I listened to a talk by Dr. Praya Agarwal on unconscious bias which was based on her book –Sway (Agarwal, 2020) in which she talked clearly and extensively about the problems we have with even noticing bias. I took reams of notes which I have summarised below:

• Racism often occurs in a subversive, insidious way
  • It is embedded in our structure
  • Everybody does not start from the same place
  • Social media and workplaces trap us into communities – so we often do not see what else is out there
• Technology carries bias
  • One hand – levels field and allows access – but not all have access
  • Extroverted people have an advantage, others get left behind
• Unconscious bias are the implicit produces embedded in our subconscious mind – which we are often simply not aware of
• Children grow up in a gendered society from a very young age
  • Clothing/hair length etc
  • Boys are less likely to read a book or watch a film with a girl as the central character
  • Female authors are moe likely to be read by females
  • Girls form perceptions from early on about what they are likely to be good at – is that nurture or nature?
• Biases can be ‘unlearnt’
• Bias against black fathers – less nurturing – bias that black families are ‘broken’
• Evolution developed the notions of in-groups and out-groups – because of limited resources
  • Still present – but nurture driven (no genetic basis)
• You form a affinity with people like you – that extends to assumptions about their other qualities
• There is a bias about status
  • More likely to trust people with a high/visible status
  • Based on fears/threat and concerns re own status
• Fear is processed quickly via amygdala – often irrational
  • Leads to falling back onto instincts /first impressions rather than conscious thought
• Decision making
  • Fast v slow
  • Automatic (quick and often stereotyped) v controlled (via frontal cortex – thought about)
  • Effortless v effort filled
  • Associative v rule based
• Gender view of emotion
  • There is an assumption that women are more emotional and do not handle pressure asa well
  • Influences decisions in hiring formats
  • Men are thought to be more aggressive/authoritarian
  • Women are often assumed to be more compassionate
• Bias about skin colour starts very early ?age 3
  • Parents need to discuss racial heritage especially in mixed race families
• Newspaper articles often foster increased bias especially around racism/sexism.
  • You cannot automatically believe what is written
• Privilege allows avoidance of bias (sometimes)
• Remember that some biases are positive! – but this can lead to putting people in boxes.

Steps to avoid /minimise bias:

• Avoid generalisations
  • This person, not all people
• Avoid group thinking
• Think twice and allow time for consideration
• Look at things from a different perspective

Everybody always has biases but consciously reflecting on them can help retrain the brain. Social media can lead to extremism as people are afraid of not conforming and tend to join groups/get surrounded by people who agree with them. It is important to allow discussion and dissent or you only ever see what you already believe.

Interesting talk and well worth the time. I will add her book to my reading list.

Reference:

Agarwal, P. (2020) Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias. London: Bloomsbury Sigma.

I attended one of Angela Norrington’s informative talks. For once my notes were legible. – so rather than retyping them I will append them as scans.

One part I found particularly interesting was the discussion about black and white versus colour.  In spite of a general swing to colour plenty of photography is still done with B/W. It allows for concentration on the formal aspects of the image: shapes, texture, tone, form.  Plenty of photographers switch between depending on what sort of work they are doing.  Jeffrey’s quote on colour reducing to an idea less readily than B/W is interesting. Colour is specific – that place – not any place, that person – not any person. If you are planning a black and white image you need to be in the correct mindset. Take the pictures in black and white – not just convert to B/W. Sudden blobs of colour may really stand out – but the same area may hardly show in B/W.  Mixing the two needs to be carefully thought through – and may not work in a small series.

Think about your outcome format. Experiment to see what works best. Try prints, zines, handmade books. Check, check and check again!

This was an interesting whole OCA discussion arranged by Helen Rosemier. Much of the discussion was coloured by the impending assessment and people’s fears about that. (Including my own).

