The Art of Research

‘Drawings reveal the process of their own making-their own looking’(Berger J.1972). Drawing is an immediate way of articulating what is being seen and experienced, it is a way of know-ing; this suite of eight drawings represents aspects of current research and the act of ‘being in’ the laboratories at the University of Bath, supported by Sarah Bailey. Dialogue with re-searchers at the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology acted as points of departure, as well as considering the site of the RUH and the language of drawing exploring the prima-cy of laboratory language as a mode of discovery. The completed drawings are small places that are less purposeful, ambiguous perhaps, where we can just look and draw breath.

The backgrounds to the drawings are made up of layered marks, stains and fragments of ‘workings out’ that Michele witnessed and experienced in the labs, they also point towards the organic nature of base materials used in the chemistry: daffodil bulbs, cocoa, chilies, poppies, snowdrops and so on, and some loose molecular structures suggestive of new bonds and formations, all as gestures.

The methods used include drawing based materials and collage to explore subjects: inks, pencils, gesso, graphite powder on paper. The tree and bird reflect the site of the RUH, where there is wildlife and planting if we take a few minutes to observe. The daffodils rep-resent current research being undertaken to develop anti-cancer drugs. There is some more formal language using the landscape motif to think about the site of the RUH and perhaps an idea of journeying to the hospital, as staff, as patients and as visitors. Other motifs ex-plored are staining as a process used in labs, the tally mark, neurons and other brain exper-iments related to research into new treatments for stress and depression. Michele consid-ered the drawings from afar, and also from a close proximity, drawing correlations between this and thinking about the distances between research process and patient.

The photographs below show 2 of the 4 large scale artworks (appox 950 x 1.5) and four smaller works that are now displayed within the new Pharmacy building which opened in June 2017.