This event will showcase a unique art installation, created by four talented artists, who worked with communities of academics to communicate research through the means of street art.
You will have the opportunity to hear from the street artists, a creative producer, and academics, who will share their experiences. Attendees will also gain insights into the rewards and challenges of participatory research.
Before and after the panel, attendees will be able to view the exhibition, and you can join us for a hands-on creative workshop where you can try your hand at street art. This event is ideal for anyone interested in artistic methods, urban art, and community-engaged research practices.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the intersection of art and research in a vibrant, interactive setting!
Panel:
Prof John McAuliffe, Chair
Cookie - Folie Art and Design
Sophie Macauley, Creative Producer
Panel Bios
Professor of Poetry and Director of Creative Manchester
The University of Manchester
John McAuliffe is a professor of poetry and director of the Creative Manchester research platform, which develops and co-ordinates interdisciplinary research focused on creative industries; creativity, health and wellbeing; and creative and civic futures. At the University of Manchester, he previously co-founded and directed the Centre for New Writing (2007-2021), and he remains co-director. He has published six books with The Gallery Press, including Selected Poems (2021), named an Observer book of the year. He served on the Irish Arts Council from 2013-2018 as deputy director and chair of council strategy. He is associate publisher at the independent poetry press Carcanet, and a trustee of Manchester's UNESCO City of Literature.
Oskar with a K
LinkedIn: Oskar Withak
Instagram: @oskarwitha.k
Website: oskarwithak.com
Oskar with a K is a Manchester-based muralist with a background in graffiti and graphic design. His work blends both disciplines, resulting in large-scale typographic work. Over the years, his interest in public art has evolved into a full-time creative career, including delivering mural workshops and lecturing. Oskar is passionate about creating art in public spaces, engaging with the community, and enhancing cityscapes through thoughtful design.
Sophie Macauley, Creative Producer
Grit Studios: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter/X
Co-Founder of Art Battle Manchester and GRIT Studios, Sophie Macaulay has spent over a decade working closely with the cities creatives - organising Paint Jams, community murals and commercial projects.
Her interest in community-based art was kick started as a youngster, when she would visit family in Belfast and see the huge murals around the city.
Her work largely focuses on finding affordable studio space for creatives and supporting artists them to inject creativity into communities, to help restore pride in people and the places they live.
Prof Peter Wade
Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Manchester
Peter Wade is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester. His recent publications include Degrees of Mixture, Degrees of Freedom: Genomics, Multiculturalism and Race in Latin America (Duke University Press, 2017), and Against Racism: Organizing for Social Change in Latin America (edited with Mónica Moreno Figueroa, Pittsburgh University Press, 2022). He has co-directed a project on “Latin American Antiracism in a ‘Post-Racial’ Age” (2017-19), directed a project on “Cultures of Anti-Racism in Latin America” (2020-23), and is co-investigator on a project titled “Comics and Race in Latin America” (2021-24).
Dr Birte Vogel
Senior Lecturer in Peace & Conflict Studies, Humanitarian Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester
I am the Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer in Humanitarianism, Peace, and Conflict Studies at HCRI. I joined HCRI in 2016 after completing my PhD there in 2014. I hold an MLitt in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of St Andrews and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science from the University of Münster.
My research focuses on the economic dimensions of international interventions, ethics of knowledge production in conflict-affected societies, and the arts in peace and conflict. I have co-edited three books and led various research projects, including those funded by the British Academy and AHRC.
Cookie - Folie Art and Design
We are keen to share the participatory research project: 'The Art of Research', and to share some of the first-hand experiences, rewards and challenges of working in a creative participatory project.
Join us to hear more about the project, which included the development of a physical artefact, and how it will be used and re-used in different physical and digital spaces.
Anne-Marie Nugnes, University of Manchester
Open to all.
Anyone interested in creative methods, street art, urban art, co-production, participatory and community-engaged research practices will find this event interesting.
TRAVEL: Information to help you plan your journey can be found on the Contact Theatre website.
ACCESSIBILITY: To help you plan your visit you can find information about Contact Theatre accessiblity here.
12:00 - 12:45: Lunch and exhibition viewing of ‘The Art of Research’
12:45 - 14:15: Panel discussion ‘The Art of Research’: Co-produced Street Art
14:30 - 15:15: Creative hands-on participatory workshop: "The Art of Research"