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Acting Politically: Making performance in the eye of history
Get PDFChapter investigating the legacy of Brechtian approaches to acting in contemporary political theatre-making
Responsible research and innovation: Opportunities and challenges for UK-China collaboration in the creative industries
Get PDFResponsible research and innovation (RRI) aligns research and innovation with societal values, needs and expectations. It increases the quality, relevance, social acceptability and sustainability of research and innovation outcomes. RRI is a key concept in the major research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, but it is unfamiliar to the creative industries. This paper explores the relevance of RRI to the creative industries and examines the opportunities and challenges for UK-China collaboration in this area. The research methods used were workshops for data collection and thematic analysis for data analysis. This paper has identified significant stakeholder interest in UK-China RRI collaboration in the creative industries, related emerging research and innovation trends, potential areas for collaboration and challenges. The main contributions of this paper include providing an understanding of RRI from the perspective of key stakeholders in both countries and offering practical next steps for further exploring UK-China RRI collaboration in the creative industries sector
Lissa Gbassa Variations
No full textClaire Nichols is a London-based multidisciplinary artist creating live performances where installation, movement and sound collide and work in relation to each other in an improvised manner. Recently she has been especially focused on sound, using a contact microphone, a hydrophone and a geophone to record environmental vibrations unheard by the human ear. This way Claire lets materials speak on their own terms, revealing their agency.
In Benin, Claire has felt the need to honour and recognise local ocean, river and land-based traditional practices and livelihoods, such as fishing, salt distillation, and earth and bamboo construction. Instead of staying in a studio, Claire has taken her microphones out into the field, recording elemental processes involving fire, water and earth. These recordings serve as materials for improvised live performances conducted in collaboration with dancers.
In Claire’s experience, listening to the environment allows for becoming more in tune with what is around you. There is a difference between hearing and listening: whereas hearing is automatic and something that arises from the circumstances, listening is a conscious practice, opening up to the field of sound. Drawing on Pauline Oliveros' ideas around Quantum Listening, Claire suggests that it is possible to go even further and to be aware of how you are listening, to listen to the act of listening itself.
Villa Karo, Benin (2024
Who are the Bruckner Listeners and What do they Hear in Bruckner?
Get PDFDespite the growing number of Bruckner recordings and performances, little is known about who the Bruckner listeners are and what they experience in his music. This talk explores these questions through a survey-based study involving approximately 400 participants from around the globe. Specifically, the talk will present data regarding the various demographic and personality characteristics of Bruckner listeners, the aesthetic emotions experienced during music listening reported by Bruckner listeners, and other Western classical music composers that Bruckner listeners appreciate. The study, thus, situates Bruckner’s music within the broader cultural and historical context of Western classical music, examining how contemporary listeners relate to his compositions compared to other composers. The talk will also examine how Bruckner listening is associated with day-to-day aesthetic experiences, including preferences for non-classical music and clothing. Additionally, interviews with prominent Bruckner conductors provide nuanced insights into interpretative variations of audience reception. As an exploratory study, the study provides a basic understanding of the perception of Bruckner’s music by audiences. In doing so, the study may provide blueprints as to the position the composer holds in the contemporary classical music scene
Exhibiting Fashion
No full textPublic exhibition tour and talk on exhibition-making and curation as a catalyst for advancing innovative museum practices
Impact of Virtual Exchange on teachers’ and student teachers’ intercultural competence
Get PDFThis chapter explores participants’ development of intercultural competence (Byram, 1997, 2020) as a result of their participation in the Virtual Exchanges (VEs) implemented as part of the VALIANT project. In recent years, several related models and frameworks that complement each other have emerged, such as the global competence models (UNESCO, 2014; OECD, 2018), the model of competences for democratic culture (Council of Europe, 2016) or frameworks for intercultural citizenship (Deadorff, 2006; Risager, 2007; Byram, 2008). In short, all these models of intercultural or global competence or citizenship, although presenting differentiating nuances, focus on the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to communicate and act effectively and appropriately in different cultural contexts. The basic difference between the concepts of competence and citizenship can be found in the element of action taking of social action
Challenges with textured hair analysis: single fibre and hair assembly assessments and statistical explorations
Get PDFIntroduction: Very curly hair, often referred to as textured hair, is defined by the fibre’s highly elliptical cross-sectional shape, and irregular twists and kinks. This results in hair assembly characteristics that are challenging to assess in laboratory conditions using traditional instrumental methods such as combing and single fibre mechanical tests. These tests are reliant on standardised fibre and tress length and the interpretation of data is based on assumptions of equally distributed forces (cross sectionally and longitudinally). Therefore, new approaches to textured hair testing are needed reflecting the magnitude of effect of hair geometry and interactions with products.
Methods: Tress testing (n=8): Wet hair combing and dry friction tests before (t0) and after multiple product and heat styling applications (t1) were performed. Total Work of Combing (TWC) and Coefficient of Friction (COF) at t0 and t1 were analysed using t-tests and PCA. One-way independent ANOVA was applied to the ΔTWC and ΔCOF with t0 values as co-variates.
