Visual Grounded Analysis: Developing and Testing a Method for Preliminary Visual Research
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Visual Grounded Analysis: Developing and testing a method for Preliminary Visual Research Lisa Cerutti PhD A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design London Metropolitan University i June 2017 v II ABSTRACT Approaching a new design project by performing preliminary visual research is a common practice in educational and studio settings, particularly in Jewellery and Fashion Design. Collecting images around a given subject or theme — for better understanding its visual traits, or for future reference — could be seen as the counterpart, in visual terms, of a literature search. However, ‘visual research’ is an expression often used rather vaguely for indicating a spectrum of unstructured methodological approaches, whose procedures and underlying assumptions tend to remain unexplained, undisclosed or unquestioned in everyday studio practice. When creative practice becomes an integral part of academic research, though, there is an increased need for rigor and explicitness regarding every aspect about it, including all the work preliminary to it. This research aims to develop and test a systematic method for conducting and documenting visual research in the preliminary stages of the design process, contributing to new knowledge in the form of a new visual method, also applicable as a design tool. A reflection on the vagueness and implicitness of the Intuitive Approach (IA) to visual research adopted in the initial stage of this PhD motivated the search for an alternative method that could make transparent and rigorous the taken-for-granted, subjective assumptions behind the research initially conducted. The iterative and data-driven nature of the IA oriented the methodological quest towards established qualitative approaches in the Social Sciences, focusing on Emergent Methods and Grounded Theory. By translating and adapting some of their procedures to suit a visual context, a new method, Grounded Visual Analysis (GVA), has been developed III ABSTRACT and tested, revealing its suitability for achieving a higher degree of explicitness and systematicity in the process of data collection and analysis, and increasing the richness of the visual patterns elicited from the data, thus their potential for stimulating reflective practice. The development of GVA is offered as the major contribution to knowledge of this research, together with its application on a practical case as the demonstration of its double functioning, either as a reflective method for conducting visual research in the preparatory phase of the design process, and as a design tool for stimulating the generation of new ideas and design briefs. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A PhD can be a very intense experience and mine is no exception. It has been a tough ride and a test of resilience and determination, despite personal difficulties and an unsettled working environment. Nevertheless, I have been blessed by the presence of a few people of invaluable worth, without whose support and encouragement this research would never be accomplished. All my gratitude goes to my principal supervisor, Chris Smith, whose insight, brilliance and open-mindedness have never ceased to impress me. I owe him the substance and evolution of this PhD, and I will always be thankful for his generosity, for putting in place all the possible support during his time at the Cass and for remaining as my supervisor after leaving the University. He has been a mentor to me and I will miss his irresistible wit. I am also grateful to Linden Reilly, a truly beautiful person who came on board as a second supervisor after two years on this journey, imprinting a decisive mark on this research with her insightful suggestions. Thanks to her bright and inquisitive mind she has shown me how to become a better researcher. I would like to thank Professor Steven Scrivener and Professor Tom Fisher for accepting to be my external examiners and for their care and professionalism in going through this thesis and conducting my Viva. There are a few people who have helped in different roles and capacities, even with small but significant gestures and for this reason I would like to mention, in no particular order Lewis Jones, Dr Mathew Philip, Cathy Sullivan, Simone Ten Hompel, Dr Kristina Niedderer, Prof David Durling, Chiara Francesconi, Max Mainini, Cecile and Philippe Balland, Sophie Pecko and Wally Sewell. A special thank you goes to my colleagues at Moorgate and Aldgate V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS libraries for their support and friendship, in particular to Julian Macho and Paul Jamison. I am forever indebted to four extraordinary women who have been very close to me, especially when I was at my weakest and on the verge of giving up: my friend Dr Lydia Quaye for always being an example of strength and balance and for relentlessly going through the tedious task of proofreading this thesis, despite having just given birth to her first baby; my guardian angel Anila Ahmad, for constantly checking on me and giving me energy with her enthusiasm, humour, love and words of wisdom; my ‘Doc’ Maria Fieramonti Scarpato, who has always been there for me like a second mum and whose love and esteem still make me proud of myself; and last, but not least, my one and only Mum, to whom I owe everything, who has shared with me every minute of every day, each joy and pain, always sacrificing herself for my own good. I thank all the old friends who kept on believing in me and my superpowers () and my partner Alessio for his presence over the years, especially during the difficult times of my illness. This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Piera and Vittorio, who have been my strength along the way, assisting me in every situation. I hope this accomplishment goes a little way to repay them for all they have done for me. VI VISUAL SYNOPSIS Figure 1 - The thesis content at a glance VII TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. IV VISUAL SYNOPSIS ....................................................................................................................... VI TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................VII LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................... X LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ XIV ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... XV DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................... XVI CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION: FROM PRACTICE TO METHOD ..................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 2 1.1 - FROM STAGE 1 TO STAGE 2 – THE EVOLUTION OF A PHD ........................................................ 4 1.2 - PRACTICE AS/IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH VS PRACTICE AS/IN STUDIO RESEARCH .................... 11 1.3 - THESIS STRUCTURE AND CONTENT ......................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 2 - STAGE 1 - IA - A PRACTICE-BASED APPROACH ....................................................... 23 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 24 2.1 - STAGE 1- RATIONALE .............................................................................................................. 25 2.2 - STAGE 1 – PROBLEM AND QUESTION ..................................................................................... 33 2.3 - STAGE 1 – CONTEXT ................................................................................................................ 34 2.3.1 - Sub-theme 1: Contemporary Jewellery (CJ) ...................................................................... 35 2.3.2 - Sub-Theme 2: New Materials in Jewellery ........................................................................ 47 2.3.3 - Sub-Theme 3: Light as a Material ...................................................................................... 57 2.3.4 - Sub-Theme 4: Wearable Light .......................................................................................... 64 2.3.4.1 - Light by Jewellery Designers ........................................................................................ 66 2.3.4.2 - Light by Product designers .......................................................................................... 75 2.3.4.3 - Light as a Novelty ........................................................................................................ 78 2.4 - STAGE 1 – METHOD: THE INTUITIVE APPROACH (IA) .............................................................. 79 2.4.1 - IA - Visual Archives ............................................................................................................ 81 2.4.2 - IA - Image Collection ........................................................................................................