GCOP tutorial 29/03/2012

Tutorial w/Sally + Jason 29/03/2012

Jas: Have you got the essay?

Jess: I have, but only on paper.

Jas: I’ll read that while sally has a look at the artefact. What’s the title of it?

Jess: I have no idea yet.

Jas: This is great. So, you need a title. That’s the last bit that you need to worry about, it’s something that you can think about over Easter. This is great; what you’ve done is completely synthesised the relationship between that (artefact) and this (essay). Full of... although it’s about yourself, full of loads of supporting material that backs it up, which is a really good way of working. You’ve got your Harvard under control, which is great. You make a nice conclusion.
Okay, I might just think about this word... you say cagey?

Jess: Defensive, suspicious... stingy?

Jas: Because throughout this is actually really well written academically... cagey just doesn’t seem to fit. Fits on the everyday, but not on this.

Sal: I think there’s a language essence to it, which is good though. I know it’s hard to do it in an essay, isn’t it?

Jas: Oh no, this is wonderful.

Sal: I think words like cagey are interesting.

Jas: Okay, leave it in!

Sal: Oh no, I’m not disagreeing. In the context of the way you’re writing this, words like cagey have to be framed... we can allow it actually because there’s a language that you’re using... I’m just looking through, but the way in which you’re making your notes. There’s kind of an intentional way of critiquing that language, coming through it. Do you understand what I’m saying? And I think that’s quite interesting; it’s not accidental that you’re using that word. So, I think, it’s a little bit creative in that way. So it’s just the framing of it really, but it exists because it needs to.

Jas: I mean the writing is brilliant...

Sal: Because you’re not the only person who has diaried their life as an art practice. But the way that you’re critiquing the language as an art practice is inherent, through this. I think that’s interesting. I think you should celebrate that. This is great, these diagnostics there.

Jas: So this starts on...

Jess: About a month, maybe 5 weeks ago.

Jas: As an artefact this is lovely. Really, kind of, looking at, say, people like that... that notion of what Perec says, about documenting the little things. Until the plane falls out of the sky, you never notice the plane. So the idea that porridge makes you happy, you know? I love the materiality of it as well, the fact that bits come out. I would leave that in.

Jess: I think there is an aesthetic to it.

Jas: But the aesthetic is nothing without the academic material, and I think that’s really strong. What did you think of Sophie Calle when you looked at her?

Jess: I just think that she has such a sense of humour. I want to read more, but I didn’t get a chance; her book is always out! She’s very popular.

Jas: I don’t know if you ever saw the one she did on ‘exquisite pain’? It’s the one where she’s detailing the breakup of a relationship, but before and after. I think you need to look at that, I think you’ll love it. Not for this, just for yourself. You don’t need any more for this, you’re there. But yeah, that’s one you really want to check out, I think. Or the one that she did where she basically got an email dumping her.

Jess: And she shared it!

Jas: And that was brilliant, that kind of intimacy...

Sal: Jess if you’re asking questions; there’s a lot of questions in here... as long as you tackle them. I haven’t read down... but if you do in any piece of writing, if you do raise these concerns or niggles or issues; take them on. Or if it’s not going to be tackled right after, say ‘later’. Try and answer your own questions, because they’re really good questions.

Jas: It doesn’t need anything else really, does it?

Sal: The way that the writing is linked to the artefact is really solid. Just take them on.

Jess: Well I need to go back and polish and edit.

Jas: Don’t polish too much!

Sal: Don’t trim out the good bits.

So the things that I need to do to finish up my essay are:

Title it

Reword ‘cagey’. I’m not happy with this either. It came as part of a shorter segment that I wrote and pasted into the essay, and it doesn’t sit write. Reword and reconsider entire conclusion which was written very quickly.

Questions. I thought I had answered any question I posed, so if I have, I need to make it clearly that these are the point that I’m addressing, and if I haven’t, I need to go back and tackle them.
Add dates to references.