Texts in Parallel: Art Research as Allegory

Prospective graduate students in fine art often have to present themselves, for admission, candidature and examination, in the unhelpful language of the academic research tradition. These constraints too often result in a research project which is self-regarding, constipated by theory, or a type of faux science. This deforms the supervisory relationship and corrupts the creative endeavour. My response, both as an experienced supervisor and as a graduate student, is explored in this paper. I concentrate on the nexus where these agonies are felt most strongly, the relationship between the studio work and the exegesis. How can we manage their alliance more fruitfully, and far more honestly? The obsessions of a creative artist have mysterious origins. I assert that this enigma must be left inviolate, or we risk doing shoddy psychoanalysis in place of supervision, degraded sociology or solipsistic autobiography in place of research. The sublimated energies, of which creativity is one expression, can, however, be diverted to rewarding ends. If the attention is directed outwards, rather than wasted on reflexive self-analysis, all aspects of the degree are deepened. An investigative curiosity can be motivated both by the studio work and by textual-historical enquiry. I argue that this results in two texts in parallel, which transforms the research project as a totality into a work of allegory. In allegory, each text, verbal or visual, is allowed its own integrity, set in a dynamic of mutual interpretation or interpenetration. For the student of creative art, and her supervisor, this is a liberating objective.