowledge.

 

Working in library senior management – Jane Bramwell, Head of Library, Archive & Collection Access at Tate

Jane has recently been appointed Chair of ARLIS and gave a warm welcome to the speakers and attendees. She kindly shared with us her wealth of experiences that led to her role at Tate and the changes that take place in the role as you move into library management. As Head of Library at Tate, Jane and her team oversee 250,00 books, monographs and exhibition catalogues, over 6,500 artist books and zines, as well as printed journals and serials. Jane also talked about the growing need for preservation and conservation of digital and documentary materials including audio and video formats.  Management may mean less direct contact with the collection and cataloguing resources, instead the focus is on operational, systems, budgets, people management, and user engagement. Jane also took the opportunity to talk about the common themes of the day, with many of the topics covered further in the upcoming 50th Anniversary Conference #arlisuki2019 at Glasgow School of Art in July.

 

CV Tips

The event ended with a CV tips workshop where Billie gave advice on annotating CV’s and Tavian guided us through the “dos & don’ts” of the interview process. The attendees then worked in groups analysing job descriptions to pinpoint common skills and responsibilities. A few handy tips and tricks included:

  • Check CILIP’s website of advice and guidance.
  • Keep your CV relevant, tailor it every time to match the job description.
  • Demonstrate your transferable skills and experience by providing practical examples. The speakers championed transferable skills, for example cataloguing and classifying procedures may seem daunting but it is OK to learn on the job, even experience in data entry may be enough to show a methodical, careful approach to managing data.
  • Demonstrate commitment and passion to CPD as well as education and experience.
  • Demonstrate key achievements, but make sure they are measurable.
  • Reflection is important for showing critical thinking and showing what you have gained from your roles.
  • Desirable skills give you an edge, but essential skills are essential for a reason!
  • Opportunities/pay may be better in cities, but progression into management may mean being willing to move around and be more flexible.
  • Doing a dissertation or research project may spark a specialism or enrich an aspect of your current role.

 

Concluding thoughts

Collaboration was one of the key ideas from the day that left a mark with me. Forget silent spaces and gatekeeping tomes, the art library is a space for communication, connection, and creation. The speakers all shared a love for supporting and connecting with people, from chasing academics down corridors to entice them with new resources, setting up pop-up libraries and integrating into curriculum, choreographing volunteers to digitise and assemble a collection, and bringing together people in community makerspaces. An art library seems to be a place of enormous creativity, forming networks, and sharing ideas no matter how big or small. It feels like an exciting time to take the plunge and dive into art librarianship.

Thank you to ARLIS for the opportunity to attend the event (did I mention the event was free? Do not hesitate; go along for a tea and a chat and you will not regret it!). My gratitude also to Nicholas Brown and Alexandra Duncan for the encouragement to reflect on the day and the opportunity to write about it.

Illustration

Bell, A. (2019) Wonderland: taking the plunge. [photomontage]. UK.

Waves of Light – Colour as Information

Information, Reflective

What do you see when you look out into the world? Do you notice auric gold ribbons of sunlight dappling through the leaves of a tree and feel the warmth of a happy memory? Are your eyes satiated by the plump scarlet flesh of a summer sweetened tomato? Do you move when you see the icy optic viridian of a traffic light signalling you to go?… Everyday life is full of fleeting glances of colour, and though the smallest may seem transient or abstract, these visual signs can grant a wealth of information.

 

A question of colour

Colour has always left a tint in my life; from studying at art school and creating artworks, to communicating my research, recalling my strongest memories, and shaping the way I interact with the world. Even now as I walk the steps into Librarianship, I aid creative arts students with their contextual research, and must think seriously and practically about colour. I have encountered queries that have ranged from ‘Do you have any information on the colour red and how painters have used it?’ to ‘Do you have information on fashion designers who have subverted the use of white in bridal couture?’. Colour is a powerful visual language and a primary tool for artists to create and communicate information. So what is colour as information? Is it truthful and evidential, or is it subjective and ambiguous? By looking introspectively at the facets of colour, perhaps it can tell a better story of information itself, what it is, and how it can be communicated.

 

Splitting open the sunbeam

Before I start wandering dreamily over the shades of blue, let us first apply some exacting science. Colour is the subjective physiologic interpretation of the visible electromagnetic spectrum. As a ray of light enters your eyes, bright ambiences or images, produced in the retina, are sent to the brain and interpreted as a set of chromatic sensations. The reason different things appear different colours, are because like tides passing through the ocean, light travels in waves too. (Evans, 2017). While some things absorb some wavelengths of the visible spectrum, others are sent bounding off into the heavens. Blue light for example, is scattered in all directions by tiny molecules in the air of the Earth’s atmosphere. This light travels in short, small waves, and when it touches your eyes and your brain processes the data, the sky appears to breathe out an all-encompassing colour blue. The absence of these light waves at night is also what turns the sky into a black cauldron, enabling us to see the glitter of distant stars. In this sense, the colour we really perceive something to be is precisely the colour it isn’t, that is, just the segment of the spectrum that is being reflected away. (St Clair, 2016).

 

Colour as information

Colour is a very sophisticated neural process and the specific biochemical reaction results in the organisation of what is conveyed or represented by the arrangement or sequence of light. (Nichols, 2014). It is evidential so surely it must be information? Information is notoriously mercurial, it exists in abundance, and like running water it takes shape and significance depending on the environment and need. The father of information theory Claude Shannon (1993) was hesitant with definition, stating

“it is hardly expected that a single concept of information would satisfactorily account for the numerous possible applications of this general field”.

