Department of Art welcomes new joint lectureship
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Galia and Pil Kollectiv
'The way we are able to divide our teaching responsibilities offers a lot of flexibility; we do plenty of things separately but we will often literally take lectures or seminars together. However we don't always agree on things!'
The University is pleased to welcome Pil and Galia Kollectiv to the Department of Art - one of the few joint lectureships to be appointed at Reading. Pil and Galia unusually undertake most of their lecturing, writing, curating and art work together, and have been working collaboratively with each other ever since they met at high school.
Since their arrival Pil and Galia have already supervised a student exhibition at the Museum of English Rural Life and are beginning work on the final year degree show. But how exactly does their academic relationship work and what benefits will their collaborative methods bring to the department and its students?
Pil and Galia explain: "People are always intrigued about how we actually work in terms of both our teaching and our research, but we have been doing it for so many years (having completed a BA in History and English Literature in our home town of Jerusalem, and an MA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths together) it is like second nature to us. We have developed the way we write over the years, and it is still a very fluid process. Sometimes one of us will write a few paragraphs, then the other will review it and make changes, and sometimes we will literally write one word each and discuss as we go.
"The way we are able to divide our teaching responsibilities offers a lot of flexibility; we do plenty of things separately but we will often literally take lectures or seminars together. However we don't always agree on things! This can actually be of benefit to our students as it means more of a dialogue is created which they get involved with too. Our previous teaching at other institutions has been as visiting lecturers so we are really looking forward to getting to know the students here and playing a role in the everyday workings of the Department.
"Collaborative practice is quite new in arts and humanities subjects, but it is definitely becoming more and more common. Reading's Art Department actively encourages collaborative work - it is built into the ethos of the department with a specific Critical Collaborative Methods module - so that is definitely part of the attraction of working here. We like to think that we set a good example to students, as we show them the benefits and possibilities that come with working closely with others.
"We are also able to give them an insight into what working life could be like for them after graduation. We believe that working with others is the only way to go in our field - with funding cuts and a tough job market, collaboration offers an invaluable support network, especially in such an insecure environment."
The Kollectivs arrived in the department in February this year, joining Reading from the University of Kent, as well as Hertfordshire, Goldsmiths, Camberwell and London Metropolitan, where they previously undertook sessional teaching.
Their research focuses on modernism, art and politics, irony and overidentification and the roles of work and leisure in contemporary art, and they are currently pursuing a PhD in Art at Goldsmiths University of London. Their work has been displayed around the world, and Pil and Galia have also recently opened a new exhibition space called xero, kline & coma in Hackney, London, which aims to exhibit emerging artists alongside more established international shows.