Creative Strategies
Goethean Observation
A collection of observations made using Goethe's method of looking, where the imagination, and what Goethe termed, 'new organs of perception,' play an important part in the study of objects, landscapes and buildings. Viewed in a more poetic light, but far from being merely flights of fancy, this method allows the observer to penetrate more deeply into that which they are studying, whether a glass jar on a shelf in a museum, or an old abandoned road. Click for more.
Lists
Lists play an important part in my work and this section contains a number of lists made over the last few years, from those written in preparation for a visit to Bełżec, Poland, to those written as part of a residency in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Click for more.
Everyday Survey
This method requires the observer to sit in a specific place and record everything (as far as is possible) happening around them in a given period of time. Click for more.
Drawing
Drawing can be a particularly useful tool in aiding observations such as those described above. This needn't equate to a detailed rendering of a given scene of object, but a mark-making exercise to establish, for example, patterns of movement. Click for more.
GPS Recording
Using a GPS recorder to plot and record my movements around a particular place had proved particularly useful. There is a distinct relationship between this and drawing, where the body is almost seen to draw itself on the landscape. Click for more.
Free Writing
With this method, the 'writer' is required to write on a given subject - such as a find or a place - for a period of time without stopping. This process can be repeated for increasing durations (2, 3 and 5 minutes for example) and from this stream of consciousness text, small details can reveal hidden insights into whatever is being observed. Click for more.
Free Drawing
When it came to understanding my experience of visiting Auschwitz I turned to free drawing as a means of finding a way into what was a very complex subject. I found that the process worked best when the eyes were kept closed. Click for more.