The different interpretations, misunderstandings, and misuses of information are more evident now we are living in such a hyperconnected and information sharing society. This is what Floridi (2014) describes as the 4th revolution, where contemporary life has become immersed within a swirling cloud of data. The news, social and digital media, technology, and analytics, all filter swathes of data and downpour us with varying types of information. Whether we like it or not, there is not a part of our lives now were we don’t get soaked in the stuff.

GDI

Floridi’s (2010) General Definition of Information (GDI) is a single map of informational concepts and this nifty model is now commonplace in fields that reify information, to be organised and disseminated, such as the library and information sciences. By applying this model across domains, we can start to decode complex information and think of it as a structure of data + meaning. Using this model, we can also start to understand non-textual forms of information, beyond the frame of the written word. Although not always obvious, images, objects, and even performances containing the same pattern of data + meaning, can be credible sources of information.

Our understanding of the many practical uses of colour to communicate, has in turn enabled us to interpret and transcribe everything, from mundane objects to the illimitable architecture of the cosmos. Even though it seems impossible to imagine a world where the colour of something could not be used to visualise, describe, inform or understand, the textual use of colour has historically entered the written language very slowly. The ancient Greeks, with all their beautiful and poetic prose, never had a simple word for the colour blue. The seas and skies of their world were described as ‘wine-dark’, ‘starry’ or ‘of lead and bronze’. (Michela-Sassi, 2017). Similarly, in the middle ages there existed no word for the colour orange, and today there are desert tribes in Africa who have six words for the colour red, and yet no single one for green. (Fletcher, 2001). Through the eyes of observation and understanding, it has become clear that every culture has its own way of understanding, organising, classifying, and communicating with colour. This is not due to varying biology of the human eye, but because colour is subtle and prompts varying emotional responses, all according to varying social, political and cultural contexts. The complexity of colours conveys numerous types of information from feeling, relationships and contrasts, dramas and tensions, to the very nature of matter and its processes and transmutations. Once understood and harnessed, colour can be used to suggest temperament, class, vocation and hierarchy, and as such can define, differentiate and blend well formed data. (ARAS, 2010). There are entire industries that use and are highly dependent on libraries of colour to communicate information; it can be applied to weave a piece of clothing as equally as a work of art, design or product, and logo or brand.

 

Shades, hues, and tints of information

Colour as information triggers different responses. It can be environmental, a cold fact, usefully and efficiently giving meaning to data. A red light is a signal or warning, a well-placed green on a topographic map distinguishes land from water, and a green banana turned yellow is ripe to eat. (Tufte, 1990). What is more interesting, particularly for the business of artists, is that colour can be a tool of subtle visual communication. It can draw from cultural knowledge and create a story, trigger or carry deeply truthful or emotive information, invoke a memory, stimulate the senses, and rouse the soul. It can also be unnatural, juxtaposed, playful, and subverted to change to the status quo. (Paul, 2017). It can be both truthful and universal as well as highly subjective and interpretive. Understanding information, and the many forms it possesses, is especially important for library and information professionals. It is after all our responsibility to collect, protect, preserve, manage and disseminate meaningful information to society. To understand information, context and critical thinking are therefore paramount. It is our ability to critically evaluate its contents, that allows us to judge its meaning, purpose, and be able to act on it. As with any language, the language of colour and information is learned. By widening the understanding and teaching of visual and information literacies, Librarians can bring clarity to a deluge of information and assist researchers with applying more creative and practical ways of giving meaning to data.

So perhaps then when you walk to work in the morning, you may take the time to notice some colour in your day and think more about what it is telling you. Let the amber corona on the edges of leaves whisper to you that autumn’s hand is near. Read the gaudy yellow billboard at the bus stop you always walk past. Stand in front of an abstract painting, or the bright cerulean sky and let the colour wash over you. Life is showered with waves of light, colours, sensations, and complexity, and you will begin to see that even in the mundane there is information to be read and little bit of magic.

 

References:

Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (2010) The book of symbols: reflections on archetypal images. London, UK: Taschen. p636.

Evans, G. (2017) The story of colour: an exploration of the hidden messages of the spectrum. London, UK: Michael O’Mara Books Limited. p14-15.

Fletcher, A. (2001) The art of looking sideways. London, UK: Phaidon Press. p53.

Floridi, L. (2010) Information: a very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p19-24.

Floridi, L. (2014) The 4th revolution: how the infosphere is reshaping human reality. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p13-17.

Michela-Sass, M. (2017) ‘The sea was never blue’. Aeon. Available at: https://aeon.co/essays/can-we-hope-to-understand-how-the-greeks-saw-their-world (Accessed: 30th August 2018).

Nichols, W. (2014) ‘The Sense, the Body and the Big Blue’, in Blue Mind. London, UK: Little, Brown & Company. p88-89.

Paul, S. (2017) Chromophilia: the story of colour in art. London, UK: Phaidon Press. p11.

Shannon, C. (1993) Collected papers. New York, USA: IEEE Press.

St Claire, K. (2016) The secret lives of colour. London, UK: John Murray Publishers. p13-15.

Tufte, E. (1990) Envisioning information. Connecticut, USA: Graphic Press.

 

Illustrations:

Bell, A. (2018) Splitting a sunbeam [photograph] UK.

Floridi, L. (2010) Information: a very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p30, diagram.