Practice-led research (PLR)

In practice-led research (PLR), the artifact has a central position in the academic research process. In PLR, ‘articulation and dissemination of the research findings take place both through the product of making [the artifact] and established means: these are seen as dialogical, interrelated and iterative (Faber, 2009). Practice informs knowledge which reciprocally informs practice.(Resmini, 2010)¹⁾
PLR, while including all the qualities of established institutional research practices, strongly focuses on artifacts as the vessels of discursive knowledge. This is an essential reason why PLR is so important to developing design-based disciplines.(Resmini, 2010)²⁾

PLR, although variously defined, can be considered to be a ‘self-reflexive’ form of research where:
• the artist / designer / creative practitioner provides a rigorous critical analysis of their work, positioning it within broader contextual / theoretical / historical / discursive research paradigms;
• articulation of the processes involved in making the product of research form an important part of the research findings;
• articulation and dissemination of the research findings takes place both through the product of making and established academic means. These are seen as dialogical and interrelated (Faber, 2009:7). (Resmini, 2010)³⁾

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