Drawing on Conversation

Practice oriented research, especially in the arts,§has been the focus of much debate in recent years,and§the question of whether artistic activity can be§considered valid in academic research terms continues§to provoke commentary from many perspectives. This§book details a self-reflexive exploration through§contemporary drawing practice, derived from a§philosophical concern as to the nature of the§relation between our meaningful engagement with the§art object, and our inherent predicament as human§beings in a social world. The focus is on drawing in§terms of praxis, embracing the inescapable§subjectivity of artist and art work. The drawing act§itself becomes an inextricable part of hermeneutic§enquiry. The development of an original§methodological approach paves the way for further§work in which drawing practice, characterised as a§useful research tool, potentially crosses§disciplinary boundaries. As such, this book offers a§valuable contribution to the general debate about art§practice as research, and should also be of interest§to anyone who is interested in how understanding can§be achieved through creative response.