Today Billy (Anastasios Kiosoglou) came to observe me at Central Saint Martins. I will add my OB1 form to the dashboard and I have also provided Billy with the OB1 form as well as the project brief. I am currently working with a small group of students, five students of our MA Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries cohort. They are currently on a three-week group project called “Obsolescence and Transformation”. On this project they are working in groups to collaborate and locate and research a product, service, system or process that in recent years has become increasingly obsolescent. Initially they should work together as ‘problem finders’ to research and identify the obsolescent factor that they have observed, then to analyse what factors have impacted or are impacting on the obsolescence, and then to provide a critical cultural and historical perspective of the chosen obsolescent product, service, system or process to ensure its preservation or transformation.
A key part of this project is obtaining external feedback and communication. To support the project outcome the students are expected to contact and engage with two key external groups: a) The experts b) The users
They should locate, communicate with and obtain perspectives from one or more experts and users within the field and get feedback from them on a strategy for preservation or transformation.
Being a collaborative project the students each need to take responsibility for key areas of the project:
– Secondary Research/location of the theme
– External liaison, interviews, primary research
– Creative application and communication
As a group they are also required to obtain visual, written or recorded evidence, feedback and commentary from the two external groups (experts and users) through a collectively written reflective journal that captures and provides evidence of their process.
Today was the end of the second week of this three week project and next Monday all groups will be presenting their outcomes and have to show the following deliverables:
• a five-minute short film/video sequence that embeds the following;
a) a general description of obsolescent factor
b) Analysis on what factors have impacted (or are impacting) on the obsolescence
c) a critical perspective and speculation on its future (if there is one)
• a poster (no larger than A2)
– a provocation or leading question
– mission statement for the preservation/transformation strategy
– a call to action
• Group written 500 word report
The session was a little slow-going. The students hadn’t really progressed as far as they should have at this point. They have done some individual research, but apart from some communication on WhatsApp they hadn’t really collaborated as much as they should do for this project. I have made them aware of their lack of progress but also tried to be as encouraging, engaging and motivating as possible in order to get them to swing into action. I also reminded them of the Learning Objectives, which drive our evaluation of their work. Then I tried to be very practical and focus on what steps need to be done during the remaining week to get them back on track and in a position to deliver the outcomes required.
During the break I spent some time with Billy and he told me about his impressions and suggestions and thoughts. It was very interesting and fruitful. I perceived the peer observation as something really valuable for the PgCert course as someone else’s perspective does help tremendously.