Visual Intelligences Research Project

Seminars : Artists' Seminar : Questions

When you start a piece of work how much do you have an end in mind?  Do you start with an image of what it might look like or its effect/mood?

Some artists describe the creative process in qualitative terms - as a series of judgements about such things as aesthetic quality, communicative power, the work's internal logic and so on.  Other artists are more procedural and systematic. How do you negotiate and develop your process?  What type of decisions do you make?

How much are non-visual matters or thoughts a part of your working process?  Do ideas or even words figure prominently whilst you are making work?

How and when do reflect on your work?

How might a work evolve in relation to other works you have made?

How do you choose titles for your work?

What specific skills have you developed in relation to your work?

What scope is there for unforeseen events occurring in your process?  What is your attitude to them?

How do you know when a work is finished?  Could you consider a work to be finished despite it conveying a substantially different appearance or meaning than originally intended?

Have you ever exhibited or sold your work before you felt ready to do so?  If so what were your concerns?

Do you ever write statements or notes or talk publicly on your work?  If so, do you feel it effects your work?  What sort of thing might you write about and why?

If you had to choose one work to represent you form all that you have made which would you choose and why?  What qualities does it possess and how does it relate to your skills and understanding?

What does the term 'visual intelligence' connote to you?  Do you think it applies to the way you work?  In what ways is it (in)appropriate?

The attributes of visual intelligence have been described as "resonance, expressive power, subtlety, sustainable impact, symbolic richness, poetic evocation, compelling vision".  Would you like your work to have any of these qualities? Which ones and why?

What other qualities does art that you admire have?