Critical Review Draft
Introduction
This critical review examines the relationship between narrative, visual imagery and personal experience within my developing creative practice. Through a combination of photography, text, moving image and visual storytelling, I am exploring how contemporary narratives can emerge from the intersection of travel, mythology, observation and memory. Central to this investigation is the ongoing development of The Bird Who Came From Afar, a project that draws upon journeys through different landscapes, languages, environments, and cultures while seeking connections between individual experiences and broader human concerns.
The review considers how mythology, visual poetry and narrative structures can be adapted and reinterpreted within contemporary creative practice. It also reflects upon the role of audience engagement, questioning how images and stories can create spaces for reflection rather than delivering fixed meanings.
Mythology as a Contemporary Framework
Mythological narratives continue to resonate because they address universal aspects of human experience. Although originating in ancient cultures, myths remain relevant because they explore themes of identity, displacement, transformation and the search for meaning. Homer’s Odyssey is particularly significant within my practice. While I am not directly retelling the story, I am interested in its enduring image of the traveller moving through unfamiliar territories while simultaneously seeking understanding of both the world and the self.
This continuing relevance is evident in contemporary culture. New adaptations of The Odyssey continue to be produced, demonstrating that the figure of the traveller remains a powerful cultural symbol. The journey is not simply geographical but psychological and emotional. As Fry (2017) suggests, myths continue to provide frameworks through which contemporary audiences can explore fundamental questions about human existence.
Within my own work, the influence of mythology functions less as a source of characters and more as a narrative structure. The figure of the traveller becomes a means of exploring migration, cultural encounter and personal transformation.
Observation, Travel and Creative Practice
Travel occupies an increasingly important role within my practice. However, I am less interested in documenting locations than in examining how movement through places and languages generates ideas and reflections. Encounters with unfamiliar environments encourage a heightened state of observation, creating opportunities for unexpected connections between image, memory and experience.
Recent journeys through Scotland have reinforced this understanding. Photographs collected during visits to coastal landscapes, historical sites and remote locations have become catalysts for reflection rather than simple records of place. The resulting work often emerges through a process of revisiting and reinterpreting these images over time.
This approach aligns with reflective models of creative practice, where meaning develops through ongoing interaction between experience and interpretation. Schön (1983) describes this process as reflective practice, in which understanding emerges through cycles of action and reflection. Rather than beginning with a fixed conclusion, creative knowledge develops through engagement with materials, environments and experiences.
Visual Poetry and Open Interpretation
A growing area of interest within my practice concerns the relationship between image and interpretation. Increasingly, I am interested in creating work that remains open to multiple readings. Rather than illustrating a predetermined message, I seek to create images and narratives that encourage viewers to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the encounter.
This approach has been informed by sharing work with others and observing how different viewers generate different responses. What may appear symbolic of one idea to me may evoke entirely different associations for another person. Rather than viewing this multiplicity as problematic, I have come to regard it as one of the strengths of visual storytelling.
Barthes (1977) argues that meaning is not solely determined by the creator but emerges through the interaction between text and reader. This concept has become increasingly relevant to my own work. The photographs, texts and visual narratives I create are intended not as closed statements but as invitations to reflection and connection.
Research as Creative Process
The Stage Three resources and practitioner case studies have further shaped my understanding of research. Artists such as Bee Willey, Amy Tidmarsh and Les Monaghan demonstrate that research extends beyond the gathering of information. It involves observation, experimentation, reflection and engagement with audiences.
What connects these practitioners is an understanding of research as an active and evolving process. This resonates strongly with my own experience. Ideas often emerge through unexpected encounters, conversations and observations rather than through predetermined planning. Research therefore becomes a continuous dialogue between practice and reflection.
Rather than seeking definitive answers, I increasingly understand research as a process of generating questions and discovering relationships between seemingly unrelated experiences.
Conclusion
This review has examined how mythology, travel, observation and visual storytelling inform my developing practice. Through The Bird Who Came From Afar, I am exploring how contemporary narratives can emerge from personal experiences while addressing broader themes of movement, identity and connection.
As the project continues, I intend to further investigate the relationship between image, text and audience interpretation. Ultimately, my aim is not to provide fixed meanings but to create work that encourages reflection, dialogue and personal engagement. By combining visual imagery, narrative structures and symbolic forms, I hope to create spaces where viewers can discover their own connections and meanings within the work.
References
Barthes, R. (1977) Image, Music, Text. London: Fontana.
Fry, S. (2017) Mythos. London: Michael Joseph.
Homer (trans. Fagles, R.) (1996) The Odyssey. London: Penguin Classics.
Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Books.
Alexander's blog 