From rupture to resonance: uncertainty and scholarship in fine art research degrees

This article focuses on the phenomenon of 'rupture' identified in student narratives of uncertainty and scholarship experienced during the course of Fine Art research degrees in two Australian universities. Rupture captures the phenomenon of severe disruption or discontinuity in existing knowledge and typically signifies epistemological rift for the students. On one level candidates become anxious and directionless; on another they adapt and resolve the challenges they face. All candidates enter research degrees ready to be challenged, but can soon become overwhelmed by what they perceive as chaos in their thinking, combined with organizational hurdles and, in the disciplinary area of fine art, an unfamiliar and newly evolving community of practice. They identify struggle as a crucial stage in their scholarly development, knowledge construction and the advancement of research and art making in their discipline area. This article advances a perspective on the roles of challenge and adaptivity in knowledge production that further informs the literature on the supervision needs of new researchers