Category Archives: About Creative Research

C3 Agata Lulkowska’s 5th Season of Rebellious Research will be kicking off next week!

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We are delighted to share the details of the 5th season of Rebellious Research, hosted by Associate Professor and Centre Lead Agata Lulkwoska,  and exploring Creative Practice Research in an online live series of talks and discussions. 

The full seminar programme is available here:  https://www.agatalulkowska.com/seminar-series

Over the last few year, the prior four rounds led to a Special Issue on Recontextualising Practice-based Research, a creative practice research manifesto, Collaborative Creative Provocation, a book on Filmmaking in Academia, another one on Fiction Filmmaking as Research (due 2026), and a book series (in progress) on Creative Practice Research.

For the fifth time, the seminar series returns with, again, some truly exquisite guests. As always, free and open to all (all sessions run online via MS Teams), this initiative aims at widening support and understanding around practice research in a friendly and inclusive manner, with some top experts sharing their experience and advice.

For more info and to be added to the mailing list, please contact Agata Lulkowska (Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk)

All sessions are recorded and available to rewatch on the dedicated YouTube channel.

Kick-starting the fifth round is Chris Nunn (University of Birmingham)  who on Wednesday, 29th October at 3:30 (UK time), will deliver a talk on ‘Practice-Based Research and Feature Film Production.‘

Details below:

Session 1: Wednesday 29th October 2024, 3:30-5pm (UK): Chris Nunn (University of Birmingham)

 Link to join on MS Teams

Title: Practice-Based Research and Feature Film Production

This talk examines how universities might function as alternative production bases for feature films that commercial industry structures cannot support. Drawing on two recent University of Birmingham projects – the documentary Children of The Wicker Man (2024) and folk horror feature An Ill Wind (2026) – I argue that higher education institutions possess unique resources positioning them as sites of genuinely independent filmmaking.

Both projects emerged from archival discovery and practice-based research, prioritising investigative inquiry over commercial viability. Children developed from found documents exploring Robin Hardy’s cult film and complex creative legacy, while An Ill Wind attempted ethical folk horror through extended Shetland Islands collaboration. Neither would have necessarily secured traditional funding due to their investigative approaches, moral complexity, and development timelines allowing genuine reflexivity.

Universities offer key advantages: access to emerging talent, reduced labour costs through academic-industry hybrid models, intellectual frameworks for complex cultural questions, and freedom from immediate commercial pressures. However, this model faces limitations around funding structures, equipment access, and temporal conflicts between academic cycles and industry schedules.

The talk examines whether universities can genuinely function as alternative production spaces or inevitably become industry training grounds. Rather than mimicking industry practices, universities might develop distinctly educational approaches prioritising process over product, collaboration over hierarchy, and inquiry over entertainment. The question remains whether such approaches can create films finding audiences beyond academic contexts, and whether rebellious research can translate into genuinely rebellious cinema.

 

Dr Chris Nunn is Assistant Professor of Film at the University of Birmingham, creative producer of both films discussed, and Associate Editor of the Film Education Journal.



C3’s Professor Carola Boehm joins the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts

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Carola Boehm, Professor of Arts and Higher Education from the C3 Centre for Creative Industries and Creative Communities at the University of Staffordshire, has been recruited to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts. She will be joining 58 external experts from across academia and industry, forming a diverse and experienced community of experts. The DCMS College of Experts members have been called upon to provide external expertise and apply innovative scientific methods to support government policy.

Her expertise will contribute to helping DCMS tackle complex challenges across their policy areas with research insights.

Professor Carola Boehm said:

“I am delighted to be collaborating with fellow college members and DCMS colleagues and look forward to supporting evidence-based policymaking, driving forward impactful solutions for our creative and cultural sectors.”

Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Tom Crick said:

“We are delighted to welcome our new members of DCMS College of Experts. Since 2021, the College of Experts has made a significant impact on our department, ensuring that our policy design, development and implementation is grounded in the most rigorous and robust research and evidence available. Your engagement will help us continue to tackle the complex and interdisciplinary challenges across our policy areas with confidence and insight. We look forward to engaging with you and building on the meaningful collaboration that has shaped and informed impactful decision-making.”

 The College of Experts has expertise across the DCMS portfolio. The College supplements any existing relationships that teams have established with experts and offers a diverse breadth of scientific and technical knowledge that colleagues can draw upon dynamically. This allows the department to benefit from longer-term, systematic working relationships and addresses the increasing need for on-demand expert advice to underpin policy work.

Professor Carola Boehm’s research focusses on creative and cultural industries and has already been featured in the UPEN Study on how Arts and Humanities research influence public policy making (https://upen.ac.uk/resources/how-does-arts-and-humanities-research-influence-public-policymaking/). Her work underpins various strategic initiatives, from Cultural Leadership Programmes, such as Create Place Programme (https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/createplace/), or supports the work of Cultural Compacts, such as Stoke Creates, where she is currently the chair (https://stokecreates.org.uk/). She has recently published a book in Emerald’s book series, Great Debates in Higher Education, titled Arts and Academia: The Role of the Arts in Civic Universities.

