PRACTISING ART AND SCIENCE

AFTER IMAGES: PHENOMENA IN THE VISUAL SYSTEM

FINE ART: CRITICAL PRACTICE J.LYONS2@BRIGHTON.UNI.AC.UK UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON

INTRODUCTION I am a final year, Fine Art: Critical Practice student, studying at the University of Brighton. My practice is craft based
and manifests itself in all sorts of forms. Currently I am exploring Light, perception, and phenomena in the visual
system, an example being- Afterimages, the impression of light that was there, imprinted and left behind the
eyelid. This document exists as a proposal for myself to take part in an Artist residency within your
department/on the 4th year Ophthalmology rotation. This could involve myself sitting in on lectures, attending
workshops and mainly taking on the role of a student.
Last year, as a level 5 student, I carried out a 10-week Artist Residency within the Universitys school of Psychology. I
became an active student, attending all lectures and seminars within a specific module. Dr Matthew Adams, chartered
psychologist, principal lecturer on the course and module coordinator of Mental Health and Distress was my host, and
confirmed how successful the placement was, both parties greatly enjoyed the experience, and benefitted from the
cross-curriculum partnership that we developed, hence where the motivation to initiate a second placement has come
from. This brief document, outlines how my personal interaction and experience of taking on the role of a
student within your department, will generate ideas that I can later create artwork from. It shows the importance
of building relationships and frames my initial objectives as well as describing the current need for artists to step
into a wider context. Primarily, I would suggest an initial meeting where we can meet and discuss the possibilities
of an Artist Placement within the department further, because until then, we will have no way of knowing how
this could take form.

CONTEXT I propose to join the growing number of artists, musicians, writers and photographers taking up post of artists
in residence (Steveni 1983), which once started off as a radical social experiment by The Artist Placement Group
in the 1960s, they questioned the role of the artist and repositioned them into a wider context to add creative
perspective to disciplines far from their own practice. By immersing myself within your department and within
this new context, I propose to explore the links between Science and Art in a hope to blur the boundaries
between them, network and create academic partnerships and develop a practice that can communicate my
inspired ideas. This residency is a creative process and will be dependent entirely on [my participation,
observation and] the energies and motivation of [other] people involved' (Steveni 1983). The Artist Placement
Group discusses how the development of relationships between exceptional people and organisations (Steveni
1983) is a leading characteristic of an artist residency which suggests that residencies are a hive of reciprocal
offering. In an initial meeting with a consultant/professor, we can discuss what I can offer as an exchange and
how both parties can benefit from this placement, but primarily I will bring an original outlook on the subject
which may differ entirely from a scientific and academic perspective.

OBJECTIVES Through engaging as an independent observer/participant (Steveni 1983) within the discipline of the subject, I
aim to gather primary research to inform my ongoing art practice. I wish to build relationships between host
personnel (staff/ students etc.) and myself that lays foundations for a circumstance that best facilitates
discovery the transfer of skills and the necessary conditions [for] an optimum form of creative liaison (Steveni
1983) to take place. By working next to expert individuals on this placement, in workshops or lectures, I will have
access to vital and scientific information around this phenomenon, which will create strong foundations of which
I can base my project. During the later weeks of the placement I wish to create work to visually represent my
process and communicate what I have found stimulating. Whatever form it takes, I am open to the journey of
discovery. During my last placement, I prepared a presentation for my host subject which exhibited my findings,
experience and the work I had created. All documentation of my previous placement can be found at
www.jesslyonsprojects.tumblr.com.

Thank you for reading this proposal

I look forward to hearing from you about this exciting possibility.

Steveni, Barbara. (1983) ARTIST PLACEMENT APG 1966-1983, Aspects Journal.

A page, taken from Johnathan Crarys Techniques of the Observer where he documents and conveys
personal after images of his, after being around strong light sources.
My initial starting point.

Steveni, Barbara. (1983) ARTIST PLACEMENT APG 1966-1983, Aspects Journal.

An email from my host, Dr Matthew Adams giving feedback of the placement to my previous tutor.
9th May 2017

REFERENCES

DR. MARY ANNE FRANCIS

M.A.FRANCIS@BRIGHTON.AC.UK
COURSE LEADER MRES ARTS AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
LEVEL 6 LEADER FINE ART CRITICAL PRACTICE BA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOURNAL OF VISUAL ART PRACTICE

DR. MATTHEW ADAMS

MATTHEW.ADAMS@BRIGHTON.AC.UK
MODULE COORDINATOR FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND DISTRESS
PRINCIPAL LECTURER
SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON

Steveni, Barbara. (1983) ARTIST PLACEMENT APG 1966-1983, Aspects Journal.