4. theory
Practice-based Method and Digital Media Studies

The following sections will respond to the first research question put forward in this thesis: How may practice-based methods inform studies of digital media? Being a thesis in which practice-based method is both field of inquiry and research design, this key question of my thesis will be elaborated by means of my own practice from Extended and assertions on the subject put forward by media-related theoretical perspectives, i.e by means of both practice and theory, as I consider both lines of inquiry part of practice-based method.

The research question is operationalised into three interrelated questions: “How did practice develop our knowledge of digital media?”, “How does this relate to central assertions on practice based method put forward by media-related theoretical perspectives?”, and “What does this tell us about how practice-based method may inform studies of digital media?”

The structure of the present section correspond to the order of media-related research contexts that I situated this thesis in relation to in Chater 2. "Method as field of discussion". The perspectives are listed from a broad media-studies and education point of view (Section 4.1.), towards research designs within digital media studies (Section 4.2.), followed by digital media studies set in arts- and performance-settings (Section 4.3.). This helps me to answer how pratice may inform studies of digital media on several levels – from the more general media studies point of view to the more particular, exploratory studies of digital media set in performance contexts. Several arguments why practice may be important to digital media studies arise as a result. Put simply, these are as follows; because digital media studies studies media, because digital media studies studies digital media, because digital media studies digital, multimodal media in a visualised culture.

There dynamic between my own practice and theoretical perspectives given emphasis to, is intricate. My own practice have helpt me to both understand and select what theoretical issues and responses that are the most pressing and crucial to a discussion on practice-based method, while the theory have helped me to both understand and articulate, i.e. conceptualise, my ovn practice that illustrates these issues.

Section 4.4. “Artifacts of expression and expressive artifacts. Exploring theory through practice” addresses the much related, second research questions of this thesis: How may the interplay between practice and theory be conceptualised? Derived from the arguably more process-oriented and explorative field of art and design research, a conception of the dynamic between theory and practice in terms of artifacts is put forward and demonstrated in a close analysis of exploring and refining theory through practice.

My notions of artifact in this context will be incorporated in a tentative model picturing the dynamic between theory and practice in practice-based method - a model perhaps more familiar to constructive research environments of software design and development.