The University of Brighton is a thriving research environment with a long history of excellence in the arts, where creative practitioners and researchers are given opportunities to further develop cross-disciplinary research and creative capacity. Through a range of responsive funding streams, Creative Futures offers support to help push research ideas to the next stage. We provide support to our academics at all career stages who seek to enrich our diverse culture so they can:
- Enable research-led teaching
- Explore bold and provocative ideas
- Reach wider recognition and diverse audiences
- Build local, regional, or international partnerships
Overview of supported activities
10 October 2018 Photography Reframed
Book launch for the Annebella Pollen, Ben Burbridge edited publication, Photography Reframed: New Visions in Contemporary Photographic Culture. Featuring in the Brighton Photo Biennial this panel discussion and book launch provided a valuable opportunity to share and reflect upon new work in photography studies, and to gather photographic communities together from near and far.
Panel Members:
Annebella Pollen University of Brighton
Ben Burbridge University of Sussex
Sarah Kember, Goldsmiths
Duncan Wooldridge, Camberwell College of Arts
Francis Summers, University of the Creative Arts
4-29 April 2019 Excavating contemporary art education: Tracing the history of Fine Art Critical Practice at Brighton
Curated by Naomi Salaman and Sue Breakell. Excavating contemporary art education presents an ongoing project to build an archive documenting the genesis and development of Brighton’s Fine Art Critical Practice (FACP) degree course, situating it in the context of British art school education post-1960. Creative Futures funding supported the exhibition that opened in conjunction with the 2019 Association for Art History Annual Conference held at the University of Brighton.
3-4 May 2019 Graphic Brighton
Organised by PhD student Alex Fitch and co-funded with the Doctoral Training Partnership, Design Star. This two-day conference included comics practitioners, graphic designers, architects, and educators to explore and discuss the potential of comics and graphic novels as a communications medium that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between different disciplines.
Explore the full programme here
May-July 2019 Traces of Nitrate
Creative Futures seed funded Louise Purbrick and Xavier Ribas to investigate potential museum partnerships through a series of meetings to enhance their AHRC bid for the next stage of the Traces of Nitrate project. Including V&A Head of Research, Royal Geographical Society, Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Truro tin mining site.
24 – 25 June 2019 Fielding Architecture: Feminist Practices for a Decolonised Pedagogy
Organised by Emma Cheatle, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Sheffield and Catalina Mejía Moreno, Senior Lecturer, Theory of Architecture, University of Brighton. This two-day interdisciplinary symposium explored and questioned the practice of teaching architectural history / theory primarily focused on the UK context, welcoming a debate through dialogues with other protagonists from queer, feminist, and critical perspectives.
12 July 2019 Forever Stardust
A tribute to the art and music of David Bowie, celebrating 50 years since the release of ‘Space Oddity’. Curated by Ewan Kirkland this evening of presentations, discussion, and performace with University of Brighton academics and guest speakers, covered music, journalism, photography and graphic novels.
8 November 2019 Displaying your Research: Pitching Exhibitions to Cultural Organisations
Co-funded with the Centre for Design History and led by Claire Wintle. This Techne AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership workshop was designed to support students who are interested in disseminating their doctoral work through public exhibition. Building on a morning of presentations from commissioning organisations and scholars who have exhibited their research, an interactive afternoon workshop supported participants to consider:
What parts of your research are suitable for display?
How does academic research translate into public content?
How do you approach a gallery or other cultural organisation?
What makes an effective proposal?
October 2019 – July 2020 Unseen Sketchbooks
Creative Futures supported this small series of publications co-ordinated by Gavin Ambrose alongside fellow Graphic Design BA colleagues Beth Salter and Chris Bigg. They produced three limited edition publications involving specialist print techniques and covers including new and unseen work from the subjects’ archives. The bespoke publishing house Unseen Sketchbooks has gone on to produce many more editions.
Edition one Analogue Process focused on the Designer Chris Bigg
Edition two Skotchbookby Illustrator and University of Brighton Lecturer Jim Stoten
Edition three Let’s get shitfaced, it’s free by dutch designer and artist Erik Kessels
Find out more about Creative Futures initiatives.
