Category Archives: All Centre News

Interdisciplinary International Conference and Festival

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On 24th April 2021 the C3 Centre and the Department of Media and Performance hosted the international and interdisciplinary conference around the themes of Connections “Communities and Communication”.

Co-hosted by Agata Lulkowska, Sharon Coleclough and Stephanie Steventon, this conference considered the ways in which creative digital communities start, develop and grow, what is created within those groups and how real connections are built through technology sharing and eventually within the virtual environment of online discussion and dissemination.

“The idea for the event emerged in early 2020 as we were entering into the unknown of what later developed into a full-blown pandemic. Coming from a perspective of practice-based researchers, we discussed the links between academia and the creative world, and we thought of the importance of connections – between disciplines, between cultures and between people. The idea of our hybrid-event was born. We did not expect such a spectacular response to our call for submissions. Between films and papers, we have received nearly 2500 applications from 105 countries. It was clear that there is a need for a positive reminder about what brings us all together. We were fortunate to secure some fantastic keynote speakers, both local and international, as well as invite our colleagues from the Department of Media and Performance to talk about some amazing projects they are working on.”

The conference website is at https://www.agatalulkowska.com/communitiesandcommunication

Conference Programme (PDF)Download

#CreativeConnections2021

NoiseFloor 2021 Call for Works

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We are delighted to announce that NoiseFloor will be returning to the Music and Sound department at Staffordshire University on 11th – 12th May 2021. Our theme for 2021 will be Collaboration.

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS – SUBMIT PROPOSALS BY FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH

For details, see our dedicated NoiseFloor website at https://noisefloor.org.uk/

NoiseFloor 2019

Conference: Philosophy & Serres

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The annual conference of The Society for European Philosophy and the Forum for European Philosophy (SEP-FEP 2020 Conference) will be happening on 30­–31 October and 6­–7 November 2020 – The programme is divided over successive Friday afternoons and full Saturdays. The wbsite is at https://sep-fep.com/

The SEP-FEP conference is the largest annual event in Europe, aiming to bring together researchers, teachers and students from different disciplines, interested in all areas of contemporary European philosophy. This year, to mark the passing of Michel Serres last June, the conference will feature a strand of presentations devoted to his work.

As part of this strand, Staffordshire Univeristy Professor David Webb interviews Christopher Watkin on Michel Serres.

 

Conference: Communities and Communication

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Staffordshire University’s new Department of Media and Performance (formerly Film, Media & Journalism, Humanities and Performing Arts)  is organising an international and interdisciplinary conference around the themes of Connections. It will take place online on 24th April 2021.

More information about the conference is at its own website.

This conference seeks to consider the ways in which creative digital communities start, develop and grow, what is created within those groups and how real connections are built through technology sharing and eventually within the virtual environment of online discussion and dissemination. We welcome contributions from across the sector from traditional print media forms to film and television, and gaming and interactive technology, offering the opportunity to explore both applied and theoretical explorations of this area of communities within the digital world. We aim to publish a selection of these contributions in an edited collection developed as a result of the conference. 

​Topics of interest:

  • ​Real-world versus digital communities 
  • Audio-visual communication practices
  • Interdisciplinary community-connections
  • What is the future of communities?
  • Visibility and identity in communities
  • Local vs global communities
  • Sports, digital media and communities
  • Healthcare and community
  • Community inclusion and exclusion
  • Performance

Deadline for submissions is 18th December 2020. For more details on how to submit please see the Call for Papers.

For any enquiries, please contact: Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk

Running Naked: University and private equity partnership launch a feature film

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Running naked is a feature film made in collaboration between private equity and Staffordshire University’s film production courses. The film has already screened at Beijing and Portland International Film festivals and is due for release in February 2021.

Running Naked is the story of two lifelong friends, pushed together through cancer. The story explores a period their life as one discovers the cancer has returned and their adventures as his illness unfolds.

The film was made in a unique way. The funding for the film came from private equity. This was combined with in-kind use of equipment, space, locations and crew from the University.

We, Andy Paton and Mike Knowles successfully combined a crew of industry professionals who mentored Staffordshire University students. The Crew included, Oscar nominated and Emmy winning director Victor Buhler. He directed Running Naked and Mike and Andy produced the film. The film’s score was composed by Craig Potter from Elbow

The film was all shot in and around the University in Stoke, utilising some of the buildings as locations and a production office, as well as many local businesses.

The cast start Andrew Gower(Carnival Row and Black Mirror) Tamzin Merchant(Carnival Row, Salem and Pride and Prejudice) Matthew Mcnulty (The Terror, Jamaica Inn and Deadwater Fell)

The project is an amazing example of how the University and private equity can be brought together to create a film that already has a distribution deal and international sales with an international release date in February 2021.

Watch this space for announcement of first screenings!

Yet another podcast?

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Prof Carola Boehm joins two co-hosts for the launch of a new podcast about education in audio, music production and music technology.

A new Routledge supported podcast exploring the intersection between the Creative Industry and Academia has been launched this weekend with Staffordshire University input. Sound Learnings is a podcast  about education in audio, music production and music technology. One of the Co-Hosts is Carola Boehm, Professor of Arts and Higher Education from the C3 Centre of Creative Industries and Creative Communities. 

