The Sustained Investigation
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| body of work/ˈbɒdi ɒv wɜːk/ | A collection of works connected by their maker, investigation, period or related concerns. |
| Sustained Investigation/səˈsteɪnd ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃn/ | A continuing exploration of an artistic question through research, experimentation, making and revision. |
A body of work over time
- The Sustained Investigation 持续探究 is an in-depth study of materials, processes, and ideas over time (CED Big Idea 2).
- It is a body of work 系列作品 — around 15 images — growing from one question.
- It is worth 60% of your AP score.
The Sustained Investigation is worth about ____ of the AP score.
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60% — Selected Works is the other 40%.
"Sustained" means the works should show growth over time.
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Not 15 versions of the same day.
Sustained means growth
- Sustained means over time — works should show growth, not 15 versions of one afternoon.
- Plan a rhythm: make, document, reflect, revise, make again — every week or two.
- The investigation is drawings and process: studies, tests, revisions all belong.
Sustained Investigation, or not?
Sort each portfolio plan by whether it is a true Sustained Investigation.
Select all things that belong in a Sustained Investigation.
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Unrelated works break the single inquiry.
Depth beats breadth
- One question pushed hard scores above ten unrelated good drawings.
- Start early in the year — a rushed investigation is visible at a glance.
- Depth is the difference between a sketchbook and an investigation.
A Sustained Investigation is a ____ of work, around 15 images, from one inquiry.
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A body of work developing one question.
Match the term to its meaning.
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The heart of Big Idea 2.
Fifteen unrelated "greatest hits" is not a Sustained Investigation, however good each one is — it fails the one thing the section scores: works that relate to and develop a single inquiry.
Question: how does my neighbourhood change as it gentrifies? Fifteen drawings over eight months — the same corner shop as it becomes a café, in charcoal, then collage, then erasure. The change is the subject and the method. That is sustained.
The Sustained Investigation is ~15 images (60%) that develop one inquiry over time: keep a make-document-reflect-revise rhythm, include process, and choose depth over breadth.
Write from 15 images of one inquiry
- A student has 15 strong drawings, each about a different idea.
A student has 15 strong drawings, each about a different idea, and wants to submit them as a sustained investigation. What is missing?
The section scores the relationship among the images, not only their separate quality.
What do the 15 images need?
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A sustained investigation is a related body of work.