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Illumination Through Illustration: Positioning Illustration As Practice-Led Research Stephanie Black

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Illumination Through Illustration: Positioning Illustration As Practice-Led Research Stephanie Black ILLUMINATION THROUGH ILLUSTRATION: POSITIONING ILLUSTRATION AS PRACTICE-LED RESEARCH STEPHANIE BLACK A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy This research programme was carried out with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (Doctoral Award) Faculty of Creative Industries, University of the West of England, Bristol June 2014 This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. 1 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 5 Categories within illustration .......................................................................................................................... 5 Context for the study ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Rationale for the study .................................................................................................................................... 6 Structure of the thesis ..................................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1: METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 10 Terminology: practice-led research .......................................................................................................... 12 Illustration research in relation to existing research paradigms .............................................................. 13 Research traditions and their relationship to writing ............................................................................... 16 Writing as the location of the thesis ......................................................................................................... 17 The Research Process: Overview .................................................................................................................. 18 The Research Process: Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 20 Practice reviewing practice: for practice .................................................................................................. 22 Practice reviewing practice: leading into theory ...................................................................................... 23 Practice reviewing theory ......................................................................................................................... 25 Generating and Analysing Data ..................................................................................................................... 25 Practice, practitioner, world, audience: research methods ..................................................................... 25 Fieldwork .................................................................................................................................................. 26 Analytic autoethnography ........................................................................................................................ 26 Reflective practice .................................................................................................................................... 28 Sketchbooks .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Conversations ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Grounded theory ...................................................................................................................................... 32 Communicating findings................................................................................................................................ 34 Practical outcomes.................................................................................................................................... 35 Identifying a suitable language to evaluate findings ................................................................................ 35 Exhibiting Practice-as-research ................................................................................................................. 36 2 Compromise: practice and research ......................................................................................................... 37 Vehicles for outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 38 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 2: THE S WORD: REPOSITIONING STYLE AS A METHODOLOGICAL CONCERN ............................... 43 Review of literature surrounding style .......................................................................................................... 43 Opinions on style within illustration ......................................................................................................... 43 How style’s role is maintained .................................................................................................................. 47 How do we break out of this? ................................................................................................................... 48 Tools for the job: within illustration ......................................................................................................... 48 Tools for the job: beyond illustration ....................................................................................................... 50 Tools for the job: drawing research .......................................................................................................... 52 Affect and communication ....................................................................................................................... 53 Drawing as a generative tool .................................................................................................................... 54 Practical engagement with style ................................................................................................................... 55 Matching tone of voice with topic ............................................................................................................ 55 Affective resonance .................................................................................................................................. 56 Failure, knowledge and responsibility ...................................................................................................... 59 Failure as a bridge to the viewer .............................................................................................................. 62 Solution: removing the known outcome .................................................................................................. 64 Picture-making .............................................................................................................................................. 67 CHAPTER 3: AMBIGUITY: GAPS AND FRAGMENTS ........................................................................................ 76 Review of Gaps .............................................................................................................................................. 76 Gaps as they arise within illustration commentary .................................................................................. 76 Ambiguity and the viewer ............................................................................................................................. 79 Words, pictures, and the gap between ......................................................................................................... 81 Using text to contain and direct ambiguity ................................................................................................... 85 Assembling autonomous fragments: Gaps between images ........................................................................ 87 Reading gaps: handing over the kit of parts to the viewer ........................................................................... 92 Problems with writerly texts: a warning from history! ................................................................................. 93 3 Gaps in illustration contributing to cultural debate ...................................................................................... 96 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 100 CHAPTER 4: SPACE AND TIME ..................................................................................................................... 102 A review of time in illustration discourse and conversations ....................................................................
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