‘Tentacular thinking’ in Creative Practice Research as a Radical Intellectual Gestureby
Agnieszka Piotrowska (Reader in Film, SODA, MMU & Professor, Film and Cultural Studies, The University of Gdańsk).
Online: SESSION 1: Wednesday 26th October 2022, 15:30-17:00 (GMT) – link to join
In this talk, Agnieszka Piotrowska considers the notion of what ‘knowledge’ might be for a creative research practitioner and how ‘high theory’ might be of assistance in inspiring ideas and creative strategies. She will share her most recent experience of working across disciplines with the new experimental film Wash (2022). It is a hybrid documentary with element of animation and drama dealing with serious issues of development in Zimbabwe, a country in which she has done much work over the years. The piece of work has been funded by Strategic England Research 2021 and the University of Edinburgh.
Following the and popular first round of the Art/Practice-based research seminar series (and a Special Issue on Recontextualising Practice-based Research which followed), the seminar series, hosted by C3 Centre Agata Lulkowska, returns with a new title and 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.
Recently released, in a warm and engaging audio interview, producer and Associate Professor Fiona Graham from C3 and historian Colin Winn walk to the craters and tour their perimeter. While doing so they share with us their stories behind this exciting project into the crater and talk about the special relationship that has developed with the local community. Colin is a military historian and tunnelling expert and Fiona an associate professor on the project.
The Hawthorn Redoubt was an formidable defensive position for the Germans which was blown up on the morning of 1 July 1916 by a mine that had been placed beneath the German stronghold on the ridge. The explosion, ten minutes before the whistles blew at 7:30am, destroyed the position but the timing of the detonation and the lifting of the artillery barrage meant that the position was reinforced by the Germans, leading to massive losses among the attacking British troops.
We have had a bumber year of books for the C3 researcher community. Here are some of the latest boooks with links to our institutional depository. Some of these books are available as a pre-copy-edited Author’s Accepted Manuscript (AAM), so do have a look.
BOEHM, Carola (2022) Arts and Academia: The Role of the Arts in Civic Universities. Great Debates in Higher Education . Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley. ISBN 978-1-83867-730-5 https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/7301/ and FULL PDF
RUDGE, Peter (2021) Beyond the Blue Economy; Creative Industries and Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States. Routledge Studies in Sustainable Development . Routledge, London, UK. ISBN 9780367820251 http://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/6927/
MACCALLUM-STEWART, Esther and Brown, Douglas (2020) Rerolling Boardgames: Essays on Themes, Systems, Experiences and Ideologies (Studies in Gaming). Studies in Gaming . MacFarland Press. ISBN 978-1-4766-7079-9 http://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/6726/
MCKENNA, Mark (2020) Nasty Business: The Marketing and Distribution of the Video Nasties. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. ISBN 9781474451086 http://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/6019/
WEBLEY, Stephen and Zackariasson, Peter, eds. (2019) The Playful Undead and Video Games: Critical Analyses of Zombies and Gameplay. Routledge, New York. https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/6803/
And if we missed any books, authored by C3 staff, let us know and we will feature them here.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
Overall, 68% of Staffordshire University’s research was judged 3* “internationally excellent” and 4* “world leading”, up from 37% in 2014 when the last REF results were announced. In addition, 87% of the University’s research impact has been rated as “very considerable” or “outstanding”, again the two highest categories. This has resulted in a rise of 22 places in the Times Higher League Table to =86.
C3 Centre Communities
Key Units of assessments for the C3 Centre were Art and Design (UoA 32) and Communications and Cultural Studies (UoA34).
The University rated most highly for Art and Design where 91% of its research was recognised as 4* and 3* and 100% of research impact was judged to be “very considerable” or “outstanding”.
Art and Design:
100% of research impact is recognised as “very considerable” or “outstanding”
91% of research is rated “internationally excellent” or “world leading”
In this area, we made substantial improvements compared to REF 2014
4* outputs increased from 0.0% to 47.1%
3* outputs increased from 15.0% to 41.1%
4* impact increased from 0.0% to 50.0%
The overall GPA for the unit increased from 1.88 to 3.32 (out of 4.0).
Communication and Cultural studies:
100% of research impact is recognised as “very considerable” or “outstanding”
In this area, we made substantial improvements compared to REF 2014
4* outputs increased from 7.3% to 13.5%
3* outputs increased from 20.0% to 32.4%
4* impact increased from 0.0% to 50.0%
3* impact increased from 20.0% to 50.0%
The overall GPA for the unit increased from 1.86 to 2.74 (out of 4.0).
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary
But we also work with many research communities across the university, and the C3 Centre membership spreads across different assessment units, each one of these having made improvements in research impacts and outputs:
Archaeology
100% of research impact is recognised as “very considerable” or “outstanding”
Business and management:
100% of research impact is recognised as “very considerable” or “outstanding”
71% of research overall is “internationally excellent” or “world leading”
Social Work Social Policy:
64% of research outputs are rated “internationally excellent” or “world leading”
Engineering:
75% of research impact is recognised as “very considerable” or “outstanding”
87% of research outputs are rated “internationally excellent” or “world leading”
Collaboration and Co-Creation
We have always worked in partnership with many communities locally, regionally and globally.
Thank You to all our stakeholders, partners & collaborators who have been part of our collective journey. Together we are shaping a more creative future.
Two of our impact case studies by Associate Professor Anna Francis and Associate Professor Nic Gratton demonstrate how research, collaboration and communities can work together.
