CSAD R&E Newsletter Autumn 2010 - Cardiff School of Art and Design

Paul Granjon: Research UpdatePaul has a number of performances plannedduring the latter part of 2010.The first is “Lo‐Tech Songs” and “Servo Drive”in Da Festival, Sofia Bulgaria duringSeptember, “Black Box Ni” in Cardiff and“Teaching a New Dog Old Tricks”, a crossdisciplinary residency withperformance/dance artist Paul Gazzola inCampbelltown Arts Centre, Australia inOctober.CSAD in NairobiPete Hathaway and Paul Granjon both visitedNairobi this summer as part of bloc`s DIYKenya Commission ‐ bloc is the Wales‐basedorganisation for creative technology.Pete generated a lot of interest in his designerresidency at Kwale Homeopathic College andis hoping to be able to develop his ideasfurther in the future, either back in Kenya, orelsewhere. Pete’s progress is charted in hisDIY Kenya blog:http://diykenya.wordpress.com/Paul Granjon, helped by a team of studentsfrom Fab Lab at Nairobi University, created aworking model of a solar water well device.The device was constructed from a mix ofimported technology and local resources overa four‐day collaboration. Both Pete and Paulpresented their work at the Maker FaireAfrica.A one‐hour presentation and discussion ontheir time in Nairobi will take place at ChapterArts Centre on 5 th October.Pete Hathaway, designer residency, Kwale HomeopathicCollegeHAID10This September, AlexandrosKontogeorgakopoulos delivered a posterpresentation and demonstration withcollaborators Edgar Berdhal and Dan Overholtat the 5 th International Workshop on Hapticand Audio Interaction Design in Copenhagen.HAID10 brought together researchers andpractitioners who share an interest in findingout how the haptic and audio modalities canbe used together in human computerinteraction.Prof. Stitt PublicationsProfessor Andre Stitt’s work has been thesubject of a number of recent reviews andarticles. A review of ‘Substance’ has appearedin Artpulse International Contemporary Artsmagazine, June 2010, a review of theexhibition ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’has appeared online in CIRCA ContemporaryArts Ireland, and an essay on the ‘Big Pinko’project (Stitt & Dr. Schwensen) at MintoHousing Estate, Australia has appeared in ArtMonthly, Australia. In addition, a book aboutthe ‘Big Pinko’ project is being published byCampbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney, a bookletbased on a transcript from a public lecturedelivered by Stitt at HOST is being publishedby Sheffield Hallam University and an onlinevideo of the lecture has been produced bySITE gallery. A commissioned essay by Stittwill appear in In Time: A Collection of Live ArtCase Studies (Live Art Development Agency),and Trace Displaced – Trace Collective Projects2008‐2009 edited by Stitt and including essaysby Stitt, Dr. Blair French, Prof. MarcoPustianaz, Eddie Ladd, and Phil Babot will bepublished in Autumn 2010.Stitt has also been invited by A‐N and Axis, tochair ‘Artists and Curators Talking' in Cardiff,January 2011 and a video made in Australiaby Stitt & TRACE Collective was commissionedby Matt’s Gallery, London, as part of aninvited series of works by artists celebratingthe life of performance artist Paul Burwell.The video will be exhibited as part of TAPS:Improvisations with Paul Burwell at DilstonGrove Church, London.3

ChwarelFrom 21 st – 27 th August 2010, Chwarel wasshown on a continuous loop at the NissenHut, St Nicholas. The audio‐visual installationby Andrea Williams and Ruth Jones (UWE) ispart of an AHRC funded research projectfocuses on the disused Porthgain granitequarry in Pembrokeshire. The installation wasfirst screened at Howard Gardens Gallery,Cardiff in February 2010 as a “work inprogress”. Since then, Williams and Joneshave re‐edited the film to create this finalinstallation of the work. A screening of thiswork will also be held on 14 October 2010, 12– 2pm at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff as partof Experimentica 10.Ruth Jones and Andrea Williams, ChwarelUpdate: Subterranean Architecture,Stepwells in Western IndiaThis exhibition of Richard Cox’s digitalphotographs and drawings has been touringin India and the UK over the last two years tonine galleries, four of which were in India.Throughout August this exhibition was seen atthe