In terms of the comments on my first draft I will now amend and refine the text on the basis of the advice and guidance received. The substantive points being that some of the paragraphs were fragmented, and the flow of the writing as a whole is lost, particularly for general readers not au fait with the philosophical writing and jargon. Secondly, that I need to explain some of the concepts and ideas a little more ‘slowly’ to ensure the reader keeps up with the line of thought. Similarly, the points and observations about essence and being need more space to breathe. And finally, that it would be good to include some of my images as examples supporting the text and to reinforce the practice-led and recursive nature of my work. Based on the comments from my supervisors and philosophy tutor, I plan to produce another draft with images threaded through the narrative. In due course, this writing may form part of the first draft of my thesis. I have also noted that these comments are important when drafting the sections referring to the underpinning ontology of my practice.
I had spent some time reflecting on the structure of my thesis and wanted to clarify some points. My supervisor suggested that I should look to produce about 60,000 words for submission because of the theoretical content of my work and the amount of practice I have done. I might also embed video links in my thesis depending on their importance moving forward. I explained that I planned to insert a considerable number of photographic images to support the words and intended to use photographic paper to ensure a good rendition of my work. We also spoke about other outputs that I might submit alongside the thesis. I explained that I had moved away from an exhibition as a means of showing my work and planned to work on a book, or set of books, and a zine/newspaper to showcase my Critical Research Journal and particular moments of insight. I might also consider projection of my images in a physical space before the viva.
We also spoke about how I contextualise my work in contemporary practice and my supervisor advised that I choose the most important influences and write about how they are significant in my work.
And lastly, we spoke about the high key images I had produced to show the devastation of the forest. My supervisor liked them and thought they demonstrated the isolation, desolation, and fracture of the landscape. She liked those with a wide tonal range where I had captured the wind movement in the trees.
