PhD Study : Present Tense- Situations in Northern Irish Contemporary Painting

Summary

The proposed research takes as a starting point the paintings of English artists Rita Donagh and Ralph Lillford, both of whom made work directly related to Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Crucially, Lillford had made regular visits to Belfast during this time, raising the question of the necessary proximity required for an artist to effectively and meaningfully engage with the events surrounding their work. Donagh’s work took a relatively distanced, if autobiographical, turn, influenced not just by her distress at what she was witnessing on news reports from Northern Ireland, but also by her own Irish family roots.

Another important point of reference for the project is the 1993 Doubleband Films documentary ‘The Trouble With Art’, which focused mainly on Belfast-based artists’ responses to the social and political conditions of their time, revealing a more direct and embedded commitment to artistic production over a longer period here. 25 years since the making of this film, 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, and in a culture where ‘Troubles Tourism’ flourishes, the project proposes that although artists in Northern Ireland now work in a very different climate, there are nevertheless very particular conditions, ways of looking at things and a shaping of narratives here which continue to produce a very distinctive approach within contemporary painting practice. Such practices are, importantly, defined by virtue of being developed ‘in situ’, and are also characterised as being mainly studio-based, site-responsive and environment-driven (strongly differentiating Belfast from many other cities where painters’ practices are decidedly more market and gallery driven.)

The American painter Alex Katz describes his practice in terms of working with ‘an immediate present’, which, he argues, places his entire oeuvre in a continuous ‘present tense’. Such a position, may be argued to suggest painting is capable of working with a sense of constant ‘futurity’, linking to the theme of a recent anthology of New Poets from the North of Ireland- ‘The Future Always Makes Me So Thirsty’, edited by Sinead Morrisey and Stephen Connolly (2016).

Through their selection of mainly new, less published poets, many of whom have moved to Northern Ireland from elsewhere, concerns of a contemporary ‘now’ are posited as a shift away from an older generation of poets writing about the recent and past history of here. The links that can be made between painting and writing, particularly between painters and poets, is another concern of this research, to investigate how ideas are shaped visually and verbally, and how narratives of image and text are understood here by artists and audiences alike.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living