Tamarind Art Gallery, East 39th Street,New York, and will travel on to two morevenues in 2011. Two exhibition catalogues areavailable.CSAD at Cobra conferenceDr John Littlewood and two ResearchStudents presented at this year’s RICS COBRAconference. Held in Paris during earlySeptember, the annual conference addressedall aspects of the construction, management,planning and use of the built environment.John originated and chaired a new conferencetheme: Biodiversity and the BuiltEnvironment. The linkages between abiodiverse built environment and asustainable urban development are beingviewed as increasingly close and mutuallysupportive, and the aim of this session was toexplore key issues relating to the role of thebuilt environment professions in achieving amore biodiverse built environment.Dr Natasha Mayo announced as JorumWinnerDr Natasha Mayo’s Making the CreativeProcess Visible has been selected as one ofthe top three resources in the Jorum Learningand Teaching Competition after scoring highlywith judges and the public vote. The judgescomments included: “Really liked the use ofstudents themselves to articulate the creativeprocess, and illustrate it with the variousartifacts and things that inspired them. Verycleanly presented and engaging, would appealvery much to other art students." Natasha hasalso written a review of the Ceramic’s team’sinvolvement in the Jorum prize for Nov/Decissue of Ceramics Review.Dr Natasha Mayo: Research UpdateNatasha has created a DVD containing afilmed presentation of the resource and itsdevelopment into a more comprehensivewebsite to be presented at a conference on e‐learning in Savannah; the DVD's will be a partof the delegates’ packs. Natasha added to theoriginal films, an extensive drawing resourceand theoretical section with filmed 'inconversation' with artists. This is also joinedby the skills database previously developedwith LTDU funding. The DVDs will be availableon the Jorum stand at the Nottinghamconference and become part of the delegatepacks and presented at Leeds College of Art’sInternational Perspectives on Art and DesignPedagogy conference.In addition, Natasha and Ingrid Murphy havetaken part in a number of conferences thissummer Creative Thinking: Re‐Imagining theUniversity The 8th Annual Galway Symposiumin June, STLHE Creative Teaching andLearning: Exploring, Shaping, Knowing The30th Annual Conference in Canada andStaffordshire University’s Research InformedTeaching: Delivering Participation,Engagement and Enquiry conference.4

Creative Communication Research DayOn 9 th September, staff from the Departmentof Creative Communication met to discuss thefundamentals of an academic researchcommunity and how to develop a vibrant,active and discursive environment within thedepartment. Organised by Dr Ashley Morganand Wendy Keay‐Bright, the day included apresentation from Dr Paul Cabuts on how hedeveloped his career in photography andtransformed his passion on a subject into afocus for research.Kuwait to continue her research on BedouinAl Sadu Weaving. Keireine worked withwomen master weavers on traditionalweaving and dyeing skills that have notaltered for centuries, and documenting theSadu Textile Permanent Collection withacademic and weave consultant to ASWS, DrAli Alnajadah. Keireine’s work will feature inthe Material Matters at HG Gallery (1‐28October) including her work related to WovenBedouin Al Sadu Camel Trappings. Theexhibition is a part of the Cardiff DesignFestival.Enterprise NewsDr Ashley Morgan and Wendy Keay‐Bright, CreativeCommunicationDr Keireine Canavan updateDr Keireine Canavan has had an extremelybusy summer taking part in a wide rangeinternational research developments inKuwait and speaking at the graduationcelebration on 10 June on “The Language ofBedouin Al Sadu Weaving”. In July she spokeat the Oral History Society Conference, V&AMuseum London and her article “Twist onTradition” featured as the cover article in theUnited Arab Emirates The National: House &Home magazine. Keireine also judged aweaving competition at the Kuwait Society forthe Blind. Future events include speaking atthe Stroud International Textile Festival and atthe SOAS Camel Conference, London,sponsored by Al Sadu Weaving Society, as wellas at the International Roundtable Seminar atSadu House, in 