Arts Faculty News
Faculty of Arts at Home 14 - Environmental Issues: Paragraphs on Forest Bathing
Hear from Dr Jonathan Skinner (English and Comparative Literary Studies) about his critical and creative work in the field of ecopoetics. Jonathan illuminates for us the importance of the writing and study of poetry in environmental contexts, and highlights the important work that poetry can do in times of environmental crisis. He reads here his poem ‘Paragraphs on Forest Bathing’, written for the HS2 protest encampment at Cubbington Woods, Warwickshire.
Faculty of Arts at Home 13 - Environmental Issues: Visualising Climate Change
In the first of our Faculty of Arts at Home films focusing on environmental issues, hear from Dr Olga Smith (Institute for Advanced Studies, History of Art) about her research on ‘Visualising Climate Change’. Olga explores the effect of images on our perception of global climate change and how this might impact upon public awareness of these issues, as well as on the formation of environmental policy. Her broader research looks at the relationship between humans and nature in contemporary landscape art.
Faculty of Arts at Home 12 - Health, Wellbeing and the Arts: Queer Immigrants of Colour, Coventry 1970 to Now
In the final of our ‘Health, Wellbeing and the Arts’ Faculty of Arts at Home films, hear about the research journey of Dr Somak Biswas (Institute for Advanced Studies, Global History and Cultures) and Dr Sara Bamdad (Sociology, now at the University of Kent) on their fascinating project, ‘Queer Immigrants of Colour, Coventry 1970 to Now’. As well as discussing some of their findings, they talk about the challenges of doing this research in lockdown.
Faculty of Arts at Home 11 - Health, Wellbeing and the Arts: Only the Lonely
In the third of our ‘Health, Wellbeing and the Arts’ Faculty of Arts at Home films, explore with Dr Anna Harpin (Theatre and Performance Studies) the nature and politics of loneliness in her film ‘Only the Lonely’. This brilliant, poignant meditation on the ‘age of loneliness’ makes some radical proposals about altering our thinking about loneliness as a problem of the individual to something we can collectively change as a society.
Faculty of Arts at Home 10 - Health, Wellbeing and the Arts: Beckett and the Age of Covid
In the second of our ‘Health, Wellbeing and the Arts’ Faculty of Arts at Home films, explore with Dr Elizabeth Barry (English and Comparative Literary Studies) ‘Beckett and the Age of Covid’. This film presents her fascinating research on the representation of aging in work of Samuel Beckett. Liz is interested in how Beckett’s work can be understood in relation to the experience of aging in lockdown and beyond, and how the current pandemic amplifies generational tensions.
Faculty of Arts at Home 9 - Health, Wellbeing and the Arts: How can a board game raise awareness of homelessness?
In this film, Professor Nadine Holdsworth (Theatre and Performance Studies) talks about her work on the ‘Homeless Monopoly’ project, a game which has been developed by Nadine, Jackie Calderwood and partners to facilitate better understanding of homelessness (and its causes) in young people. This film gives us insight into what can be achieved through partnership working (both with the charities that support the homeless, and with the homeless citizens of Coventry themselves).
Faculty of Arts at Home 8 - Re-thinking the creative industries post-Covid-19: Free Freelancers
Dr Heidi Ashton (Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies) discusses how freelance workers in the creative sector are ‘Free Freelancers’ in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Heidi details the precarity of this sector, the ways that freelance workers have fallen through the gaps of government safety nets, and the difficulties faced in monetising freelance work on digital platforms.
Faculty of Arts at Home 7 - Re-thinking the creative industries post-Covid-19: Reimagining Theatre after Covid Triple Threat
In this film, Dr Maria Barrett (Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies) examines this time of crisis for UK theatres as an opportunity for government, policymakers, theatre management teams and activists to reenvisage the sector and reach out to those not normally reached by, or represented in, our theatres.
Faculty of Arts at Home 6 - Re-thinking the Creative Industries Post-Covid-19: Consuming Culture Under/After Lockdown
Dr David Wright (Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies) examines the social divisions in the consumption of culture at home, and looks at the extent to which the digital cultural offerings of lockdown are available to all. David also asks what the risks are of privately owned platforms controlling our access to culture.
Faculty of Arts at Home 5 - Re-thinking the creative industries post-Covid-19: Undigital - Content Creators after Corona
Today, explore with Dr Chris Bilton (Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies) a view of the ‘undigital’ creative economy and the impact that COVID-19 has had on it. Chris asks us to consider what performances, publications, and works of art and culture we value, and encourages us to try to support artists and creators directly.