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Drawing Maternal Machines and other Fantasies of Care
No full textIdeations of artificial wombs, robotic nannies, cots with facial recognition and self-driving prams are part of a long history of motivations to use technologies to support, alter or even replace humans in situations of gestation, reproduction and care. Reflecting society's entangled fantasies about care and often reinforcing cultural tropes about gendered roles, the imagined possibilities about technologies in such sensitive and emotionally charged topics are worth examining. In this paper I present ways in which I have critically explored imaginaries and ideations in spaces related to maternal and infant care, accompanied by a practice of drawing that was fluid, creative, speculative, suggestive and communicative, and enabled an engagement with the complexity of machines and quantifying approaches that exist in a realm abundant with non-numerical and ancestral forms of bodily knowledge. Drawing was also useful in activities with participants, where we collectively discussed and imagined scenarios with technologies for care
“I am now being who I am and I’m proud of it”: Hair related personal and social identity and subjective wellbeing of older Black women in the UK
Get PDFHair is an important personal attribute defined by the person’s natural hair shape, form and colour as well as by age and health. The hair of Black women has a specific curly texture that has been commonly manipulated to resemble straighter European hair, following centuries of oppressive beauty norms. The biological hair aging also presents challenges to some women due to the traditional social constructs of beauty and the persistent pressure on women to maintain their appearance. This interdisciplinary study explores the evolution of hair management practices of Black women from age-related biological, personal, social and well-being perspectives. A mixed methods approach was adopted, based on an online survey (n=46) followed by in depth semi-structured interviews (n=10). A statistically significant shift towards less frequent use of complex hair styles and visits to the hairdressers over a 30-year period was found, but frequency of hair colouring was not impacted. Three main qualitative themes were identified: 1) managing hair greying represented an important age-related negotiation of personal and social identity; 2) curly hair texture remained a strong personal and cultural identity symbol in light of historical dominance of Eurocentric hair beauty standards and hair-based discrimination; and 3) subjective well-being was strengthened by increased confidence in one’s personal hair aesthetics and better-informed choices about hair management. Overall, age did not diminish the desire to maintain good hair. Increasing the visibility of older Black women’s hair will further support their capacity to negotiate their presence and participation in social and professional contexts and to enhance their subjective well-being
Responsible Science of Cosmetics and Beauty
No full textAmid rapid scientific advancements in ageing and health management, the rise of AI-powered product and routine personalisation, and greater access to beauty treatments, modern cosmetics are delivering substantial benefits to consumers of all ages.
At the same time, a strong focus on sustainability, through green chemistry, product life cycle analysis, and innovations in both product and packaging, has revolutionised the industry.
Against this backdrop, consumers today enjoy broader and more sophisticated choices. However, critics argue that the industry must also prioritise educating consumers and promoting more responsible consumption patterns. Ethical business practices and transparent communication are essential to support the health, wellbeing and broader social value of cosmetic use and beautification
Developing and Embedding Enterprise Competencies: A Pedagogical Framework for Creative Entrepreneurship Education
Get PDFEnterprise education is vital for developing entrepreneurial capabilities in the creative industries, yet existing frameworks such as EntreComp do not fully address the distinctive needs of creative entrepreneurs, including portfolio careers, high neurodiversity, and the role of identity and reflexive practice. This study presents the development and implementation of the LCF Enterprise Competencies, a practice-led pedagogical framework designed to embed enterprise education across creative curricula. Using a multi-stage approach, the research benchmarked national and international best practice, mapped internal provision across 313 LCF units, co-created competencies with stakeholders, and iteratively evaluated their impact in teaching and learning contexts.
The resulting framework comprises 52 competencies organised into eight categories, including Creativity and Innovation, Leadership and Management, and Personal and Professional Development. These are visualised in a non-linear, star-shaped model to support flexible, modular learning trajectories. Findings indicate that core competencies such as reflective practice, collaboration, financial literacy, and creative problem-solving are most frequently required. This provides curriculum design guidance for enterprise educators. The framework’s adaptability allows alignment with diverse units, assessment strategies, and student cohorts, while evaluation using mixed methods, including frequency analysis and qualitative student feedback, to demonstrate tangible and intangible impacts on learner confidence, capability, and enterprise skill development.