2011 and exhibiting work inFrance from October 2010 ‐ January 2011.Research Travel Sponsorship to KuwaitSheikha Altaf Al Salem Al Ali Al Sabah, patronof the Al Sadu Weaving Society ASWS, SaduHouse museum awarded Keireine researchtravel sponsorship for the summer months inKTPs and researchA very informative trip to Birmingham CityUniversity was undertaken by a group of staffin July to learn about their approach to KTPs.It was found that the KTPs generally arise outof well established contacts with businesseswhere there is already a sense of trust andshared understanding of the company ororganisation’s needs. It was also found tohave a very positive impact on the university’sresearch profile with KTPs being used toextend people’s current areas of research orto complement the work that they are alreadyundertaking. This has proved inspirationaland discussions are now underway aboutprospective KTP projects including with KeepWales Tidy.CompetitionDr Keireine Canavan has secured £1,000funding for Contemporary Textiles studentsthrough a competition for final year studentswith international textile company, Zeri.Students will receive lectures from Keireineabout Bedouin Sadu weaving, which links withher research, and respond to a module andcompetition brief, before e‐copies are sent forapproval with Zeri. Laila AlHamad will thenvisit CSAD from Kuwait as a consultant todiscuss and advise students. Keireine is also inon‐going discussions regarding a possiblestudent/ staff exchange system with theAmerican University of Kuwait.5

Shadow PlayAmelia Johnstone is organising Shadow Play:Alchemy, Redolence & Enchantment a threeday Illustration Symposium which will takeplace from the 2 ‐ 4 November 2010.Speakers include Dr Alex Seago and Dr RobertWallis from Richmond University and GrahamRawle, writer, illustrator and imaginer. Tobook your place at the Symposium, which willfeature papers delivered via the grand piano,contact Chris Dennis or check out theSymposium’s site via the Illustration website.COASCOAS’s summer School this year offered amuch wider range of courses than previouslythroughout the holiday period, but as everfaced competition from UWIC’s free WideningAccess summer school which also offers alarge selection of art classes. Although manyclasses were not full (including those run byWidening Access) excellent feedback wasreceived. Next year it may be a be a betterstrategy to offer a smaller range of classesover amore concentrated period so thatstudents are forced to choose and commit toattending a course.The 1st year of ffotogallery relationship hasalso been completed and their classescontinue to attract good numbers of studentsand positive feedback.SIPSThe Strategic Insight Programme has been relaunchedwhich gives everyone anopportunity for professional developmentthrough experiencing working life withinanother organisation. For information aboutthis please contact Angie Duttonadutton@uwic.ac.uk or Olwen Moseleyomoseley@uwic.ac.uk.Research Degrees NewsKESS SuccessDr Steve Gill and Prof Robert Pepperell havesuccessfully secured a Knowledge EconomySkills Scholarship (KESS) for a full‐timeresearch student to work on a projectevaluating user response to PerceptualTechnology. Perceptual Technology is a novelway of representing visual experience usingdigital imaging processes. It discardsconventions of relying on geometricperspective or lens‐based models of visionand simulates the actual phenomenalexperience of seeing using the relativedisorder in peripheral vision to create depthcues. Commercial development of PerceptualTechnology is already underway, with severalreal‐world applications expected. PerceptualTechnology has been conceived by the artistresearcherJohn Jupe, and developed incooperation with Chaos Trend, a coding andgames development team based in Swansea,UK.Laura Gray presents at Women andProducers in HistoryWomen and Producers in History, July’sannual conference of the West of England andSouth Wales Women's History Network,considered women on both sides ofcommerce in all historical periods. Presentinga paper in the 'Women and Art' strand, LauraGray spoke about the development of the roleof women in relation to factory and studioceramics. Her paper, titled “From Factory toStudio: The changing artistic and culturalcontexts of the female potter”, argued for theimportance of women to the development ofceramics, and the importance of ceramics toBritish art through an investigation into therole of women as producers of pottery duringthe twentieth century.6

