reflecting and sorting through the arguments: in working my way through the texts that i have been reading about landscape and gender, i have come across many arguments about how landscape is gendered. sorting through the various arguments, i think it will be helpful to list ways that landscape has been gendered and feminised (i am not sure how i feel about that term yet). landscape has been gendered and feminised as follows 1) landscape represented like a female body to be viewed pleasurably from a male gaze and position (dominant, distant etc) 2) females placed in the landscape and so aligning female to nature and the natural landscape (or male aligned to things not of the landscape; intellectual pursuits, culture etc) 3) landscape represented as a female figure – a beautiful, young woman, a mythical figure 4) landscape as places where female movement is conditioned (permitted or controlled) as a result of social practices and laws.
in most of these points, sometimes it is only the male position that is given and this in turn implies the female position. what is at play in these arguments are mainly binary positions which act like dividing lines of ‘if not belonging to this then it must belong to that’.
my snow video touched on the first point, looking at positions of viewing the landscape but taking a non-binary position, physically, i.e. from the middle of the road. i also think that the video might touch on the forth point and also looks at places we should or wouldn’t normally go (on city but not country roads).
what do i want to say, how i’m going to say it: i am pretty excited by all the arguments and ideas i have been exploring and am happy to continue exploring in an organic way. it might be time to ask myself if i know yet what i want to say. is it about testing those gendered lines of binary divisions in relation to how we see and consider the landscape? if so, is it worth spending time exploring through 3d object making processes or just get out in the landscape walking, capturing, intervening? i guess i’ll have a clearer answer to that question as i proceed (or maybe just a clearer question).
going further: for the moment i will continue to explore by allowing one thing to suggest another and also continue to with some 3d object making processes. now, half way through this exploratory project, i can begin to name the processes particular to the areas i will explore. my thinking is –
after touching on perspective and position from which to view the landscape in ‘from the middle of the road’ video, i want to explore non-binary positions further. i think this lends itself to walking and lens based work. i am also curious about exploring it through 3d object making processes and will timetable some time to explore this also.
looking at the third point, representing and romanticising the landscape as an ‘ideal’ or and idealised female figure is also something i want to investigate. i have been collecting recordings of the weather forecast as i feel it is related to the something about a romantic landscape and a real landscape somehow; ‘the practical and the poetic’. again this might link to a non-binary position about the real and the idealised. i think i might explore this through text somehow or print? this area is particularly relevant to an irish context and my contextual study.
in short: walking, lens based and 3d object processes for exploring non-binary positions. text and/or print processes for romantic versus the real (this might become lens based or even 3d).
my revised timetable: i thought i had abandoned my first timetable but i seem to be following it after all – as i had timetabled week 5 to reflect. after reflecting, i think i am a little more clear about what i want to explore or question and how, so i can be more specific about what processes i want to explore and will add them (in blue) to my timetable. i also mixed up what weeks i have off for easter, so i will rearrange what weeks i put together.
outline made (week 1), blue reflection/update (week 5) pink reflection/update (week 9)
week 1: generate ideas, make outline plan (tick).
week 2: begin research reading; texts related to gendered landscape, decide and outline first experiment / exploration. (tick, am also reading texts related to contextual study)
week 3 & 4: make / do first experiment / exploration (lens based leading to object based). tutorial re PPP (tick, made ‘from the middle’ video, started to explore 3d processes (sprig molds) but did not develop object based work related to the lens based work, had a PPP tutorial with Caroline, had a CS and EP tutorial with Angela, organised student group tutorial for week 5, organised visiting artist tutorial for week 6)
week 5: reflect on first experiment. continue research reading, decide and outline second experiment / exploration. tutorial with tutor and visiting lecturer (tick, reflected and posted about my research making and reading so far, made a list to clarify my ideas, revised my timetable by way of reflecting and specifying my next experiments, had a group tutorial with fellow students (18.03.18)).
week 6: make / do second experiment / exploration (perhaps reverse order to object based leading to lens based). (look at non-binary position/forms – develop 3d processes further – sprig molds and clay casting. prepare questions and have a tutorial with visiting artist – Kim Pace). (tick, but 3d processes are slow and bringing me infinitely new ways so I will continue to develop 3d processes as one thing leads to another, good tutorial with kim especially relating to clay as a material of the landscape).
week 7 & 8: reflect on second experiment. continue research reading, decide and outline third experiment / exploration ((2 easter weeks) week 7: block time for research and writing contextual study, week 8: reflect on 3d object based work so far and start slip casting. continue to develop lens based work looking at non-binary positions, landscape and weather, reflect on work so far). (tick: got a good bit of work done on my contextual study, 3d processes going slowly but on making day i made progress, also made great use of my time in Tipp working on lens based work and landscape views- for 3d, print and video work).
week 9 & 10: make / do third experiment / exploration (perhaps to include a new process). make sure you have arranged a group crit. (language and text based work looking at romanticised/real landscape and gender – this also links to non-binaries) (tick, making steady progress at image and text manipulation, have a workshop booked on ceramic transfer images, sent my contextual study draft, continue to work on image/text and prepare for print).
week 11: reflect on third experiment. continue research reading, decide and outline forth experiment / exploration (as is) (print session)
week 12: (full week off) make and do forth experiment (perhaps to include a new collaboration). (this is not my week off, continue developing my text based work and consider preparing an image for print if relevant – it would be possible to book a day in the printing studios in week 13 if i wanted). (finish contextual and PPP, continue 3d processes / video work)
week 13: reflect on fourth experiment and on all experiments and explorations. (this is my full week off, print in printing studios if required, prepare for presentation and reflect on total project, finish and submit contextual study). (sent PPP and contextual)
week 13 & 14: finish off / refine work made, select work for assessment.
week 15: send work for assessment
notes from my student group hangout (18.03.18): many areas covered when talking with fellow students last night. we discussed how our work was going so far, what we were working on, what we were finding difficult. we discussed how to pace our work how we are coping with the work load. we discussed our contextual studies and useful links for referencing. we discussed our PPP and what we were hoping/planning to achieve. we discussed our making day and how we might do it distantly rather than in the studio.
elaine crowe 
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