I had been feeling stuck with my ARP but left this group tutorial with more direction, focus and felt a renewed sense of excitement.
Direction
I need to develop more framework around the shape and purpose of the dog tutorial for example I have to be clear that I’m not working from a therapeutic model and need to point out that I can direct students to the information they might need but not answer questions they might have which become personal or may be better served by student support.
I need to bring this up in my ethics form because I have to outline how far I want to go with these tutorials. I realised today that I’ve been feeling concerned that the relaxed/domestic/homely atmosphere that I hope the inclusion of a dog might create could lead some students to divulge more intimate information which may be better suited to a counsellor or therapist. My role as a tutor is to help with the academic development of students work, although I also offer pastoral support I need to stay focused and be clear about the purpose of these tutorials to participants so they know what they are taking part in.
Emotions
How we connect with the world around us and how we relate to learning can be an emotional experience for many participants. I’ve looked more into the UAL tutorial policy and have noticed that it does not mention feelings or emotions which students might have during or following a tutorial. This is short-sighted and avoidant. We are missing an opportunity to talk about the materiality of how we as humans exist in the world, thinking and being are crucial components of the way we process information but also importantly our practice.
Questions
Ultimately I want to foster a stronger sense of belonging and ownership over the studio space and this needs to be better reflected in the questions I’m asking. I’d initially introduced a question about the learning community;
How did your Dog Tutorial experience make you feel about your learning community in comparison to a previous tutorial?
I’m really talking more about the second year student group as it as a site of learning in the studio space.
I think one of my questions needs to be better refined to “does a nonhuman help you connect with your work?’ A period of reflection would help reveal this connection between a non-human and art practice.
Outcome and Balance
I hope that this temporary relationship/ friendship can help participants to break normative assumptions around learning structures and perhaps even their own relationship to the studio space resulting in a better connection with their practice. I’m keen to support the idea that belonging is less about right and wrong but I need to balance this with the boundaries that I put in place for tutorials. This is a really important part of this process. Clear balance between the boundaries of tutorials and the openness of the relationship between dog + participant, tutor + participant, tutor + dog.