Our discussion on Research with Dina Sabri, on Wednesday 12th January 2022, in our scheduled session lead me to consider how I holistically introduce the subject matter of ‘research’ to my students within the discipline of Fashion. Under the two umbrellas of quantitative and qualitative research, there is a question of ‘integrity’ and its identification. To give its respective honour by referencing and then introducing ‘debate’ through ‘focus’ groups as a legitimate and valid source of inclusion in the design process.
I’ve always taught students that in order to successfully explore the design process, one must commit to fully engaging in each stage of the process with due diligence. This namely being from the Design Brief, to Inspirational Research, Initial Design Ideas generated, Design Developments, Sampling Experimentation, Editing + Selection, Realisation, concluding with Presentation.
I feel that the session was transformative to my own pedagogy for it reminded me that from the ‘get go’ there is a very high standard to adhere to, one engages in the process of ‘research’, albeit we were discussing research related to institutions + the pro’s and cons of being neutral + objective, without bias. However, I could not but correlate the levels of integrity demonstrated in our discussions to having the same in art + design. Where we observe the ‘crit’ or ‘critique’ as an essential benchmark within the design process, where notes and directives are recorded, often changing the trajectory of a students creative direction, from the power of this pivotal stage, wherever + whenever it is placed within a creative journey.
Maybe this is for my own rumination, where to be considered in a more elevated and formalised manner + introduced by way of collaboration in a peer-to-peer vernacular, as part of the said detailed Design process. This potential functionality may engage students in learning specialist work-based terminology quicker + to build resilience + to share work-in-progress, minimising working in isolation + developing confidence as specialist practitioners.
Madeleine Vionnet said ‘What is wanted, you see, is to raise couture to the status of an apostolic mission’ in the same way, I feel that the way I deliver Design within a compassionate learning + teaching framework has the potential to be future-thinking in embedding a potential ‘new’ terminology for the ‘critique’ which rewrites the narrative. Shedding the skin of its former negative connotations, to be an improved version, which is inclusive + by its very nature encouraging to all participants.