Case study: A student’s Body of Work

Conceptual Framework The Conceptual Framework in Visual Arts is a system that allows you to clarify the important relationships between you (the artist), the world around you, your art, and the audiences who view and experience your work. It provides a useful model for students to use in artmaking. It assists you to develop your intentions about what you make as artworks and as a body of work. The Conceptual Framework can also help you to interpret the world and anticipate audience responses. By exploring all the links between the agencies you are able to more clearly understand the art world, because the Conceptual Framework puts art and artists in the context of time and place.

Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) Syllabus According to the syllabus for Visual Arts Stage 6, through the Conceptual Framework, students learn about: the role of the artist: who, what and why? the role and value of the audience as a body of critical consumers artworks as real objects, as material, physical and virtual objects how interests in the world are represented in art.

Creating a meaningful body of work To do this consider the following: Who am I? What are my likes and dislikes? What are my passions, fears, worries and dreams? What do I care about? What am I concerned about? What do I enjoy doing and what am I good at? What are my relationships with others: family, friends and peers? What is my experience of the physical world around me? How do everyday events, people, objects and places in the world affect me?

Tymon: a personal conceptual framework A good place to begin is with the world around you as it contains many things that could influence your art works. Start thinking about your surroundings and make a conceptual framework mind map like Tymon Langford did. Tymon’s personal conceptual framework (or mind map) about Gladesville Hospital.

Once Tymon had found places that interested him or meant something to him he began to record them using different media – in this case, sketching. Tymon Langford, student, Gladesville: By the Bay 1, sketch 1, Pen and ink, 30 × 20 cm. Artist’s collection. Tymon Langford, student, Gladesville: By the Bay 1, sketch 2, Pen and ink, 30 × 20 cm. Artist’s collection.

Research Just as you would research an artist for inspiration and to gain an understanding of the conceptual framework surrounding their artworks, it is also a good idea to research subjects in your mind map. Tymon researched the old hospital and found a story that interested him. The story gave him background about the hospital and he was able to incorporate this story and his feeling about the culture and history of the hospital into his artworks.

Communicating feelings Think about the Subjective Framework and try to communicate emotions and ideas through your artworks. Tymon communicates the loneliness and echoes of the past he felt at the hospital into his artworks, representing the human side of the hospital. p.134 Tymon Langford, Gladesville Hospital, sketch 4, Pen and ink, 30 × 20 cm. Artist’s collection. Tymon Langford, Gladesville Hospital, sketch 5, Pen and pastel, 30 × 20 cm. Artist’s collection.

Preparing the artworks for an audience Tymon was happy with his drawings but was having difficulty deciding how to present them for his final submission. He investigated other artists in order to get ideas of how to present his artworks. He came across the work of Marcel Duchamp, which inspired him to present his drawings in a suitcase like a mini exhibition.

Body of work Your developing body of work is always important in structuring your final submission. When Tymon was looking through his VAPD, photos that he had taken when developing his final piece appealed to him in a new way and he decided to submit them instead of his original idea. Tymon Langford, Body of Work, Leaving the Asylum: 1978, Digital photographic prints, 100 × 60 cm each. Artist’s collection.

Summary The Conceptual Framework enables you to understand the agencies in the artworld the artist, artwork, world and audience. It provides a framework for understanding the relationships between artists and their artworks, audiences and artists, audiences and artworks and so on.