Beyond the perfunctory: non-graphic repetitive and durational drawing as resistance.

This practice-based thesis began as an investigation into LeWitt’s assertion that ‘When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair’. The findings from this early investigation show, that for me, the perfunctory execution was not possible, even when I reduced the method of drawing to the point where I eventually abandoned any graphic mark and focussed instead on tedious repetitive gestures, marked by their sound, and carried out for extended periods of time. It was discovered this method of drawing led to complex experiences that moved back and forth across a spectrum of interweaving phenomena, from boredom to absorption. This expanded the theses field of investigation to explore how and why these contradictory phenomena appear within the same drawing and what they can tell us about the process of drawing. The findings from this expanded investigation led to the development of the following hypothesis: non-graphic, repetitive and durational drawing enables a switch from drawing being considered a means to materialise thought, as Newman (2003) states, to a process where drawing itself provokes intuitive thinking, the habitation of duration and an engagement with immediate consciousness. This hypothesis then becomes the foundation for my concluding argument that non-graphic, repetitive and durational drawing can be employed as a method of drawing that is productively non-productive and becomes a “mode of resistance through which to challenge or even refuse the pressures of dominant goal-orientated doctrines...” (Cocker, 2010, p266).As a practice-based enquiry this research employs Action Theoria (Harty) as its methodology. This is a hybrid of Action Research (Dick, 2003) and Theoria (Davy, 2010). This is a cyclical process which brings together the drawing and theory elements of the research through an iterative and dialogical cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection.This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge by proposing that non-graphic, repetitive, and durational drawing switches drawing from being a materialisation of thought to one where the act of drawing itself provokes complex patterns of thought that engages with duration and our immediate consciousness. Furthermore, as a method of drawing that is always incomplete, this research contributes to the field of drawing by discussing how contemporary fine art drawing can be actively employed as a method of resistance that refutes society’s drive to produce and consume.