Fakri Othman at IHCI 2010Fakri presented a paper entitled "Rotoscopyand the Teaching of Handwriting Skills forChildren with Dyspraxia: Recent and RelatedSystems" at IADIS International Conferenceson Interface and Human‐Computer Interaction(IHCI 2010) in July. Held in Freiburg, Germany,IHCI 2010 aimed to address the main issues ofconcern within Interface Culture and Designwith a particular emphasis on the affectiveaspects of design, development andimplementation of interfaces and thegenerational implications for design of humanand technology interaction.Alison Graham: MetamorphosisAlison Graham will show work in twoexhibitions later this year; the first,Metamorphosis, will be at Leeds College of Artfrom 30th Sept – 10th Dec 2010, followed byBetween the lines, at Llanover Hall ArtsCentre, Cardiff from 10th Jan – 18th Feb 2011.Alison’s research explores the physical andspatial relationships of colour and glaze onthe surface of thin sheets of porcelain paperclay.These predominately wall‐based panelsexplore the spatial relationships created bycontrasts of brightness, transparency,translucency and reflection, using abstract yetcarefully articulated compositions in order tocreate visual sensations of depth andmovement.Alison Graham, OsmosisSchool NewsHonorary fellowship for David EmanuelDavid Emanuel, an Alumnus of the CardiffSchool of Art & Design, received his honoraryfellowship on 7th July 2010. During his 30 yearfashion career David has dressed the likes ofShirley Bassey, Joan Collins, Elizabeth Taylor,Catherine Zeta Jones and more. Famously, hedesigned Diana, Princess of Wales’ weddingdress for her marriage to Prince Charles in1981. On receiving his honorary fellowship,David said: “I found it moving and was verytouched … For me, because I am proud to beWelsh, being honoured by my fellowcountrymen makes it really personal;particularly in Cardiff because this is wheremy career began.” During the first term, hewill visit Contemporary Textile students toshare his creative business experiences.Howard Gardens GalleryAs ever the Gallery has a lively programme ofexhibitions lined up for 2010‐2011, almost allof which feature work by our own staff• Material Matters (October 4th ‐28th 2010)coincides with the Cardiff Design Festivalthroughout October. The exhibitionshowcases eight contemporary textileartists, four of whom are senior staffmembers of UWICs CTP Course.• Everybody Knows this in Nowhere (11thNovember ‐ 17th December 2010) AndréStitt’s touring solo show features a newcollection of paintings and related workfollowing a period of extended research.This exhibition is accompanied by acomprehensive exhibition catalogue.• Ken Elias. A Retrospective Exhibition, (24thJanuary ‐ 18th February) this touringexhibition comes to HG Gallery ratherfittingly as Ken is a graduate CardiffColleges of Art completing his MA here inthe late 1980s. The exhibition isaccompanied by the “Thin Partitions”publication (Seren).• Wales Rajasthan Exchange Exhibition, (3rd‐ 25th March ) this touring exhibition fromJawahar Kala Kendra, International ArtsCentre, Jaipur is directly related to longterm collaboration between Wales andRajasthan organised by the Arts Council ofWales in the 1990s and features artistsfrom India and Wales.7

Ambassador’s receptionKeireine Canavan met British AmbassadorFrank Baker OBE at British Embassy in Kuwaitand informed him of her on‐going links withKuwait and research of traditional Bedouin AlSadu Weaving. Their mutual concerns for thepotential demise of the rich cultural BedouinAl Sad heritage and interest in futurecollaborations between UWIC and Kuwait forthe forthcoming 50/20 celebrations (50 yearsof Kuwait's independence/ 20 year since theend of the Iraqi invasion) were discussed.First Minister and the Minister for Heritage atthe Welsh Assembly.ADT Student SuccessArchitectural Design Technology student JoHopper has won the regional heat (Wales &Midlands) of the APS National StudentDesigner Award. Jo’s project willautomatically go forward for judging as partof the National Award, the winner of whichwas