Alasdair

• Name: Alasdair Jones
• Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Exeter

Procedural starting point

The way I described my methods or process in my last funding application was: My last funding application was for a large #interdisciplinary grant for public health-related funding. As a health-led application, the #methods were presented in a rather #formalised, #procedural and #objective way. For instance, the application talked about how certain formal methods would be #applied, and how #predetermined numbers of research participants (e.g. interviewees) would be involved.

What I actually did was / what I usually do is: I am a big advocate of the #rigorous collection and analysis of data in research (and I'm thinking here specifically about #qualitative research, which is the sort of research I conduct). However, while this can imply carefully and accurately following and implementing existing processes and approaches, in my view it also means being mindful of context and #tailoring #methods to #context. In this respect, my actual methods of working do prioritise methodological rigour (including the importance of #transparency), but they are likely to be more #iterative and #contingent than the methods I describe in any research #design (as I strongly believe our methodological approaches need to be #sensitive to real-world conditions etc).

My previous experience between 'academic' and 'artistic' work:

My previous experience between ‘academic’ and ‘artistic’ work on funded projects is relatively limited, unfortunately. I have, however, worked on a range of transdisciplinary Horizon 2020 COST Actions, including one currently (CitySenz) concerned with the exploring bottom-up production of urban ambiences from various disciplinary perspectives and using a range of disciplinary methodologies. Through these COST Actions I have been able to engage with academics and practitioners concerned with the production of urban space, in particular, and I have looked to build on this experience in my teaching. Specifically, I am due to contribute to Exeter’s postgraduate module Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Emergent Futures next year, delivering a session on ‘theory of change.’ In addition, my PhD research was concerned with the production of public space in and around London’s Southbank Centre (its central arts centre), and this research connected to artistic work in a number of ways - through interviews with artistic directors/curators at the Southbank Centre, as well as the use of photographs throughout my analysis.