Making Research: An Analysis of Arts-Based Practices in the Academic Process, A Case Study of Methods of Inscription
Researching within the field of fashion and the body means working very closely with the artistic community including fashion designers, illustrators, and visual artists. Despite this, research on the subject rarely utilizes arts within the research project. This paper aims to analyze a successful application of arts-based research practices within scholarly research. The project in question, Methods of Inscription, utilizes an arts-based research approach to explore the tattoo experience within a Canadian context. The body of work, developed for exhibition, combines primary and secondary research with artistic exploration to visualize the collective experience of tattooed individuals. The ways in which we understand tattooing and body adornment are directly linked within the study of fashion. Both visual art forms change the appearance of the body, consequently effecting one’s interaction with the world around them. The study of both fashion and tattoos can only be achieved through the use of an interdisciplinary research method, which acknowledges both visual outcome and lived experience. This paper will outline the significant writings used to support and analyze arts-based research practices, the methodology used in the creation of Methods of Inscription, as well as an analysis of the created artefacts, and the knowledge that they embody.