announced at the APS Award Dinner on15 th September. Jo was also awarded theChartered Institute of ArchitecturalTechnologists (CIAT) Awardfor outstanding achievement as the highestgraduating student in ArchitecturalTechnology and the Capita Prize for the bestArchitectural Design and Technology projectat the end of the 2010 Summer Term.Cardiff Design FestivalKeireine CanavanStudent NewsGraphics Graduate shortlisted for Award2010 BA Graphic Communication GraduateGareth Dunt has been shortlisted in the top10 for the “Media & Arts Graduate of the YearAward”. The Graduate 100 initiativerecognises and celebrates Britain’soutstanding Graduates. This year over 13,000students have taken part, and as a shortlistedGraduate, Gareth will be profiled in theGraduate 100 magazine. Winners wereannounced on the 15th September 2010 at agala dinner in London’s Grosvenor Square.More details on the ‘Graduate 100′ website.CSAD students’ artwork brightens walls ofWelsh AssemblyAbi Trotman and Sarah Evans, recent CSADgraduates are the latest duo to have theirwork selected for display in the offices of theThis year the Festival has attracted anenormous amount of support from the designsector and associated bodies and will bestaging over 70 events, workshops andexhibitions, debates, talks and partiesbetween 1 and 16 October.Cardiff Airport, Arts and Business, and TheRoyal Arcade & Morgan Arcade have come onboard as new sponsors, and the Festival willbe taking over 5 units in Royal and MorganArcades. The Welsh Assembly Governmenthas also kindly lent the Festival the Pierheadbuilding for five separate events and will behosting an exhibition in its Futures Gallery.The Department of Creative Communicationsis holding its autumn staff/student debate onCreativity Thrives in Recession and COAS isholding two days of drop in workshops at theMorgan Arcade and The Gate, which alsocoincides with the Made in Roath Festival as away of promoting our range of courses.The Festival is also building on collaborationswith other universities; The Atrium is holdinga seminar in fashion trends and promotion;the Royal Welsh college of Music and Dramawill be exhibiting giant paper sculptures; the8

University of Newport will be working withthe Oxfam Boutique to create fashion designsto celebrate the Boutique’s first birthday; andthe Welsh School of Architecture is taking upthe opportunity for its students to undertakea project in the Arcades, showing work for acharity project they are undertaking in Boliviaand have invited our students to join a bikeride around some of the city’s best newarchitecture and public art. This event will belead by Peter Murray, Founding Director ofthe London Festival of Architecture andfollowed by open to CSAD staff and students.The Festival’s professional design showcasewill feature the best quality entries of thisyear, which received many plaudits from thejudges who include Glen Tutssel of the BrandUnion, David Worthington, former ManagingDirector of the Conran Group and chairman ofMedia Square, Mark Boulton, the awardwinning web and new media designer andRichard Powell, of Seymourpowell whocreated some of the most iconic products ofthe last 25 years including the world's firstcordless kettle. More recently, his companyhas been involved with helping to develop theinterior of Richard Branson's Virgin Galacticprivateer spacecraft and a hydrogen‐poweredmotorcycle.Paul Granjon, Black Box NiThe graduate awards have also attractedsome good quality entries not only from ourown students but from those across the otherWelsh universities. Both the professional andgraduate showcase entries can be seen on thewebsite and the Festival display boards willshow the best of the professional entries atthe Senedd and Wales Millennium Centreamongst other venues in October.If anyone would like to get involved in theFestival in any way please contact Olwen orAngie about the many opportunities forhelping out which also provide excellentchances for networking and making valuableindustry contacts. To find out about all theevents etc taking place visit the diary on theFestival website atwww.cardiffdesignfestival.org.Image credits for page 1: Cathryn Lowri Griffiths (MFA),Bronwen Corrall (MA Ceramics), Dom Williams (MA), Dr CathyTreadaway, Shorelines, Cardiff Design Festival.9