“There are not many public discourses on how our contemporary worlds of industry and academia regularly interact, sometimes with specific frictions and sometimes with real positive impacts for both. We thought it timely and useful to do this in our area of creative practice, music technology and music production. And inviting various makers and shakers to our roundtable allows us to really go behind the scenes of how this connectivity between the two spheres play out in our creative sectors.” (Carola Boehm)

All three co-hosts are educators, researchers and have professional profiles in music and audio. The podcast has been sponsored by Routledge publishers. Tim Canfer, who initiated the project, is a Lecturer at Barnsley College Higher Education, an Author, Tech Developer and Musician. His main area of research is developing reactive devices for live performance. Russ Hepworth is a part time Senior Lecturer at York St John University with a research area of audio mastering education. He has his own studio and continually works within the industry as a mastering engineer.

In the first series of the SoundLearnings podcast, the co-hosts chat with guest from the world of either education or industry. The characteristic that connects them all is that they value education specifically, and that they relate to the world of industry.

Being in pre-production since May, the next episodes to drop feature interviews from Flying Colors manager Bill Evans, mastering engineers Mike Cave and Katie Tavini, educator and mix engineer for Pete Waterman – Tim ‘Spag’ Speight, and educator, researcher and Eurovision Song Contest contender, ‘Stereo Mike’ Exarchos. 

Dr Agata Lulkowska receives an international award for her work in film

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Dr Agata Lulkowska has been selected from among the highest-ranked articles of the year to receive the annual International Award for Excellence from The Journal of Communication and Media Studies.

Her article Voice of the Arhuacos: Transcending the Borders of “Indigenous” Filmmaking in Colombia was identified as outstanding by members of the Communication and Media Studies Research Network.

Read more about this at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/news/2020/06/film-lecturer-wins-international-award

Launching the C3 Centre

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We recently have launched the C3 Centre as the newest of Staffordshire University’s Research Centres, focussing on the Creative Industries and Creative Communities.

The centre provides a single overarching structure for all staff working together with our creative partners through the medium of arts and culture, working within the creative and cultural economy, society and sectors.

In short, it is not ‘about the arts’ but rather ‘through the arts’.

It provides a structural framework for activities that reflect the search for new conceptual and critical insights into practices used by individual artists, collectives and creative thinkers who are passionate about engaging, interacting and co-creating with their surrounding communities. If your practice focusses on areas, such as Ceramics, Creative Industries and/or Creative Communities than this centre might be of interest to you. We would suggest that our collective creative talent in our city and surrounding communities is what makes our region so impactful through its creative engagements.

So if you are interested in the cutting edge of creative practice, keep an eye out for our projects and events. We regularly hold exhibition, research talks, networking events, so stay in touch by being part of our community. Browse our projects and feel invited to come to our events, and get in touch with our individual staff if you have ideas for collaborative innovation and research projects. 

And if you want to just say ‘hi’, leave us a comment here. We would love to hear from you.

Heatwork

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Heatwork is an Arts Council funded project brining together experimental music and video composers alongside local and international musicians. The first performance of Heatwork took place on 15th Noivember 2019 at Middleport Pottery, a working industrial site housing many craft businesses. Interviews of people involved in the industry were used to create electronic sounds which were played live alongside the Brass Band and Clarient soloist. Marc Estibeiro composed the piece, which was performed by Matthias Müller, on his SABRE system, and the championship TCTC Group brass Band. Live visuals were performed by Dave Payling using his own footage and supported by additional films from Staffordshire Film Archive and BCB Festival.

Heatwork has its own project webpages at http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/projects/heatwork/

International Festival of Video Arts

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We are hosting the UK screening for the inaugural festival of video arts and visual music. This will involve same day world premieres of 10 works of Video Art and Visual Music in several venues around the world. The UK screening is a Stoke Film Theatre, on the University’s College Road Campus at 7pm on Wednesday 12th September.

Reserve a free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/international-festival-of-video-arts-tickets-48325756639 

VENUES

Cine Le Corbusier at French Embassy • Brasília, Brazil
MU.SA Museu das Artes de Sintra • Sintra, Portugal
Fonoteca Nacional de México • Ciudad de México, México
Reeves Theater, University of Tampa • Tampa, United States
Museo Artequin • Viña del Mar, Chile
Sala Concerti Pietro Sassu • Sassari, Italy
Stoke Film Theatre • Staffordshire, England

ORGANIZATION AND CURATION

Organized by

With the international curatorial support of

Events also taking place in Portugal, Sweden and Uruguay

More information: http://www.videoartes.org/

 

UNESCO’s INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT

In order to support UNESCO’s ideal of peace and contribute to improving the quality of education, the International Festival of Video Art and Visual Music 2018 will join to the activities of the International Day of Light.

It is important to emphasize that the involved institutions in the Festival, will contribute exclusively providing digital and local advertising around the activities. The accomplishment of such event reaffirms the role of the UNESCO and cultural centers in the promotion and socialization the following missions:

  • Education for Sustainable Development.
  • Peace and human rights.
  • Intercultural learning.