Place-based Research & Culture

At the University of Warwick, Coventry City of Culture acted as a catalyst for creating exciting new research projects, establishing collaborations with local community organisations and learning new ways of thinking and working.
We supported many local collaborative projects between researchers, organisations, charities and creatives in what was very much a two-way learning experience for us and our partners.
We are continuing this work as we develop projects that build on what we've achieved so far. We continue to bring research and communities together, embedding creatives from the local cultural sector within research projects - building impactful relationships for all involved.
Latest Projects

Coventry Biennial 2023
Following successful partnerships in 2019 and 2021, Warwick is co-funding (with WIE and Sustainable Cities GRP) a significant and exciting collaboration bringing together University of Warwick research and contemporary art, together with local communities, to be a major part of the Coventry Biennial 2023.

Grapevine Project
Community organisation Grapevine and the University of Warwick have teamed up to enable Ball Hill residents in Coventry to investigate issues around local air pollution. By measuring pollution levels around a local school and high street at different times of day, they hope to gain a better understanding of air quality and to advocate for change through a citizens’ jury.

Policing, Culture & Community
With public trust in policing extremely low, this body of work from Professor Jacqueline Hodgson and Dr Rachel Lewis explores the potential for arts and culture to help build trust and confidence in policing. The latest development in partnership with the Belgrade Theatre will see the research data transformed into a performance piece.
Our Story

Warwick UK Cities of Culture Project
This body of work highlights the importance of universities and of research in the DCMS UK City of Culture Programme: from the bidding process for the title, through to delivery, evaluation, and legacy of the programme.

The Impact & Value of Culture
To ensure the programme met local and regional needs and was evidence-based, the City of Culture Trust developed a proactive Performance Measurement & Evaluation Strategy to understand more about the impact and value of culture.

Artist-Researcher Collaborations
From the impact of Covid-19 on hospices, to experiences of lockdown, from exploring cultural memory and heritage through sound, to prisoner experiences, artists and our academics and researchers are working together to engage the public with research.