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The Virtual and Interdisciplinarity

This book chapter focuses upon the notion of the Virtual in response to the writings of Gilles Deleuze and unfolds this thinking through its interdisciplinary and transformative effects upon contemporary fine art practices. The Virtual can be seen as a way or method to enhance (or force) interdisciplinary connections, which work against conventional models of specificity. The chapter examines in detail notions of the Virtual that initially came to light during the research undertaken for the book publication ‘Painting as an Interdisciplinary Form’. The chapter disseminates work undertaken during an AHRC-supported project titled ‘An examination of the potential based within the notion of the virtual and the interdisciplinary effects upon contemporary painting practices’. The Virtual opens new ways in which to consider undertaking practice and this chapter also critically analyses the internal critique established through previous methodological critical frameworks in relation to practice. The chapter focuses upon the notion of the Virtual from the perspective of contemporary painting practices and constructs new methodological possibilities through which practice (in particular, or as an example from, the basis of contemporary painting) can be considered. In order to undertake this research an understanding of the previous methodological relevance of previous critiques had to be considered in order to establish the levels of difference and potential of the notion of the Virtual for contemporary practice. The chapter submission stemmed from a panel presentation, recorded for The ISEA conference in Istanbul, 2011, from which the feedback presented interesting alignments between different notions of the Virtual being discussed, from Virtual worlds, on-line virtuality to the importance of the philosophical ideas that this chapter articulate.