UNIT 2 ASSESSMENT

I have thoroughly enjoyed an exciting and broad-ranging research journey during the last two years. All my creative experiences and activities have been thoroughly recorded in my blog and, to date, I have published 299 posts with extensive evidence of contextualisation, reflection, experimentation, risk-taking, critical analysis and continuous professional development.

Learning Outcomes

• Present a resolved body of original creative practice that has evidenced the systematic enhancement of your knowledge and understanding (communication and presentation; technical competence; personal and professional development; subject knowledge; research; experimentation).

My research project has gone through several transformative changes and developments. I have thoroughly evidenced the entire creative journey on my blog.

My approach was systematic, methodical and scrupulous and resulted in the development of a long and organised document, which covers all of my practical explorations, thinking and findings. The key categories are as follows:

Experimentation – evidence of looking far beyond the obvious and taking risks in order to develop new ideas and innovative techniques.

Gallery visits and inspirations – viewing of exhibitions and contextualisation of my own practice by interrogating the work of other artists and learning from the process of continuing professional development.

Maps and flowcharts – visualisation and review of progress by searching for new possibilities and analysing logical developments to creative intentions and the overall direction of my practice.

Painting – exploring prospects for painterly, colour and image making opportunities to develop new and innovative painting techniques.

Photography – using photography as a language to communicate my ideas and discuss alternatives.

Primary Sources – it is crucial for my work to be based on an appraisal and critical analysis of real people and situations, which are subsequently used as a stimulus for visual explorations

Reflection – key element of my practice is based on a methodical review of both: my thinking and self-assessment of deep understanding.

Tutorials – negotiating impact of a dialogue with a range of tutors and authentication of learning from others.

Bibliography – trail of selected evidence of ongoing learning, research and contextualisation

Personal Statement – confirmation of a developed sense of direction and the use of visual language to communicate my ideas, research findings and creative intentions to an audience

Initial Research Proposal – formative ideas and possibilities for further refinement and development.

Project Proposal – Draft. – work in progress, which is subjected to scrutiny, development, self-assessment and evaluation

Research Statement – extended contextualisation of own artistic practice and thinking and evidence of employing learning from others

Mid Point Review – formal review and evaluation of progress.

Project Proposal – Final Version – refined aims and objectives of my project and thinking

UNIT 1 ASSESSMENT – curation of blog and submission of assessment evidence.

Competitions – extensive evidence of continuous professional development

Low Residency – extensive review of personal growth and learning experiences from both residency programs

Critical Analysis – systematic, methodical and ongoing evidence of refinements and discussions of ideas and alternatives to develop deep understanding of the use of visual language to communicate intended meanings, messages, research findings and observations.

Video – experimentation with moving image to enhance the breadth of my approach to experimental art practice

SYMPOSIUM – fundamental test of own understanding, fluency and sophistication of visual communication and thinking.

UNIT 2 ASSESSMENT – summative curation of work in preparation for the final submission.

My resolved body of work is exhibited online and the link to my Final Exhibition is below:

https://cables.gl/p/5eb65614c9c5ea4f350f9f87?s=8ZcGTceygsIBRC0J

• Analyse and critically reflect coherently upon your own practice and its context (research; analysis; personal and professional development).

I have coherently produced a thorough and ongoing evidence of critical analysis and reflection. Subsequently, I was able to formulate a refined and highly focused artist statement, which is supported by a range of creative intentions. The essence of this ongoing, continuous and evolving process can be summarised as follows:

My current research project questions responses from people, who are suspended in the vacuum of hypnotic repetition through poverty and deprivation.

I have spent my life travelling and recording human existence in the most distant and exotic locations in 99 countries.

Pav Szymanski

Painter and video artist

Biography:

I am a fine art painter with 30 years of experience. My current research project is based on creating visual responses to my observations of people, who are suspended in the vacuum of hypnotic repetition. I have travelled the world interviewing and recording individuals, who genuinely struggle with their existence in the context of their survival. I have gathered substantial primary sources and evidence from destinations across the globe. Perhaps, the most significant research findings were from Haiti and Myanmar and resulted in the production of the most spectacular paintings. They have inspired me to develop new and innovative ways of working and experimenting with image making, which are appropriate to the subject. They combine the best of traditional achievements and the power of contemporary thinking and deep reflection.

I work full time as a programme coordinator for Art & Design at a large institution offering a broad range of FE and HE qualifications. I am also an external examiner for the UAL and AQA.