This project contributes an empirically grounded, adaptable model for creative enterprise education, offering guidance for curriculum design and pedagogical practice. Future work includes producing a guidebook for educators, adapting the framework for other creative disciplines, and translating practice-led insights into peer-reviewed scholarly outputs. The study highlights the potential of structured, evidence-informed frameworks to enhance creative enterprise pedagogy in the UK and internationally
Understanding Students' Perceptions of Sustainability in Global Fashion Education
No full textIn response to the urgent climate crisis and evolving demands of the global fashion industry, educational institutions must integrate sustainability into their curricula. By aligning fashion programs with student perspectives and the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), future professionals can acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Addressing social and environmental concerns in fashion education remains paramount.
This study explores global student perceptions of sustainability within fashion curricula, exploring how educational practices influence attitudes towards sustainable fashion in consumer and producer countries. Building on collaborative research between RMIT University Vietnam and the University of Portsmouth in 2023, the project has been extended to involve student cohorts from Istituto Marangoni London, RMIT University Melbourne, and the University of Lisbon.
Through survey data analysis, the research identifies factors shaping student views on sustainability and assesses pedagogical effectiveness. By understanding these influences, educators can enhance student engagement and promote sustainable practices within the industry. This approach underscores the importance of active learning pedagogies in fostering sustainable commitments. The research contributes to ongoing conversations about education's role in shaping the fashion industry's future. By conducting a comparative analysis across diverse student cohorts and programs globally, it offers insights into effective sustainable education practices in various cultural and educational settings.
Integrating sustainability into higher education benefits students, academics, and industry professionals alike. Students gain specialized skills for evolving industries, boosting employability and sustainability contributions. Academics benefit from flexible curricula supporting innovative practices and industry connections. Industry professionals can leverage academic collaborations to stay updated on sustainability trends and recruit new talent.
Advocating for a student-centred approach to sustainable fashion education, this study emphasizes the importance of creative research and practical applications for shaping a forward-thinking industry-aligned educational framework.
Key Words: Creative Pedagogy; Design Education; Fashion Curriculum; Social Responsibility; Sustainabilit
Histories of Ecologies
No full textThe exhibition 'Histories of Ecology' is the museum’s eighth exhibition since 2016 dedicated to exploring diverse, plural, and polyphonic histories. Moving beyond the undeniable urgency of the climate crisis, the exhibition expands the concept of ecology itself. Through the work of artists, activists, and social movements, it examines the relationships between human and more-than-human beings—a category that encompasses animals, plants, rivers, forests, mountains and fungi.
The use of the term “ecology” instead of “nature” is, in this context, a deliberate conceptual decision. Unlike conceptions that isolate nature as an entity external to society, ecology is understood here as a relational web, a field of forces in constant transformation. This perspective challenges established dichotomies such as nature/culture, subject/object, and human/non-human. Such an approach resonates with contemporary calls for an “ecological turn” within the humanities and social sciences, which seek to rethink knowledge production by embracing a multiplicity of worlds and ecosystems.
