[iDC] Praxis-based Ph.D.s

[Henrik schrat]

Hi iDCers!

Ist my first post here, I have followed now and again a thread, usually just
watch the income ­ number at the iDC Folder in my mailbox growing. Which of
the many lists and boards has got more incomes?!!There is always a race
going on.... just to much to do  - I am so sorry about it always cause its
excellent--- 

About me: I am a full time practicing visual artist, based in Berlin,my name
is Henrik Schrat. Last year I started a in the UK. I am not so much into
media art, my PhD is not practice based, it is a PhD in Management at Essex
University, which does not have art faculties at all, but is a good and
small research University in politics, social science and economy. I am
dealing now for years with economy in my work, and considered of course a
lot of practice based possibilities and still at the Management dept. the
staff would be interested in something practice based (which I kinda refused
so far). Odd situation --

During my tima as a master student in Art (2000 ­ 2002) I witnessed the
first PhD¹s at the Slade School of find Art in London finishing and new ones
starting. My impression ­ not just at the Slade -  was on one hand a rather
negative one: It was much of I-dont-really-know-what-to­do and so I do a
PhD, and stay a bit longer at the University. The bad wild wild world and
market outside, the MOTHER University is so cosy.  (So thanks to Tom for
that: “Artists functioning in a critical academic environment often become
so self-conscious and tentative they can hardly go forward with their
work.³) 

On the other hand a PhD as a respected (outside art, outside academia)
degree is about power management in the knowledge economy, and where stands
the artistit in this rather political issue. Looking at it from this
perspective, the PhD is a fine thing to power-broker better for another
(cultural) society, as long as the artist does not get lost in institutions
or at least keeps a wider perspective. Back in time, the founding of the
(art) University and the transformation or the institutional invention of
the artist in the 15th century had for my taste the same pragmatic backround
(better payment for artistic services and higher social standing among other
benefints. But no real relation to the knowledge system ’art¹)

 

I found Mary Annes arguement interesting:  - “In a sense, such a degree is a
critique of traditional hierarchical notions of "knowledge," "academic
value," "intelligence," and what is of worth and supported within culture.³
I would wish so! But I am not sure if it is not just the other way round?
That art subdues to a knowledge system it is ­ or was ­ never a part of. To
claim value back, for ’non text based knowledge¹ ­ fantastic. But is a PhD
the format for it? Benchmarking is indeed the question and only way to not
devaluate the whole thing ­but  and the  very word BENCHMARKING and the
field it is coming from does rather doom the outcome to failure I sense.

A PhD is after all an academic format, stemming from a certain centuries old
instituional framwork and getting the blessings from that context. Just with
its very structure it reproduces a growing instituionalisation of the
society. The way art organises knowlege has¹nt got anything to do with an
academic knowledge system.

In this sense I am at the moment very excited by learning about academic
methodology and digest loads of books: observing other forms ­ form in a
purly artistic sense ­ to organise types of knowlege and to power-struggle
to push your own truth through  by changing methods. Quite similar to art
and style discussion. Fascinating, as Spock would say. (((-:

And thanks to Simon Biggs for that one: “That public funding for the arts is
drying up whilst academic research funds for practice based work are
expanding rapidly³ Nightmare. Let that sink in, and what it means in terms
of power and who gets information on display in which chanels etc.

So all that has two sides and I am very suspicious about this developement.

Hope I find someday again the time to text a bit at iDC­

 
Schrat


Mark Bartlett: I would be curious to see your book if it¹s ready!