The Heuristics Laboratory

From the 9th November to 2nd December the Heuristics Laboratory will present their first project in the Malt Cross, Nottingham. Using the concept of the laboratory, each artist will exhibit for a week challenging their ability learn and discover, the exhibits will show work in progress, documenting genuine experiments. Pete McPartlan is investigating telecine, attempting to dismantle the process by which film is converted to video, turning the city into an improvised post-production laboratory, Ruth Scott exploring balance and imbalance by learning to tightrope-walk and Georgie Park is exploring her connection to the domestic environment by learning the traditional craft of wood turning. 

The term ‘heuristics’ raises interesting ideas around learning and development, especially if allied with an art practice.  An artist is always learning, or at least developing, however might seldom take time to discover a new process, skill or technique without a definite endpoint or purpose being identified. An art practice could be defined as heuristic in itself, but what happens when this is brought to the fore and shown as artwork?   

I have been talking, via e-mail, to Georgie about ideas of craft, process and learning. We have made mention to several articles, which I have tried to summarise, but a more in-depth look is advised. Visit the Heuristics Laboratory's blog.

Dan Green:

Perhaps we could begin by talking about the idea of heuristics.  It seems to me to infer a kind of amateurism around learning as if the processes by which in this case, a skill is learnt become intuitive by way of discovery.  I suppose I'm interested in how this idea of learning outside of a structured environment lends itself to following a pedagogy or to developing a learning style of one's own.   
 
What are your thoughts from the experience so far? 
 

Georgie Park:

There are many broad definitions to heuristics although I'm not sure I agree that it is synonymous with the idea of amateurism: 
 
For me, developing technique and attempting to master a skill is an integral part of what I am doing. However, although these things are important, my purpose is very different: it is more that through the learning process I can use the craft for a completely different means. That is to allow the act of making itself to become symbolic both personally whilst in the act and for the viewer of the work in retrospect of my activities. So what would otherwise be viewed as sculptural object can be seen as performative. Using the laboratory concept to give access to our learning activities has given the freedom to do this. 
 
I consider my learning process almost as research, not only into my ability to learn, but that through persistent repetition and commitment to process I am orchestrating rumination through which I may also come to personal discoveries. 

Dan:

I've always been fascinated by the bodger, my understanding is that they often lived out in the woods so they could be close to the material upon which their livelihood was based, turning them into intriguing almost romantic figures, and probably the source of many folk tales.

 
How has the experience of learning been for you so far?  I like the idea of a sculptural object being seen as performative.  I spent some time a couple of years ago mulling over the idea of the value of an artwork being in it’s production and of works that require persistence and development over time, influenced in part by some of Alfred North Whitehead’s ideas of Process Philosophy. 
 
 
Georgie:

I don't know that much about Alfred North Whitehead’s ideas of Process Philosophy but so far as I can grasp from my limited reading, his ideas are based on the proposal that rather than reality being based on substance, that everything is entirely constructed of moments of experience, even concrete objects. Which does make sense in relation to the work I am making now.   I have always been attracted to process but recently realised that the process of making is more important to me than what comes out at the end. I think that this is because I was working a lot with casts and molds and found that I had a feeling of general dissatisfaction about whatever come out at the end; the whole point of a mold is to produce a flawless object that hides the rest if the process - much of which is laborious and entirely visually interesting - I began to feel it was a shame for all that to suddenly become redundant.  
 
So far the most difficult thing with the turning has been getting to know the machine. I have never worked with machines before and getting over the fear of working with a process that essentially demands that you apply a sharp tool to a fast spinning bit of wood has been a challenge. I feel like I approached the process feeling very separate from the lathe (that I was the operator) but now realise there is more negotiation going on: that the body and the machine some how become connected and that I am interacting with it rather than controlling it. It is interesting to see how quickly my muscles gain memory and it has been entirely satisfying to find moments when my hands are one step in front of my brain. However it is not entirely instinctive yet, I'm finding I have to maintain the right level of stress - if too relaxed or too uptight I can make mistakes which make the tool kick back which is a little scary. 

Dan:

 I'm wondering about the word craft, it's one that sometimes creates a sticking point between art and craft, between the artisan approach of independently producing what might normally be done in a mass context and the artist producing their own work to their own specifications; how this is a more modern idea, with the two having originated synonymously with the production of artifacts being a learnt and developed craft.  I'm not sure where that is going, and shall mull on it. 

Georgie: 
"Craft" is a very difficult word to use. It is often misused or misunderstood. I'm imagining that at some point it was a very normal word used to refer to someone with a highly skilled role and that as technologies advanced and machines became more important it began to refer to something obsolete and this is where the problems with the word started (this is all speculative). It can not so readily be used, for example, to refer to someone highly skilled a computer programming (not without prior explanation) - which I think is a shame.  
 
It is a tangent but this "rant" explores (although with a feminist slant) some of the irony of the recent "revival" in craft; her argument suggesting that through this, many makers are attaining higher levels of obsoletion. I definitely think "craft" is worth more consideration, I find it a somewhat a delicate subject - one that I have been trying to grapple with for some time. (1)

Dan:

I think this is interesting -

"Craft is remembering that art is seen, felt and heard as well as understood, knowing that not all ideas start with words, thinking with hands as well as head."

Mark Jones, Director, Victoria & Albert Museum (2)

 
I like the idea that craft allows to go beyond the conceptual thinking, and as such develop the work whilst directly in contact with it.  I think this is quite interesting and sits well with the idea of work where the medium or materials dictate to work or provide focus for the reading. 
 
