Students

What kind of practices do we need to develop a sense of ourselves as creative shapers of society? What could an education for democracy look like that enables a transformative learning process towards understanding oneself as an agent of change? I look at these questions through the example of Earth Forum, a social sculpture practice developed by Shelley Sacks for the 2011 Climate Summit. Over the years, it has been used internationally with individuals, groups, and organisations as a multi-stakeholder process for:

• Creative capacity-building
• Finding common ground
• Scenario planning
• Reflective enquiry
• Environmental and political education

My research aims to understand the impact and value of this ‘transformative intervention format’ as experienced by individual users, groups, and organisations. I am particularly interested in how Earth Forum – at the intersection of the fields of social sculpture, transformative learning theory and practice, and education for democracy – can help develop social, creative, reflective, and communicative competences for democratic culture and ecological citizenship. Ultimately, I envisage presenting Earth Forum as a model for innovative transdisciplinary practice that integrates insights from these three fields, and, in doing so, helps pave the way for working towards an eco-social future.

The primary aim of this practice-based research project is to establish a contemplative listening and field recording praxis that sits naturally within the teachings and practices of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. The project draws from the fields of Buddhist Studies, Auditory Neuroscience and the Arts to develop an integrated approach to listening that cultivates mindfulness of both our soundscape and our cognitive and affective responses to sound. Such an approach provides opportunities to nurture interior stillness and insight. 

The outcome of the research is anticipated to be twofold. Firstly, the creation of a body of field recordings, compositions and writings emerging from a sustained contemplative listening practice. Secondly, a cogent thesis identifying and examining the principal characteristics of a contemplative approach to listening and field recording. Stemming from these personal investigations, it is hoped that a range of participatory practices can be fashioned that effectively support personal wellbeing and prosocial behaviour in a variety of community settings. Richard Bentley is a professional musician, community artist and lecturer in audio production at both Oxford Brookes and the University of West London.

In this research project I explore key contemporary developments in the field of social sculpture and connective practice, as well as its philosophical roots and holistic principles. I will compare my findings with related proposals from the wider field of post-disciplinary, transformational practice and research. By doing so, I will investigate how contemporary social sculpture practice contributes to the emergence of a new paradigm - one that enables individuals and groups to work towards a free and responsible future way of living, on all levels of personal, social and ecological life. Also, I will develop new forms of and criteria for social sculpture connective practice, with the aim of offering significant ways forward in this area. Findings will be disseminated in an academic journal article and through other means, for example as part of 'University of the Trees – Lab for New Knowledge and an Eco-Social Future', a framework for citizen engagement with this field of enquiry.

I carry out this research as part of a larger team, which includes Prof. Sacks, in relation to the work of the Social Sculpture Research Unit at Oxford Brookes University.

Késia is a classical pianist, and her research investigates interdisciplinary strategies for the piano recital.

Késia has been exploring ways to shape the piano recital as a comprehensive work of art, incorporating concepts from theatre and visual arts in her performances. Késia has been questioning the traditional conventions of live classical music, and has been motivated to offer other possibilities of engagement to her audiences.

Késia started those investigations during her MA in Contemporary Arts and Music at Brookes and, after a brief period in her home country - Brazil, she came back to develop it further in her Ph.D.

Research project: A critical assessment of how the Communist Party of Great Britain influenced the structure and output of the British publishing industry 1931-1939: its implications for publishers, publishing, and literary theory

The intention of my research is to investigate the rise of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) following the Labour party’s election defeat of 1931 and how that increased profile influenced both the publishing output and the paratext of two British publishing houses in particular – Gollancz and Lawrence & Wishart. This will include case studies on the Left Book Club, George Orwell’s The Road To Wigan Pier and a study of the influence of Russian design on the paratext at the two publishers.