This article explores the subject of practice-based research, its application in the creative arts and its role in generating new forms of knowledge in the context of the PhD. Our aim is to provide more clarity about the nature of practice-based research, the approach we advocate and how it contributes to new knowledge that can be shared and scrutinized in a form that is both accessible and rich in its representation of the full scope of creative arts research. We draw on examples spanning over 35 years of experience in supervising interdisciplinary PhD research programs in the arts, design and digital media.

ABSTRACT The authors have developed a model of practice-based research from observations and studies of practitioners undertaking Ph.D.s in digital art and specifically interactive art. Trajectories of research and practice have been identified that have common elements but are driven by different practitioner goals and preferences. The authors present a model of practitioner research that represents the relationship between theory, practice and evaluation, and they describe how different trajectories of research and practice lead to the development of theoretical frameworks by practitioners. Whilst the common features of the trajectories are important to identify so that the characteristics of practitioner research can be understood more generally, the authors believe that having scope for individuality is vital to such research.

The study collects, compares and synthesises existing knowledge from specific sources about artists and creative designers working within research processes. The emphasis is on collaboration, evaluation and reflective practice.

The article presents findings from an exploratory study investigating the nature of collaborative research and development in creative industries. Participants in the study are two creative SMEs with extensive experience of participating in collaborative projects. A collective case study approach is adopted with data collected on the factors impinging on the effectiveness of such collaborations. Findings are presented at the macro and micro levels of such collaborations. The paper concludes with a summary of some of the challenges faced by small creative SMEs when collaborating with other organizations during the research and development process.

The exhibition Constructs and Re-Constructions provided a survey of the author's artwork and formed the basis for this paper. It included four prints, consisting of notes based on early documentation, representing four different conceptual stages in using computer technology. As each is discussed in turn, it is shown that the computer provides a significant enhancement to our ability to handle and consider the underlying structures of artworks and art systems in the many forms that they may take. In the work discussed, while the conceptual developments are the key issues, the role of the technology in encouraging, enabling and inspiring them has also been central.