Having considered this a while over the last few days, the Axisweb article is interesting.  I was going to mention the fact that you have begun to take on a craft that may well be considered male in it's practice due to the involvement with the machine and the physicality, although this may well be drawn from historical association of the role.  I'm wondering if this was a deliberate choice, but do not think that it should have been so; the de-gendering of practice is important, however there is an unfortunate tendency, perhaps need, to consider the gender of the artist when approaching work made in certain ways or styles.  I was recently at the Pompidou, where a recent re-hang has seen them exhibit solely female artists.  It's an interesting prospect, I found myself less and less aware of the issue as I moved around the show, wanting to see the work for what it was.   
 
I think the other problem with craft is it's association with craft fairs and the end use of the item.  I think this is a new definition of the word, but one that pervades, the idea that objects are made for sale, even if decorative, but with a function in mind; I'm wondering what the difference between this and an artwork is therefore, perhaps it's the notion of entertainment, perhaps the function of communicating an idea.  It feels as though re-definition is necessary, and we seem to be in a time of re-thinking. 
 
I remember the lathe at school being terrifying and making a total hash of using it.  There is a real delicacy and care required to tease the wood into form that contrasts nicely with the speed and power of the machine. 
 

Georgie:

I like the idea of "thinking with hands" (and bodies) - I think that knowledge and knowing are different - where the mind can have knowledge and awareness of something, hands can know and understand - in real time.  I also think that the process of making is great for "ideas that start with words" too, maybe simply because making often leads to something tangible, hence concrete, hence real.  But I also think that there is something in concentrating on actions that allows the mind to think more clearly. People will for example go for a long walk to purposefully think something through. Something about a physical action must make thinking easier or perhaps its about the narrative of the intention to create a focused environment for that purpose. Even if in the end what we achieve is not an actual break from reality but something that is idealised as so, I think it helps.  
 
Quite a few people have raised the question about the gender of the craft - a couple (of men) annoyingly feeling the need to "positively discriminate" informing (and patronisingly reassuring) me that "women turners are usually better than men" due to something referred to as our "gentler approach" - I'm sure that people have good intentions but it sort of points out the gender divide persists all beit in this case subconsciously. However this stuff is incidental - it was not a conscious choice - gender politics is not something I am intending to address in this piece of work. It would be nice to be able to practice outside of gender politics - but I am aware that it may always be there what ever I produce. As an artist I can not always have complete control over semantics of my work, however this is okay - I accept that once made my work will change as it is perceived by someone else  
 
Did you read my blog post on the difficulty of the word craft- I had a little bit of a more in depth rant about this stuff (3).  I wonder whether the recent revival has done more harm that good - craft now referring to more of a novelty item than a honed skill. 
 

Dan:

Does this project have an endpoint for you; I appreciate that there is a distinct difference between the Heuristics Laboratory and your own practice, but wondered if the final 'exhibition' part of the project is an endpoint or whether it is more of a target.  I think within this I'm wondering about how you think the experience will affect your future work through the practical (woodturning) skills but perhaps more poignantly through the integral learning development and other more circumstantial or unexpected developments that occur along the way.  There is also an interest in how you might use that final week to develop the idea (there is a whole debate over how to 'show' work that is reliant on the process of course) and perhaps how you might evaluate - I remember reading about an idea to take what you had produced to an expert. 

Georgie:

I think naturally one thing leads on to another. One unexpected thing that has come out of wood turning is that I have started to see drawing as a way to make work as well as a way to consider ideas. I think that was because I enjoyed the immediate nature of using a tool on wood and saw strong connections between this and mark making: one process allowing me to re-consider another. 

By design, the process by which I am making this work: starting off with no knowledge of woodturning but working to deadline, means that inevitably there will be change along the way. I have to work through all the problems at the same time as making the work. I will only know how best to present it when it is "complete" (when I have no more time), but I like working in this way it allows me to continue to play with the work up until the very end. 
 

Related articles mentioned in the text: 

1 - Ele Carpenter looks at activist tendencies in craft in relation to contemporary capitalism. http://bit.ly/dcOeIA  (accessed 22/09/2010)

2 - What is Craft?  Leading figures were asked by the V&A to define the word ‘craft’

http://bit.ly/9I6FCc (accessed 24/09/2010) 

3 – Blog post by Georgie discussing whether the work adds anything ‘to the discourse around the status of craft?’ http://bit.ly/9gezkX (accessed 27/09.2010) 
 

The Heuristics Laboratory is an analogy for an idealised learning environment that is open to play, experimentation and reflection. In their first public project the three members of The Heuristics Laboratory will have a week each to explore their respective learning activities - analysing and exposing different modes of problem solving: persistence, intuition or trial and error.

Pete McPartlan's project Telecine will attempt to dismantle the process by which film is converted to video, turning the city into an improvised post-production laboratory. (9th – 13th November)

Line Walk by Ruth Scott will be an exploration of balance and imbalance through learning to walk on a slack-line. ( 16th – 20th November)

Georgie Park is exploring her connection to the domestic environment by learning the traditional craft of wood turning. (23rd – 27th November)

The exhibitions will display the work in-progress, documenting genuine experiments as the artists challenge their ability to learn new skills. The exhibition will run from the 9th to the 27th November at The Malt Cross Gallery, St James' Street and will close with an event on the 2nd December 8pm-10pm with an opportunity to see the results of the experiments through live events and screenings and the launch of Lab Notes - a publication charting their results. Also join us on the 25th November from 8pm for a night of film and performance featuring Phil Niblocks Movemement of People Working and more TBC. All events are free.

More information and a frequently updated blog is available www.theheuristicslaboratory.org.uk or alternatively e-mail hello@theheuristicslaboratory.org.uk to be added to the mailing list.