To prevent that my research would be led and my findings would be biased by marketing or status anxiety I decided to seek my cases from the bottom up by visiting locations to see for myself and ask the people on the spot where to go. This method is actually nothing more then good old fashioned adventurous exploration including the hardship of getting desperately lost.
If I would have been looking for quiet common cases - like traditional art or schools - it would not have been to hard but now I had to cope with a long period of desperate search for situated art practices. These practices are quiet rare but also hard to recognize. This way I ended up in most remarkable places meeting remarkable people but it took a long time before I did find suitable cases.
I knew it would be hard and uncomfortable and I expected that the knowledge that this was the only way to find this type of unspoiled data would pull me through. But still I had my moments of despair. What if I would not find anything? Or if I would end up with some cases that turned out top be unsuitable? Like marco polo of columbus returning home to face his funders empty handed.
Nevertheless I must say that it was all worthwhile the risk. I did find beautiful pure data behind the facades and unaffected by PR. And even though I ended up in a couple of more or less formalized and reputed institutions my entrance was the backdoor and I managed to find my way to the work floor.
Besides these fine data - and I did not anticipate on it - I must conclude now that this exploration not only led me to a couple of suitable cases it also gave me a very good view on the cultural context of the New York art scene.
So let me encourage other researchers to run the risk of unprepared exploration and ask for mercy from their employers to be merciful if their courageous endeavor does not bare glorious bounty. In science finding nothing is still useful information.
If I would have been looking for quiet common cases - like traditional art or schools - it would not have been to hard but now I had to cope with a long period of desperate search for situated art practices. These practices are quiet rare but also hard to recognize. This way I ended up in most remarkable places meeting remarkable people but it took a long time before I did find suitable cases.
I knew it would be hard and uncomfortable and I expected that the knowledge that this was the only way to find this type of unspoiled data would pull me through. But still I had my moments of despair. What if I would not find anything? Or if I would end up with some cases that turned out top be unsuitable? Like marco polo of columbus returning home to face his funders empty handed.
Nevertheless I must say that it was all worthwhile the risk. I did find beautiful pure data behind the facades and unaffected by PR. And even though I ended up in a couple of more or less formalized and reputed institutions my entrance was the backdoor and I managed to find my way to the work floor.
Besides these fine data - and I did not anticipate on it - I must conclude now that this exploration not only led me to a couple of suitable cases it also gave me a very good view on the cultural context of the New York art scene.
So let me encourage other researchers to run the risk of unprepared exploration and ask for mercy from their employers to be merciful if their courageous endeavor does not bare glorious bounty. In science finding nothing is still useful information.
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