Through my projects I feel that I discover my inner fears, longings and re-evaluate my uncertainties. My work seems to be an attempt to explore and question by metaphorical presentation my response to the hidden truths of the world. The essence of the value of these works is in their inherent meaning and an atmosphere, which manifests itself in the dusk of the space portrayed, thus the light may appear, where the hue of colour fulfils clarity and sounds with harmonious melody.

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/

https://pavszymanski.myportfolio.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOq7lHQlrOnKozGz95Hq2CA?view_as=subscriber

https://www.instagram.com/pavszymanski/?hl=en

https://spark.adobe.com/page/fQ9VytzHNpWq9/

My project is a metaphorical attempt to formulate a response to my observations of people, who are entrapped in waiting, while being suspended in the vacuum of hypnotic repetition.

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/category/critical-analysis/

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/category/reflection/

• Summarise and evaluate your overall progress and formulate a constructive plan for continuing Personal and Professional Development (personal and professional development; collaborative and/or independent professional working)

Summative Evaluation and Progression Statement:

I have thoroughly enjoyed an exciting, life-changing and broad-ranging research journey during this course. All my creative experiences and activities have been thoroughly recorded in my blog and, to date, I have published well over 200 posts. In order to give a structure to this ongoing document, I have organised all entries using the following key categories: critical analysis, reflection and experimentation. The others covered methods of visualisation, gathering of primary sources, viewing of exhibitions, reflection on tutorials and self-assessment of progress.

As a result of my world travels, I had a wealth of resources and unique observations of the dynamics of life across humanity. However, I was oblivious to a universal truth, which reveals a common link across nations, cultures and races. My initial research was concerned with the clarification of my creative intentions and learning to understand the potential and value of my learning process.

During reviewing my primary sources and research findings, I noticed reoccurring characteristics across the different data. Therefore, my focus begun to be placed on investigating and questioning the concept on waiting for change in a hope for improvement. I recorded numerous people entrapped in poverty, who were suspended in vacuum of detachment, frozen in a bizarre inactivity without any chances for progress, development and achievement.

Waiting was a form of a coping mechanism, a form of dealing with tepee truth of their world as it really was.

Experimentation with interrogating an amalgamation of painting with a running narrative followed. This possibility was further extended by looking at denial and considering the dimension of time, which was required in order to make things happen and earn the necessary monetary funds.

I tried to remove from my images all symbols of luxury and wealth, which are taken for granted and, simultaneously, remain unobtainable. Gradually, I refined my research question and focused on the space in between certainty and uncertainty. I experimented with video pieces inspired by Bruce Nauman. I started to to alternate a violent act of blasting my paintings off with a powerful jet of water and the repainting process, always uncertain of unpredictability embedded in this method and never satisfied with early of superficial success and accidental effect. I forced myself to persevere and become consistent in my approach.

I took this idea further to a more extreme and aggressive stage by introducing machine interventions. I produced a range of video pieces with impact and potential for further development.

My research findings confirmed that there is little certainty in life and the only constructive way forward is to persevere.

My work has begun to become sophisticated and evolved during a long period of exploration of media, materials and processes, always trying to discuss alternatives and extend the intellectual properties of my current debate and discussion.

My experiences, at this stage, were continuously updated by ongoing visits in search for new primary sources, references and inspirations. At this stage, I was very intrigued by a newly discovered characteristics of uncertainty in the context of waiting.

Hypnotic repetition gives people to lose themselves in an opiate-trans like entrapment in daily routines and automated activities.

This brain numbing approach allows for hope to flourish and despair to depart.

I have also looked at repetition in a variety of contexts and locations to triangulate date, increase authenticity and reliability of my research findings and observations.

I immersed myself in working with a range of characteristics across different cultures, who were subjected to surviving, while being lost and oblivious to reality.

The outcome of this experimentation started to be more exciting than the original piece. It also communicated my concept and creative intentions through the repetitive spinning of a machine without thought, further analysis and reflected the behaviour of the entrapped people through mimicking automated and unconscious actions.

I painted a piece titled Burmese Captain, who was in charge of a ferry and totally disengaged with his passengers. The next significant painting depicted a Pool Player, who was forced to perform to perfection with no end in sight of relieve and portrayed a Snake seller determined to keep her market stall open.

