The tutor report was accompanied by an annotated copy of the essay. The overall comments were good with some comments that require my attention before assessment (which will be in November).
The main concern was the title. As can be seen from previous postings, this was also a concern for myself. I knew what I wanted to say, but as with a lot of images, a title is not the easiest part to make.
I now see, with the help of the comments how I can change this and the new title will probably be: "How does Postmodernism impact photographic theory and practice ?" A simpler and far less cryptic version than previous. Much of the content will remain the same however. I had shown examples of Modernism and Postmodernism through the work of three photographers. This needs to be expanded upon and I will include something on The New Topographics and Mirrors and Windows: two major exhibitions of the 1970s. There was the inevitable problem of using "sweeping statements" without backing them up with sources and the praise you get for citing your own opinion. There is a fine line between the two. Upon reflection however I can see the error of my ways. Making a statement such as "It was a stark difference to the deprivation of the previous century" when describing changes from the eighteenth to nineteenth century does need to be backed up with some examples. Another example is when I have said " Artists said ..... etc" need to cite somebody as an example. The tutor suggestions on what should / could be included will have to be edited and a corresponding number of words removed from other parts of the essay. I had gone over with the word count but I am never sure if the end notes are counted or not. Also the bibliography will be included in the count but is not a part of the essay as such.
On a general note my tutor is pleased that I am visiting exhibitions and reflecting on my work. There is room for improvement in reading. This is always true but my lack of writing about what I read is at the nub of this. For this essay I guess I have read 3 books but only a handful of words get cited in the end product. With something as notoriously complex as Postmodernism there has to be background reading (that never gets cited) just so that a general level of understanding is gained, especially with a subject that is being learnt almost from scratch.
What the process has done, is given me an appetite for more, especially towards Post structuralism and a deeper understanding (maybe too ambitious) of how I am working in my practice and how concepts are formed and cemented. I was talking to a fine arts graduate a few weeks ago about her sculpture/installation work in an exhibition. We talked about postmodernism for a while and critical theory studies and I was interested in her comments that without that level of understanding she could not make any of her work. That was her base from where the work started, comments that I found very interesting and inspirational.
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