Research for People Who (Think They) Would Rather Create

by Dirk Vis, Florian Cramer

From writing style and the use of visuals to formulating your topic and methodology, Dirk Vis shows artists of all stripes how to present research

In this user-friendly volume, author Dirk Vis lays out the basics of research for artists, offering a guide to the groundwork that has long been lacking.

How to formulate your topic and your argument; how to structure your text rhetorically; how to deploy quotations effectively; how to disseminate and distribute your work in a community: Vis guides readers through all of these questions in a clear and accessible fashion. This book is essential for students of the arts across all disciplines.

Amsterdam-based writer Dirk Vis (born 1981) writes fiction, columns, scripts and essays on art and technology. His works of nonfiction and fiction have been published in Dutch: Bestseller (2009), the e-book The reality-essay (2017) and a series of texts in various forms and mediums.

Design: Robert Reinartz
Editing: Johanna Monk

Supported by the Research Centre of the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Design, Art Design, Research, Theory

136 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2022

Reviews

[Rhipsalis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was extremely excited to read this book. I ordered it as soon as I heard about it and then devoted an afternoon to it, because I felt it would help me with a large project I am currently undertaking. I think Vis has done a great job of creating an art object: the design is very pretty, very eye-catching. But it's difficult to read as an actual text, and what is said is fairly basic. The citations are all over the place, with all of the main references at the start of each section and then a very confusing endnotes section, which features comments on actual parts of the text -- yet there is no way to easily reference what the endnote is talking about because Vis has made this section "deliberately non-linear". I don't think deliberate necessarily equals useful, logical or necessary.

Essentially the gist is to create a research document, keep track of what you read, and don't make the same mistake he did regarding attribution. I think this book assumes zero university education, in which case some of the ideas might be new. But if you'd rather create, yet have a degree, then you'll know 90% of what this has to offer and may be slightly unsettled by his handling of the subject. It doesn't offer any particularly advanced methods for organising or sorting your work (basically, use arena), has almost nothing about how to use archives or collections, and no real guide in terms of the big theories or concepts you might want to be aware of in terms of art history. It seems to be primarily focused on the anxieties of doing research if you say you are an artist... I hope the next edition behaves more like a book, and less like a weird art object.

[Riku · Rating 4 out of 5]

in my dissertation era

[Madi Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

would’ve been a more helpful book had I actually read it while writing my thesis

[Jocelyne M-G · Rating 2 out of 5]

nothing groundbreaking here.

[amandajhaidar · Rating 4 out of 5]

would of been a great idea to read this during grad school, oops

[maggiefvilar]

After reading this book, I believe I have gained a better understanding of what a research project consists of and the overall process of creating one from scratch. As readers, we come to understand that the research question is a key element, serving as a guide from beginning to end and needing to be reassessed at every checkpoint. This point is emphasized so often that it makes me wonder how common it is for people to get carried away with their topic.
Even though I learned a lot, I also dreaded its length. Some information was repetitive and, therefore, redundant, making me feel like there wasn’t enough content to justify a book of this length. The book gives more of a "enjoy the journey, not just the destination" kind of vibe, making it easier to digest when read gradually over several weeks, like the pace that was decided.
The case studies were a nice touch, adding context and serving as relevant examples for each subtopic, demonstrating how they apply to a wide variety of different projects.

[Lizzy Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book for my shelf, so I'm no too disappointed as its a beautiful thing to flip through and look at but that being said there is something lacking from the pages. I hoped this would give me perspectives on expanding my research, an insight into organizing, understanding, questioning, or challenging my research and process for projects. Instead there are some instances of great insight mixed in with a lot of content someone should already know if they have already obtained their BA. I managed to pull a spread of notes from the book that I thought offered food for thought, but for me this book didn't dive deep enough to give me something new.

[Paricha duangtaweesub · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Whereas design usually focuses on a solution, and art on a question, speculation can focus on a proposal.”

A brief but brilliant read provoking the practitioner of any craft to think deeper about their approach, from the formation of research questions to recording the progress to its final presentation. Presented in 1-page chapters, each lesson is accompanied by a work of art or design, and it was such a ride through the mind of researcher, academic or otherwise. The quote above really helped me realign my own approach to the work that I do in different contexts of my life.

[Margot Tropfen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lugesin 1.1.2. versiooni.

Kindlasti suht hea raamat, kui sa ei ole veel magistritööd (või BA) kirjutanud (ja sellega lõpuni läinud ehk nt avaldanud või selle kunstilisi potentsiaale avastanud). Ma kahjuks olen, seepärast ka 3/5. Teisisõnu, väga pinnapealne raamat.

Aga samas on see hea tekst, mille juurde residentuuri vältel tagasi pöörduda jälgimaks kas fookus on veel paigas

Lisaks sisaldab raamat üliarmsaid lauseid uurimise kohta, mis tuletavad meelde kui fucking lõbus ilus nunnu asi on kunsti ja teaduse põimimine 💜

[zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay! it was great to re-familiarize myself with the research process/steps involved as someone less practiced with exploring experimental research/documentation methods. and i did appreciate the section on reflecting collected materials in the presentation of artistic research. but i didn’t feel a sense of connection to (or understanding of in a lot of cases because the descriptions were quick overviews) the case studies and research examples so it made the book all too flat

[Jacopo William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Version 1.1.3

The book underlines what it is to do research in design and art. It is made for students, phd candidates or researchers in the field.
It has the essentials to follow to do a just research, and have many examples to amplify point of views. It gives a good balance between scientific research and creative practice! some of the advice may seem basic but are essential and usually overlooked by people in the field.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointed, the book cover is the best part. it is shallow and trivial, everyone you has some academic background – or basically any other educational background – knows at least 90% of it. the project examples are not helping, most of the time i just don’t get them. the annotations and references are a mess. i don’t know how this would have helped me with my studies.

[Kelsey Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource but only at the preliminary stages of a research project. It creates a series of almost “lightbulb” moments and propels you into a how to start my research mode. Should be the first thing anyone reads before starting a thesis of any kind!! It’s also not insanely academic in language, feels very conversational and almost supportive. Great for students!!!

[Juan Antonio Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content is interesting, and it gives you ideas and pointers for research that can be applied for other fields.

What is also an eye-catcher is the amount and quality of links to a disparity of sources. I for one found out about correspondence between Björk and a philosopher which I greatly enjoyed, and the book has a nice amount of (visual) references to transcend the basics of investigation

[a____ · Rating 4 out of 5]

You mind may well find yourself in a territory quite opposite to academic knowledge, since you are not working with facts or data, but with hunches and fictions - yet in the end, others will still need to be able to follow you, cognitevely, into that terrain.

[Isabelle Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essential post graduate read - I wish this found me a year ago but on reflection I needed space from my practice to breathe. Super informative and helps to clarify next steps in previously visited research.

[Nuné]

หัวระเบิด see u again senior year i guess ….

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool book w fun visuals and graphics but feel like it could’ve been executed better? In what way, I am not sure but felt like it was kind of repeating the same thoughts throughout

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would still rather create

[Stella Wenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the examples are great and I like that there are images and some of the texts are inspiring, but I would say this feels a little bit superficial.