The Sustained Investigation
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| body of work | 系列作品 | xì liè zuò pǐn |
| Sustained Investigation | 持续探究 | chí xù tàn jiū |
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.
60% — Selected Works is the other 40%.
"Sustained" means the works should show growth over time.
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.
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.
A body of work developing one question.
Match the term to its meaning.
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.