Zhe Jiang: a Chinese practice-led research paradigm

Broadly, in Chinese Zhe [ 哲] means philosophy and Jiang [ 匠] means craftsman. In contemporary Chinese art practice, Zhe Jiang [ 哲匠] has been defined as “thinking as a philosopher; making as a craftsman”. Artist-researchers who follow Zhe Jiang paradigm improve their artistic skills as well as the academic capabilities. In this article, firstly, Zhe Jiang paradigm is introduced by been compared with Western practice-led research. Secondly, the pathway to reach the mental state of freedom is explained from the aspects of inquiry and forgetting.  The mental freedom can be considered as the most unique feature of Zhe Jiang paradigm. Thirdly, the ideal outcome of applying Zhe Jiang paradigm is stated as becoming a “better self”. Lastly, the primary methodology led by the Zhe Jiang paradigm is illustrated through showing examples from my film poem The Heart of Spring[1]. Thus, this article unpacks a journey of exploring Zhe Jiang as a recently developed research paradigm. It draws into a working relationship approaches from both Chinese and Western thinking.   [1] My practice-led, artistic PhD thesis Bright on the grey sea develops a corpus of film poems including The Heart of Spring using the Chinese concept Zhe Jiang as the research paradigm.  The online screener of The Heart of Spring  is available at: https://vimeo.com/242417969 and password is hmv8534