1. Beverly gave an interesting talk where she started by describing her own work and talked about how far it had changed over time from painting to working with dust to make items. She had done (among other things) an endoscopy on her vacuum cleaner! She made several helpful points:
   1. The importance of experimentation – this leads on to thinkings about alternative ideas, which may not come to fruition for years – experiments are seedlings.
      1. Write up all experiments and research
   2. Don’t be afraid to shift your practice – just make a strong rationale for it
      1. Explain why you have shifted and, if possible, where you are going
   3. Develop a dedicated studio space – so you don’t have to constantly put things away half done, room to spread out and think of ideas
   4. Enter open calls – allows engagement with the real world, improves confidence
   5. Write about your work and practice, also think about related artists
      1. Research leads to enhanced work, gives ideas
   6. Maximise the benefits of contact with your tutor – get things asa far as you can before looking for feedback
      1. Look for engagement with other students to get things going
   7. Edit, edit, edit – show your strongest work
   8. Signpost how you want things to be seen – maybe send in photos of how it should be displayed
   9. Keep your learning log up to date – write things up when they happen
   10. Allow plenty of time between last assignment and assessment
2. Kate talked about UVC and how she felt it had been critical to developing her work and understanding. She discussed her concerns re assessment:
   1. The discrepancy between guidelines and the coursework
   2. Understanding the learning outcomes
   3. Fear of not making an optimum selection
   4. Feeling unsupported and alone – worsened by Covid.
   5. The need to be proactive about asking for help – student services, other students, course leaders if needed
   6. Need to analyse your blog
   7. STOP when you have done enough
   8. Good habits to develop
      1. Careful essay structure
      2. Thorough referencing – but all sources into a referencing system
      3. Be clear about word count
      4. Be familiar with LO’s – from the beginning
      5. Be aware you wont always understand things from the first time through
      6. Look outside textbooks to get more information
      7. Blog about what you don’t understand as well as what your do
      8. Remember to document the obvious things
      9. Make personal work as well

3. Alan said he had struggled to get though course because of personal issues but that lead on to home as very personal piece of work
   1. He looked at relationships and medical issues
   2. Think about ‘mistakes’ and serendipity
   3. Note issues and once identified think about how you can resolve them.
   4. A mistake may lead you to a more holistic series
   5. Don’t always automatically delete a ‘bad’ image – as it may be just what you need to spark a project
   6. Use moments of boredom to make experimental pieces
   7. Take creative risks
   8. Think – about ethics, what is happening
   9. Remember to show process and thinking
   10. Think about the reverse side of photographs – think of them as an object.

General points discussed:

• Each assignment/course builds on previous ones.
• Review your work, try and think like a tutor
• Reflect on why things work – and why they don’t. Make notes on it.
• Remember all art is subjective
• How much of yourself are you putting in
• Remember to look at others work
  • Social media
  • Instagram
  • Photoworks
  • TPG
  • 100 heroines

Overall, this was a well worth attending meeting.  There are also note available on G-Drive made by Lynda with very useful advice.

Angela Norrington gave us a very interesting tutorial on the subject of seeing and looking. She utilised a lot of quotes from other authors and clips from films which I am working my way through following up.

The basic premise of the talk was ‘it’s not what you look at – it’s what you actually see that is important’. It is a skill that needs exercised, an active attempt at understanding and can be equated to listening rather than just hearing.

She quoted from Maria Gainza Optic Nerve (Gainza, 2019) about Stendhal Syndrome. I have now read the entire book and found it fascinating, well worth reading with access to the internet at hand to look up the various artists she talks about.

Angela suggested having a regular place or subject you returned to, as you will see something different each time as gradually get a deeper appreciation of it. She also reminded us that looking quickly at everything available means you never truly see anything.  This is something I have found a potential problem in lockdown. There are so many talks/lectures/zooms/museum showings available to look at that I have become overwhelmed and cannot really remember the important parts of anything, or often, even to watch what I wanted to. (Remember 30 second reports- on what you have seen). I need to add Letters from Tove (Jannson, 2019) to my reading list!

Responding to things (images, art, pictures, places) with emotion is critical – what is it about something you have seen that stirs the emotion  – if you can replicate that you have a picture that is ‘peculiar to you’ – from David Suchet.

We also discussed the art of slow photography and slow looking – worth investigating further, and the book Photographs Not Taken (Steacy, 2012) where photographers talk about the images that they missed, the lost shot, where something else got in the way. I have started reading this and it is fascinating- makes you think about what an image is.

The whole talk is available at: https://oca.padlet.org/andreanorrington/laq2kvhc5mpg

References:

Gainza, M. (2019) Optic Nerve. London: Harvil Secker.

Jannson, T. (2019) Letters from Tove. Translated by Death, S. United Kingdom: Sort of Books.

Steacy, W. (ed.) (2012) Photographs not taken: a collection of photographers’ essays. Hillsborough, US: Daylight Community Arts Foundation.