Peter Kwee: 20th Century Art & Design MA graduate
MA 20th Century Art & Design: Histories & Theories
After graduating in Design: Photography from Plymouth University in 2000, I was engaged for some years in Cornwall in both teaching and my own practice of photography. I did not wish to give these up, but looked for a course that complemented them and would be academically challenging. I found the prospect of the sustained commitment required over such a long period daunting at first; but in the event, the time just flew past with little or none to spare!
I also felt a little intimidated initially because I was relatively new to art & design history. I came to find that the course was well structured to foster both a critical perspective of the subject, and an appreciation of the methodologies involved. The set assignments progressively and systematically helped to develop, over time, the range of skills necessary to tackle the final dissertation. The tutors were accessible, and struck a nice balance between constructive challenge and support
The outings (including Paris and Berlin amongst others) made a thoroughly enjoyable introduction to the delights and tribulations of field research. A research trip to London, organized to introduce students to various archives, led to the lucky discovery of a Surrealist work that was to become the focus of my MA dissertation.
My experience of the course and working for my dissertation whetted my appetite for more research, gave me the confidence in my ability, and helped to identify areas that I wanted to explore further. One year on, I succumbed to the temptation and started researching for a PhD. I am now based with Essex University, working on a thesis that builds directly on my experience of my MA studies at Falmouth.
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