The above video is the primary record of this event, and I recommend that you watch it in order to understand the thesis. This video is also on the DVD of the permanent archive of practice. The remainder of this page is supplementary material which will not be on the permanent archive DVD. It shows how I publically documented the practice during the research. Viewing this is not essential for understanding the thesis, but may provide useful background.
The Gesture of Thinking was an installation of the first phase of my practice-led PhD. It took place on 9 May 2013 in Alec Clegg Studio, stage@leeds, University of Leeds. Visitors were greeted on arrival, and invited to touch anything in the installation (including paintings), and to share their responses on a postcard in writing or drawing. There were around 25 visitors, and 19 of those returned postcards. This page documents the installation. (For individual videos see Embodied Cognition, and for the paintings see Gallery).
6 minute video walk around of the space before the event opened:
Gallery of images:
Gallery of the postcards completed by viewers:
I would like to thank the authors of these postcards for their generosity in sharing responses. They are included here as they are very much a part of the artwork – the work of making meaning.
Event poster: Gesture of thinking flyer
Booklet which was given to each viewer: Artist statement Booklet
Painting as Emergent Knowledge 
It’s interesting to watch all these things on screen with the assistance of explanation. I wish I could have experienced the actual exhibition first as I now think my response has been “directed” by additional information. I am very interested in this installation because it seems to present a “thought experiment” on the nature of perception and the cognitive process which is so relevent to us all, artistically and culturally, especially now. I find it hard to express my ideas about this coherently and applaud this artist for putting these elements together so cogently for the questions she poses are indeed very complex and require careful reflection. Thank you for the chance to share it !