Single fibre testing (n=80): Single fibres before (t0) and after treatment with silicone oil (t1) were photographed. Image features describing the fibre 2D form were extracted using computer vision processes. t-tests, correlations and PCA of the futures were conducted.
Results: The TWC and COF for tresses decreased after heat styling indicating permanent loss of curl pattern (t-test), however two active treatments mitigated this effect (ANOVA). The PCA analysis identified two components which accounted for the differences between treatments. The main component is hypothesized to be related to the curl pattern, the second component as the product effect on the hair surface. Combing test results showed higher level of dispersion than friction.
Single fibre feature analysis produced significant difference in t0 and t1 features related to the estimated number of small turns along a single fibre (decreased) and average overall fibre curvature (increased). The PCA analysis identified five components accounting for >80% of the data variability which did not change between and after treatment. The curvature of the lower two quartiles along the fibre’s length appeared to have the highest loading, meaning the effect treatment had on them.
Discussion and conclusion: Combing and friction of textured hair are most significantly impacted by fibre curvature modifications. Accounting for tress variability via covariates and exploring combinations of tests and statistical analyses mitigates the challenges with experimental control and allow for differentiation of cosmetic effect on the hair assembly. In this case, protection against permanent hair deformation was detected. The analysis of single fibre’s form captured via 3D/2D scanning/imaging to quantify the scale and dimensions of curl modification effects was complementary. The variance distribution in the PCA before and after oil treatment is small suggesting an overall small effects on the extracted features. To increase sensitivity, imaging and data extraction processes could be improved. We illustrate how textured hair experiments should combine single and tress data of relevance to its core characteristic. The application of computer vision and machine learning is essential for improving the process of curly hair assessment at fibre level
Global Digital Museum Narratives: Representation, Authorship, and Audiences
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online platforms, transforming how we communicate and share stories globally. Museums, forced to close during this period, shifted their activities online, making digital resources and exhibitions more relevant to everyone. Research has shown a significant shift towards digital initiatives in museums during the pandemic, but also has questioned their preparedness and the degree of innovation of their digital initiatives. Concurrently, the pandemic resurfaced social and geopolitical inequalities, exemplified by the global response to George Floyd's murder and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. These events raise important questions about the role of museums and their online presence in addressing societal challenges. What stories are museums presenting? Where do these stories originate, and from what perspectives are they told? Who are their intended audiences? This chapter adopts digital narratology—a theory that studies digital narratives and storytelling—to interrogate the effectiveness of museums digital resources to truly support social justice
Rooted in Place: Crafting Sustainability Through Locally-Embedded Design Education
Get PDFIn response to the growing imperative for sustainable educational practices, this paper advocates for integrating place-based approaches in design education as a transformative approach within higher education pedagogies. Reflecting on current design pedagogies, I will share insights gained while teaching on the MA Fashion Artefact (In-person) and developing the new Course for the MA Fashion Artefact in a Low Residency format at the London College of Fashion. Established by Dai Rees in 2007, the course was originally developed from Rees’ own research project ‘Patronage, Artist, Media and Audience: A Model for Twentieth Century Craftsmanship’ (2003) and was grounded in a multidisciplinary studio framework and a unique approach to fashion craftsmanship. From the outset, the course has been characterised by its thematic focus on 'Regional Craftsmanship and Heritage'.
Central to this investigation is the exploration of how the essence of craftsmanship, deeply ingrained in the original course, can be effectively preserved and enhanced in a low-residency setting. By probing questions concerning the symbiotic relationship between the creation process and its geographical context, this study seeks to understand the significance of why an artefact is crafted in a manner consistent with its place of origin.
Furthermore, this paper explores the role of material literacy in supporting educational practices within low residency settings. By leveraging local knowledge, educators can facilitate meaningful interactions with local materials and create immersive learning experiences that transcend geographical boundaries.
Through case studies and best practices, this paper highlights the potential of situated knowledge and material-led pedagogies to enhance design education and promote global collaboration towards a more equitable and resilient future. By engaging learners in hands-on, experiential learning activities that emphasise the materiality of their surroundings, educators can empower students to critically examine the environmental implications of their choices and develop innovative solutions to complex sustainability challenges.
This paper argues that material-led low residency study represents a promising paradigm for sustainable higher education, offering a holistic approach to learning that integrates ecological, social, and economic dimensions. By embracing sustainability principles and harnessing the transformative power of materiality, educators can inspire a new generation of environmentally conscious leaders who are equipped to address the complex challenges of the 21st century
Only the clothes on their back: How refugees and asylum seekers in East London use clothing as a self-continuity aid on their journey of displacement
No full textFollowing the success of its 2023 online conference on psychology applied to fashion, London College of Fashion (University of the Arts London) will be hosting its second conference in this field.
This online conference aims to showcase original quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research which applies psychology in order to understand fashion and the fashion industry.
Dress, the self, and psychological well-being
Dress and culture
Consumer behaviour in a fashion context
Psychology and sustainable fashion
Luxury fashion consumption
Fashion and technology
Impact of fashion industry practices on consumers and the fashion industry workforc