Her public output can be accessed or requested from EPRINTS/STORE BOEHM

The Universit press release can be read at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/news/2025/06/staffordshire-professor-joins-the-department-of-culture-media-and-sport-dcms-college-of-experts

REBELLIOUS RESEARCH: Create Practice Research Seminar Series – Round 4

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Welcome to Round 4  of the Rebellious Research Seminar Series focusing on Creative Practice Research. The seminar series returns yet again, with some truly exquisite guests. As always, free and open to all (all sessions run online via MS Teams), this initiative aims at widening support and understanding around practice research in a friendly and inclusive manner, with some top experts sharing their experience and advice.

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

For more info and to be added to the mailing list please contact Agata Lulkowska (Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk)

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

​All the past sessions are available on a dedicated YouTube channel

Any changes ot the programme will be announced on: https://www.agatalulkowska.com/seminar-series

Step Up to Research – Conferencing

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  • When: 01 May 2025 15:00 – 16:30
  • Where: Flaxman L518
  • Registration: Through MS Outlook Invite
  • For Who: University of Staffordshire Staff Only

After a short break the Step-Up-to-Research team is pleased to announce the return of the ‘Step up to Research’ programme, reimagined as a cross-department collaboration between the C3 and LEVELS research centres.  LEVEL’s Sharon Coleclough and C3’s Mark McKenna will be convening a packed programme of activity over the coming months that includes:

  • Beginning to Write – Book chapters and Journal Articles
  • Curating the work of Others: Edited Collections and Journal Special Issues
  • Developing Book proposals
  • Creative practice and alternative outputs
  • Studying for a PhD – what you need to know
  • Curating an exhibition or live event
  • Grant capture do’s and don’ts

The series is aimed at the research curious, but everyone is welcome to attend and even if you are further along on your research journey, we would welcome your input into the sessions as we grow a vibrant and connected research community here at Staffs.

We are keen to be as responsive to your needs as possible and plan to conduct a skills audit as part of these sessions, in order to ascertain where the gaps are and how we might best support you. We have designed these sessions to give you practical advice on the processes involved to enable you to grow your research profile.

Since conference season is almost upon us, we would like to begin with:

  • Conferences – a guide to attending and presenting

In this session we’ll cover everything from where to find the various call for papers requests in your area of expertise, to responding to those calls, and from preparing and delivering your conference paper, to networking and any post conference considerations. We understand that conferencing can be daunting, even for the more experienced among us, so consider this your one-stop-shop to get you ready for the summer season.

These are informal sessions in which a range of staff will share their experience and expertise of each of the topics providing the foundation for a broader discussion of how we might support you in achieving your own research goals.  The is an open forum for researchers to gain knowledge, get answers to questions and to feel supported in their research moving forwards.

We look forward to seeing you.

Mark and Sharon

If you have any queries or suggestions please contact:

Sharon as the representative of LEVELS: @Sharon Coleclough

or Mark McKenna as the representative of C3: @Mark Mckenna

Please note the session will take place in person in Flaxman L518, but we would encourage you to accept the Teams meeting so we can gauge numbers.

C3 Creative Crumbs (Mini Virtual Writing Retreates)

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  • When: 2 sessions each month
  • Where: Online
  • Registration: Through C3 MS Teams Channel “C3 Ideas Space”
  • For Who: C3 Members Only

We are organising various monthly 60 minute mini online writing retreats for anyone who wants to pop in, and reserve some time for writing or getting some advice on

  • Drafting research bids
  • Writing articles
  • Idea creation for new bids
  • Reviewing article drafts
  • Or anything else that involved writing in the pursuit of research or enterprise activities.

Bring a virtual cup of coffee/tea and get those fingers warmed up. I (Carola Boehm) will be there, so if you want to

  • bounce of any ideas around publications,
  • get some first reviews of your funding-bid drafts, or
  • need some advice on how to put your output into STORE,
  • or have a quick chat about your research,

just feel free to pop in.

60 minutes will be divided into:

  • 5 minute intro, chat, committing to what to focus on
  • 20 minute writing
  • 5 minute chat break
  • 20 minute writing
  • 5 minute goodbye and plans for next steps

Link is available on our C3 Centre MS Teams Channel “C3 Ideas Space”

Carola

C3 Research Overview Sessions

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  • When: Several sessions, Spring 2025
  • Where: Hybrid
  • Registration: Through MS Outlook and C3 MS Teams Channel “C3 Ideas Space”
  • For Who: C3 Members Only

We welcome you to a Research Overview session which will take place on Teams and in two different slots to hopefully allow all staff who want to attend to do so. Ian Brown will lead on these sessions and they will take place on Tuesday 18th at 1:15 and be repeated on Wednesday 19th at 12.

The session is intended for those who are currently research active, those that are interested in becoming research active, or just curious about research, and want to know more. It is aimed at staff who would potentially be submitted to either Unit of Assessment 32 (Art & Design: History, Practice and Theory) and 34 (Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management) and so covers a diverse range of research from different disciplines and departments (from Philosophy to Games, for example). This overview will discuss the variety of forms that research can take, the roles of research centres (and how to get involved), institutional support, funding and REF. Further, more specific, sessions will take place at a later date.

Contact Ian Brown for further dates.