There were also other works, including Wheel of Fortune trolley and Burmese Monks collecting donations. Finally, a large-scale painting depicting a foot masseur. Perhaps this recent attempt to extend my discussion by observing the mundane ritual of repetition in a Thai massage parlour made the most significant contribution to my thinking and visualisation.

Subsequently, I developed a meaningful plan for a range of options for my final exhibition. The essence of my ideas was to reveal the nature of this universal condition using hypnotic and repetitive tactics.

However, who could have anticipated the current situation. The reassurance of repetition is denied and the old dreams, ambitions and desires are totally contradicted. Previously, the status quo was a daily torture and nightmare, but has subsequently turned into their hope and aspiration. Their poverty has become more intense and not starving to death has become the focus of the day. The former definition and understanding of entrapment in hypnotic repetition has been reversed and replaced by survival at its most basic level.

The initial observations of my project were to investigate uncertainty. My research has ultimately closed the full circle and is exposing how life has suddenly become ephemeral and fragile to the extreme. Nothing can be taken for granted and the pandemic has reinforced how unpredictable life is.

Additionally, the element of questioning in my research statement has been given a new significance. We are all trapped in the dark hold, sailing through the rough seas of the crisis with only hope as a comfort. Similarly, the artifact by Balka, which confronted us with a dark space not knowing the environment and not being able to see our way through. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Does optimism become despair.

My ambition is to explore the unknown human reactions to this crisis. I am excited for my work to be shared across to allow for a broader understanding of the world and resourcefulness to keep their spirits high and without self-pity.

Their paradox is, perhaps, most revealing that the people with the least have the most.

My project is on course to continue to develop and expand beyond the scope and time boundaries of this course. I have already planned for a trip to Madagascar and Ethiopia to gather more experiences to respond to and enhance my current understanding and interpretation of the leading research question. I will attempt to develop a further perspective on related issues and observations. My approach and explorations will remain open-ended and without presumption of excitement and uncertainty of tomorrow.

The world has suddenly become a much more complicated place. I am privileged to witness history in the making and would like to respond to the new dramatic developments covering all contexts of life, which is being confronted with so much death, pain and sadness.

My ultimate goal is to prepare a larger number of paintings to reveal the consequence of the evolving emotional narrative in preparation for a one man exhibition.

Assessment Evidence and Submission Requirements

1. Participation in the Symposium.

Symposium – Extensive evaluation and responses to feedback:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/27/symposium-reflections/

Symposium – Final Version:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/12/symposium-final-version/

Symposium – Development of Presentation:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/03/symposium-finished-presentation/

Symposium – Text Preparation:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/01/symposium-text-preparation/

2. Critical Evaluation of your practice and future development (500 words).

I have gone through a very thorough and detailed process of composing and refining of my final evaluation. All stages are listed below:

Final Evaluation:

https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/hypnoticrepetition.com/3075

Version 4:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/11/final-evaluation-refinement-stage/

Version 3:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/08/final-evaluation-version-3-0/

Version 2:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/01/evaluation-development-stage-2/

First draft:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/07/final-evaluation-new-progress/

Initial draft:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/04/26/final-evaluation-initial-draft/

3. Reflective Journal (at least 2000 words)

There is an extensive evidence of in-depth reflection, evaluation and critical analysis. My ongoing and methodical blog entries provide an authentic record of my exploratory journey and, most importantly, thinking. They are also supported by several attempts to refine, clarify and truly understand the meaning of my own work, establish a new direction for my creative intentions and increase the sophistication of the overall communication process.

This applies to all aspects of my research project, including planning, gathering of primary sources, experimentation, contextualisation, visualisation, development, reflection and evaluation, professional development, execution and presentation.

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/category/reflection/

4. Practical work resolved according to your Project Proposal and presented professionally as part of a final exhibition.

Virtual Summer Exhibition 2020 ARTPANDEMIC:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/06/24/artpandemic-virtual-summer-exhibition-2020/

My artpandemic.co.uk profile:

http://www.artpandemic.co.uk/pawel-szymanski

Final Exhibition – Link to Online Platform:

https://cables.gl/p/5eb65614c9c5ea4f350f9f87?s=8ZcGTceygsIBRC0J

Final Exhibition – Links to You Tube:

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/05/22/final-exhibition-links-to-you-tube/amp/

https://hypnoticrepetition.com/2020/06/09/link-to-final-videos-with-speech/

Final Exhibition – Further Updates: