Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
The VMS is a working group within Concordia’s Ethnography Lab, and under the umbrella of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture (CISSC) and offers a special space that explicitly bridges fine arts; social sciences; business; applied sciences, etc., because the focus is on the social and cultural work of images across disciplines.
For the VMS, visual methods include:
- ethical considerations;
- data collection (photographic fieldnotes);
- data analysis;
- representation of research (like a final exhibition/installation etc.);
- and mobilization of research.
At each phase of investigation, it is possible to incorporate visual methods. The studio was conceived as a way to connect the dispersed approaches in various fields towards the use of visuals in research, that often overlap but are rarely looked at across disciplines. The VMS is dedicated to thinking, assessing and understanding the existing and expanding role of visuality in research. We hold that a stance of critical discernment concerning visual experience can be assessed through evaluation of how the researcher indicates their awareness that the visual is already cultural in their study. Unfortunately, this set of reflexive skills is rarely addressed through research methods courses, or even within projects.
Engaging with Milne (2018) who states that: “critical evaluation of visual methods are rare and often limited to reflexive accounts of what researchers would, or should, do differently”, we ask:
- How does working with visuals and/or images actually demonstrate that we as researchers are not artificially melding seeing and knowing?
- How does the use of visual methods meaningfully enhance and complicate the methodologies in our projects?
- What questions require more than one methodology?
- What would such a multi-method approach bring into view?
Through a series of workshops, invited speakers and panel discussions we will address student curiosities and concerns around the uses of visual methods across disciplines.
Co-Directors
Dr. Carolina Cambre and Dr. Mitchell McLarnon
Carolina.cambre [at] concordia.ca
Mitchell.mclarnon [at] concordia.ca
Co-ordinator
Magdalena Hutter, HUMA PhD
Location: EV Building (Guy & St. Catharine Street), 10th floor, room EV 10.625
