Developing critical reflection in Artistic Research
The Norwegian Academy of Music’s RAPP Lab was an online-only format, due to the governing covid-restrictions at that time.
The design of the Lab was highly affected by this. The content, the duration of each session, the breakout-groups, and the amount of own (home) work was directly affected by the online format. The format took away the opportunity to play live music and to play together – which in an on-site version of the Lab would have been a significant element. One of the positive aspects of the online format was the ability to work individually, even with many participants. The Lab should be possible to carry out also on-site, provided there are rooms and facilities for all participants to be able to work with sound and/or instruments.
The model of critical reflection that was presented in this Lab separates it into three major phases, each divided into three sub-phases.
The first phase was preparation before the Lab, and it concerned Critical Reflection as Exploring.
In preparation for the Lab project week, we asked each of the participants to fill out a questionnaire, both for NMHs Lab team to be able to organize themed breakout groups, and to help the participants tune in to our Lab. Here are the questions we asked:
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Critical Reflection as Exploration – pre-Lab |
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Observation (pre-phase – ‘infra-red’) |
Across the entire field of my artistic practice, where are the areas or issues that feel as if they could be informed or enriched by critical reflection? |
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Contemplation |
Which of these areas or issues, on closer inspection, look(s) most promising from the point of view of benefiting from critical reflection? |
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Interrogation |
Can I formulate a research question which merits extended critical reflection and has some prospect of yielding insights that will inform my artistic practice? Which tools or resources might assist me in this? |
Furthermore, we asked the participants to visit four presentations (expositions) from NMH’s portal in Research Catalogue:
THE SOLOIST IN CONTEMPORARY PIANO CONCERTI (2018)
Ellen Ugelvik
PERCUSSION THEATRE: A BODY IN BETWEEN (2019)
Jennifer Torrence
THE HYPER(SONAL) PIANO PROJECT (2019)
Morten Qvenild
ENSEMBLE & ENSEMBLE OF ME - WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT IMPROVISATION (2017)
Ivar Grydeland
To reflect critically, one must first gather the material on which to reflect. This requires an open, inquisitive mind-set and begins with the act of careful observation. Then time and space are needed to internalize what has been observed. This outwardly passive stage is one of deep and intense internal contemplation. Finally, in this first phase of exploration, the participant begins to formulate questions arising from their observations and contemplation; they start to challenge the material they have absorbed and probe the gaps, contradictions, etc. in it. This stage of interrogation should set them upon a path of research enquiry that arises organically from the nature of material.
The second phase was concerned with Critical Reflection as Processing.
Armed with a set of research questions, the participant must refine, and probably reduce, these through a process of deliberation. This may be conducted internally or in dialogue with others; in this phase of the Lab, interaction among participants was made possible through a week-long series of individual work, joint sessions and breakout groups. Out of the deliberation, there should arise a degree of clarification as to where the real focus of the research should lie. This then requires confirmation, ensuring that the focus chosen is reliable ground on which to build the research; again, critical dialogue with fellow researchers is a valuable tool in coming to a successful conclusion of the processing phase.
The third and final phase was concerned with Critical Reflection as Enacting. It is important that reflection should not be seen as an end in itself, but as an active driver for change and development in the research. This means that as the research unfolds, the process of reflection should continue alongside it and should be manifested in constant modification of the research trajectory. Some of the modifications arising from this interaction will be minor and technical, but the participant must remain open to the possibility of reflection bring about a complete re-imagination of the premises underlying the research. Finally, having maintained a thread of critical reflection, both internally and in dialogue with others, the participant should be conscious that no-one else will have followed this trajectory as closely as they have; they need to be able to re-frame their reflection to make it accessible to others, using skills of communication. In the process they may find that their own thoughts are clarified and that their senses are sharpened for the next period of observation, leading to fresh research questions and new discoveries.