Among the featured works, 'Body Architecture' by Lucy Orta explores the macrocosm of community and modular collective dwellings by creating physical links between individuals and symbolising the many emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual ties that connect us
Human-AI Collaborative Game Testing with Vision Language Models
Get PDFAs modern video games become increasingly complex, traditional manual testing methods are proving costly and inefficient, limiting the ability to ensure high-quality game experiences. While advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offer the potential to assist human testers, the effectiveness of AI in truly enhancing real-world human performance remains underexplored. This study investigates how AI can improve game testing by developing and experimenting with an AI-assisted workflow that leverages state-of-the-art machine learning models for defect detection. Through an experiment involving 800 test cases and 276 participants of varying backgrounds, we evaluate the effectiveness of AI assistance under four conditions: with or without AI support, and with or without detailed knowledge of defects and design documentation. The results indicate that AI assistance significantly improves defect identification performance, particularly when paired with detailed knowledge. However, challenges arise when AI errors occur, negatively impacting human decision-making. Our findings show the importance of optimizing human-AI collaboration and implementing strategies to mitigate the effects of AI inaccuracies. By this research, we demonstrate AI's potential and problems in enhancing efficiency and accuracy in game testing workflows and offers practical insights for integrating AI into the testing process
Assembling UK–India relations through the cultural and creativeindustries
No full textCulture and the creative economy reflect inherently ideological interpretations and meanings when embedded within policy agendas.We situate culture and the creative economy within contemporary UK–India relations by specifically charting the rise of the CCIs as a policy agenda. Utilising the notion of assembling futures (Harrison 2015.“Beyond ‘natural’ and ‘cultural’ heritage: Toward an ontological politicsof heritage in the age of the Anthropocene.” Heritage and Society 8 (1):24–42. doi:10.1179/2159032X15Z.00000000036), we argue that the rise of CCIs reflects wider currents and processes of marketisation and neoliberalism alongside more hard power strategies pertaining to theuses of culture within areas of trade, security and defence by respectiveUK and Indian governments. By analysing the 2030 Roadmap for UK–India Future Relations, we highlight how culture and creativity have been hardwired into the construction of a narrative for strategic UK–India relations precisely as definitional, regulatory, trade and policy terms of the CCIs are being assemble
Nature: Ten British Artists from London
No full textRaksha exhibited five paintings in the exhibition Nature: 10 Artists from London” (curators: Harry Pye, August Künnapu) opens at the Kadrioru Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia on Tuesday, 16 September - 14 October 2025
The exhibition offered a snapshot of the current art scene in London. Participating artists have previously taken part or curated exhibitions at Saatchi Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Royal Academy of Arts in London etc.
The whole undertaking is really necessary as nothing similar has happened in Estonia for decades. The last overview display of British painting and sculpture “Tailsliding” (curator Stephen Hepworth, organised by the British Council) took place in 2002 at Rotermanni Salt Storage. “Nature” helps to strengthen contacts between British and Estonian artists, curators and other art-involved people and enliven our cultural life.
The participating artists from the big city (Harry Adams, Huddie Hamper, Edie Flowers, Raksha Patel, Harry Pye, Suzanne Spiro, Corin Johnson, Gordon Beswick, Cedar Lewisohn and Georgia Hayes) are united by certain yearning for nature, sincerity, heightened sense of beauty, metaphorical and romantic perception of the world, refined English sense of humour and largely the imagery. Their style differs, the artists include representatives of realist painting, those with more naïve style as well as expressionists
Styles Make Fights: Fashioning the Male Boxing Body in Contemporary British Boxing Ring Dress
Get PDFThis study is an anthropological and cultural exploration of professional male boxers and their boxing ring dress. In boxing, once fighters have debuted and become professional boxers, they have complete creative expression in the ring and the economic means to hire a designer who will create their custom boxing ring dress. Objects of boxing dress such as boxing trunks, robes, boots, jackets, and trunks that are worn in the boxing ring often contain embellishments that are distinctive to the boxer’s history, race, sexuality, nationality, tastes, personality, and political position (Mondragon, 2021).
As a masculine institution and classed sport, objects of boxing dress can also be considered as gendered and classed material culture. Boxing ring dress can also operate as a subtle form of resistance and cultural activism, and in effect, can give a voice to marginalised men.
The research methods for this study are qualitative and mixed, combining semi-structured interviews with both former boxing champions and a former dress maker of boxing ring dress, with participant observation by attending live boxing matches at York Hall in east London, alongside an analysis of pre-worn objects of boxing ring dress at a sports memorabilia retail outlet in east London.
The study is underpinned by Raewyn Connell’s gender theory, in particular her notion of ‘Body Reflexive Practice’. This is combined with Bruno Latour's Actor Network Theory, which considers how objects become social actants working in relation to humans in society (Latour, 2005; Connell, 1995). It is hoped that this study will, through the narratives and stories that are embodied within boxing ring dress, provide insights into the lived experiences of working-class men. Findings aim to make a significant contribution to studies of fashion, gender, sports, and subcultural style