Synthesis

A working definition

Various dictionary definitions of the word synthesis include the following:

• The combination of ideas to form a theory or system.
• A gestalt: the composition or combination of parts or elements such that the whole is other than the sum of said parts.
• The production of chemical compounds by reaction from simpler materials.

An artist can understand all of these to be variations on their process: the ability to combine things in new and different ways to create entirely new things. This requires an artist to think flexibly, explore alternatives, and find new ways to accomplish a given challenge. A more advanced level of abstract thinking is needed for synthesis. We can say that all artworks are manifestations of synthesis.

For students taking a studio with me, synthesis can be expressed as a combination of things learned in Heuristics with discoveries made in Prototyping: those twin aspects of skill and knowledge combined with a patient search. Taken together, Heuristics and Prototyping are acts of Iteration. But as we refine, we eventually cross over into the first phase of Implementation. We are approaching “finished” work.

“Finished” work

There is no such thing as a finished work. What Valéry is trying to say is this: the process of iteration can be infinite. But our lives are finite, and thus we have to choose. Which iteration of our concept (as articulated in our project statement) is the best expression of the concept at a given point in time? We have to make a conscious decision to no longer work on it. It may be close enough to the ideal that’s evolving in our heads. We might at that point be comfortable enough with releasing it into the world. We can thus think of the notion of completion as a cyclical one.

Cycles of completion: the “progress review”

Here is an idea of what that means. Say you are working on a project that takes more than one academic term to complete. For the first term, synthesis looks like what in the design world is called a “progress review.” In a progress review meeting, an art director or project manager has a chance to view the work as it stands and make decisions about future actions. To make the review successful, the design team brings everything to a generally consistent level of completion. Not “complete,” mind you: about the same percentage of completion for all elements of the project. This allows the synthesis to be understood without the distraction of super-polished elements bumping into other things that may not even be started.

The dirty secret

This is the dirty secret of our business. With creativity as the driver, nothing is ever “done” for certain! But when everything is brought to the same general level of finish, the audience is none the wiser. Audiences are wonderful and forgiving! They take the work at face value. And unless you tell them otherwise, they believe everything you show them is exactly as you intend. You, of course, know better…

Let’s look at a case study of this. It comes as a surprise to many museum-goers to learn that Marcel Duchamp’s magnum opus, The Large Glass, is an unfinished work. We take it for granted that, if it’s in a museum, it must be a finished work of art. But according to notes in Duchamp’s Green Box, if the Glass were finished, we’d see a lot more work than we do now:

And yet, this partially finished — broken, even — work still exerts a magnetic attraction in the art world. Is it any less valued or valuable because of its “definitively unfinished” state, to use Duchamp’s cheeky description?

Presenting your “definitively unfinished” work

For Duchamp, presenting his work meant he was willing to exhibit it as a work in progress. This is how it came to be shattered. Upon receiving the work after an exhibition, Duchamp opened up a crate of shards! I’m pretty sure the tedious task of assembling this fatally dangerous jigsaw puzzle was enough for him to say “Enough!”

For you in a studio, presenting a work that is approaching, but never quite achieving, completion is an act of bravery and faith. In the studios where I teach, the Synthesis presentation occurs at about the 80% mark of an already too-short semester. It takes on a different complexion depending on the time of year we’re working.

Fall: external feedback

In autumn, approaching the end of the solar year, we invite external reviewers to come to the studio and provide critical feedback during the Synthesis presentation. Periodically, this includes an international collaboration with faculty from another school. Other times, we draw from the rich artistic community of our region.

This presentation is not in an exhibition context but occurs in the studio. This can mean a mediated presentation, such as a slideshow, but given the nature of new media, it can include anything from a web-based interactive work to a high-resolution working prototype fabricated in our maker space.

Spring: senior exhibition

In April, approaching the end of the academic year, we offer graduating art students the opportunity to formally exhibit work in the campus art gallery. Those who do so use the senior exhibition as their Synthesis presentation. External reviewers are invited to critique the work in situ, and seniors gain invaluable curatorial and strategic experience as they collaborate on creating a coherent vision for an exhibition. Artist statements, resumes, and promotional media are all part of the experience.

For those who are not seniors or who elect not to exhibit, the character of the Synthesis presentation is not unlike the fall, except that external reviewers are not part of the experience.