Future Reflections was a three-part project that took place in the Triangle Gallery, Chelsea College of Art and Design between the 18th- 20th of April 2007. It included an exhibition, a publication and a two-day conference focusing on the interplay between research and reflection at different stages in the art-making process.
The exhibition presented artworks discarded by University of the Arts London students. Failed experiments, no-longer useful studies, projects too difficult to store, etc. that were collected and reconfigured into new forms over the course of the conference. At the end of Future Reflections, these temporary works were crushed in the waste compacter in acknowledgment of the many forms of recycling involved in making and thinking about art.
In contrast to the notions of 're' characterizing the exhibition (reconfiguring, reconsidering, recycling, reflecting), the publication explored notions of 'pre' by bringing together proposals by Chelsea students for artworks that have yet to be made. These proposals presented feasible and/or fantastical art and design projects and grappled with various themes, including research and reflection.
What is the relationship between practice and research and/or is there a distinction between these two activities? What role does the institution of the art school play in shaping research processes? In what ways can practice and theory be reflective and to what ends? This conference aimed to explore these and other related questions in relation to the work of individual practitioners. Tutors, research fellows, and students associated with Chelsea presented on their research over the course of the three-day event.
We saw this project as a unique opportunity to open out the College's rich research culture. Students from undergraduate through postgraduate programs across UAL and indeed, London were invited to attend the conference and exhibition.