As part of the London Craft Week 2022, the Korea Association of Art and Design returns for London Craft Week 2022 with a panel of experts in the area of ceramics, glass and crafts.
The virtual event will take place 9 May 2022, at 11:00 AM . Professor Brownsword will give a talk on:
Thinking through the Past for the Future: Neil Brownsword, Artist, Researcher, Professor, Department of Ceramics, Staffordshire University, UK
As part of the London Craft Week 2022, the Korea Association of Art and Design returns for London Craft Week 2022 with a panel of experts in the area of ceramics, glass and crafts.
The virtual event will take place 9 May 2022, at 11:00 AM . Professor Brownsword will give a talk on:
Thinking through the Past for the Future: Neil Brownsword, Artist, Researcher, Professor, Department of Ceramics, Staffordshire University, UK
Throughout history, ceramics have played an important role in the phenomenon of cultural transfer. For centuries China, Korea and Japan have influenced each other’s aesthetics, practices and technologies. Subsequent trade with the West, and the imitation and assimilation of East Asian goods and styles in the late 17th and 18th centuries greatly influenced the development of new ceramic traditions in Europe that were to gain historical prominence.
Since 2015 artist Neil Brownsword has explored this historic cycle of knowledge exchange, via performances staged in South Korea and the UK which have addressed the cultural hierarchies and value systems aligned to their ceramic traditions.In his work Factory (2017) staged at Icheon World Ceramic Centre, Brownsword re-choreographed the indigenous ceramic practices of two ex-factory personnel from Stoke-on-Trent and four Korean artisans to question established hierarchies of cultural production and reassign value to people and practices displaced by global economics.
By reactivating obsolescence via non-commercialised production, Brownsword revealed a shared language of haptic intelligences developed through ethical modes of exchange between East and West.
Performing FACTORYin Korea enabled the actors of marginalised immaterial heritage to renegotiate their value in a context where similar embodiments of knowledge are culturally protected. Its tour to the British Ceramics Biennial 2017, furthered UK/Korea cultural exchange, strengthening Stoke-on-Trent’s regeneration ambition as a global centre for ceramics. This presentation examines the context and development of Brownsword’s collaborations and his exploration of heritage as a ‘living process’ that can be constantly reimagined for the future.
Neil Brownsword is an artist, researcher and educator who holds a professorial position in ceramics at Staffordshire University. Brownsword began his career in ceramics as an apprentice at the Wedgwood factory in the mid- 1980’s. His practice examines the legacy of globalisation in relation to Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic manufacturing sector, and the impact this has had upon people, place and traditional skills. Using film and performative installation Brownsword deconstructs complex craft knowledge within industrial production to pose questions surrounding the value of inter-generational skill. His work is represented in public/private collections internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Korea Ceramic Foundation, Yingee Ceramic Museum Taiwan and Fu Le International Ceramic Art Museum China. In 2009 he was awarded the ‘One Off Award’ at the inaugural British Ceramic Biennial, and the Grand Prize at the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, South Korea in 2015, and Whitegold International Ceramic Prize in 2019.
Guest Speakers: Dr Jackie Reynolds and Colette Dobson who will talk about
This session focuses on research that leads to benefits beyond academia. It examines the challenges and opportunities for developing impact case studies based on practice-based research for the REF (Research Excellence Framework). Colette Dobson will discuss the impact of her collaborative research that addressed a need for better communication between patients and health care professionals about the sexual consequences of treatments for cancer. She will share her insights gained from the process of collecting impact evidence and developing a REF2021 impact case study.
New Civic Imaginaries proposes a shared civil space of ideas that “belong” to society rather than to the individual or the institution. The presentations, chaired by Becky Nunes, collected here represent the fields of research that faculty of the School of DTA at Staffordshire University are currently engaged with.
Dr. John Grayson: Re-valuing eighteenth-century Staffordshire Enamel through contemporary craft practice.
Dr. Md Asaduzzaman: Challenges for the NHS hospitals: the case of (i) readmission for heart failure patients and (ii) delayed transfer of care for elderly patients
Analogue crafts from the 18th C. and contemporary digital technologies are explored in two research papers that focus on the cultural and physical health & resilience of our communities into the future.
Wednesday 6 April 2022. 3.30-5.00 p.m Room T10. On campus and online.
Contact Becky Nunes for a MS Teams Link: rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk
We are excited to announce an additional international presentation to the online seminar schedule, bringing together three researchers to discuss and define how we deal with the ownership of memories connected to the Holocaust and sites of mass internment in Europe.
In the era of post-truth ( Keane 2018), memorial sites are looking at ways to counter distortions and misinterpretations of history by presenting knowledge of facts, whilst at the same time making room for different perspectives and interpretations.
To address the issue of multiple truths and contested memories Assoc. Prof. Michael Safaric Branthwaite, Dr. Ingeborg Hjorth and Bas Kortholt have formed a partnership to deliver artistic projects that allow space for more complex conversations to happen. The seminar will cover short introductions from Falstad Centre, Norway ( Hjorth) and Camp Westerbork, Netherlands ( Kortholt) and an introduction to ongoing projects at both sites by Safaric Branthwaite before opening the seminar up for discussion.
“We are the last ones, when we’ve gone… then it’s all history books.” — Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Holocaust survivor.
Contact Becky Nunes rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk for a MS Teams link.
New Civic Imaginaries proposes a shared civil space of ideas that “belong” to society rather than to the individual or the institution. The presentations, chaired by Becky Nunes, collected here represent the fields of research that faculty of the School of DTA at Staffordshire University are currently engaged with.