Graham ELLARD

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Graham ELLARD

Participating Project	Institutional Recommendation Program
Activity Based	United Kingdom
City	Tokyo
Period	2018.7 - 2018.8

Purpose of the residency

I am a Professor at Central Saint Martins, London and have taught in UK art schools for 30 years. Since 2015 I have also taught in Japan. The relationship to materials and craft processes in the Japanese context, with an emphasis on the disciplines of technique, is quite different to that in the UK, where 'individual expression' and its 'execution' are more typical. My interests revolve around what is gained and what is lost in these differing approaches. Does an emphasis on technique lead to conservatism, does 'expression' overlook how materials and processes can speak back to us, rather than simply 'for us'?

Plan during the residency

-As part of the Institutional Recommendation Program I will be working closely with colleagues and students at TUA to understand course structure and aims, and to observe activities in taught sessions and independent practice in the studios and workshops.
-My observations will be recorded in photos, drawings, recordings and written notes.
-This will form the primary research material for extended discussions with faculty at TUA and a journal article or book chapter for future publication.
-While my research is centred on Tokyo Geidai, for further context I am also visiting Aichi Geidai, Kyoto Seika, Tama and Musashino Art Universities.
-I will shoot a short 16mm film of a making processes (Japanese carpentry) to attempt to focus on and reveal something of the intimacy, absorbtion and immersiveness such activities can generate.

Creator Information