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Research Snapshots
Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Research Students’ Symposium
Wednesday 27 November, 2013
Quad South Hall, York St John University
Programme
1.00 – 1.30 pm Coffee in the Arts Foyer
1.30 – 2.00 pm Keynote: Professor John Hall, Visiting Professor, University of Falmouth
‘The idea of practice and its relation to research’
2.00 – 3.15 pm Panel 1
Chair: Matthew Reason
El Stannage - Converging practices and converging aims: The centrality of
ethical considerations to the design of my research in arts in mental health
Gavin Wilson - Caressing the screen, feeling the moving image: mobile
screens and digit(al) desire
Cath Heinemeyer – ‘It’s not about the story’: articulating a practice-asresearch inquiry into storytelling with adolescents through a focus on
context
3.15 – 3.45 pm Coffee in the Arts Foyer
3.45 – 5.00 pm Panel 2
Chair: Sarah Lawson Welsh
Rob O’Connor – China Mieville and the problems of genre classification in
21st century literature
Archie Folta – Role playing games and the importance of adaptation
Fraser Mann – Dear Reader: the letter as textual object in American war
fiction
5.00 pm
End
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Keynote Speaker
Professor John Hall – Falmouth University
I had a long career at Dartington College of Arts before its merger with Falmouth. In 2011 I
became the first Professor of Performance Writing and now work mostly with research:
running the Research Student Development Programme for first-year PhD students,
supervising a number of PhD candidates, participating more generally in the research life of
the institution, more specifically in the cross-disciplinary research relating to Performance
and more specifically still in the Performance Writing Research Group.
I have been publishing as a poet since 1966, consistently producing essays on contemporary
poetics and poems since the early 1990s, contributing to the growing body of work on
Performance Writing since 1994, and making visual texts for frames and cards since about
the same date. A second selection of poems for pages – called Keepsache – is to appear in
2013 and will act as a companion to 1999’s Else Here. October 2013 will also see the
publication of Essays on Performance Writing, Poetics and Poetry, a two-volume collection
of essays. I have also had a number of gallery showings in solo and group exhibitions.
In addition to my Falmouth role I am a visiting professor at York St John University, an
adviser on research in Performance Writing to Worcester University, an associate editor of
Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, a member of the editorial boards of Performance
Research and the Journal of British and Irish Innovative Poetry and a trustee for Actiontrack,
a participatory arts company based in Somerset.
Presenters
El Stannage
Biography
Since graduating with a first class (hons) degree in Theatre at York St John in 2006, Elanor
has worked as a freelance theatre practitioner, delivering projects and workshops in diverse
communities. Her work is primarily with people at risk of social exclusion and she has
extensive experience of working in the contexts of mental health and learning disabilities as
theatre facilitator, performer, director and arts administrator. Her research interests focus
upon the relationship between arts, healing and mental ill health. Her experiences as a
practitioner have proved invaluable in the early stages of the PhD journey.
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Abstract
The research design for my first study has developed in response to a gap in the current
research within the emerging field of arts in mental health: so far studies have been
focussed upon outcomes relating to social inclusion, mental health and well-being. This
research design addresses the question: what processes exist within the participation in the
arts to reach these outcomes? To answer this question I propose a primary research stage
to develop an ethnography of participation in arts and mental health through participant
observation. It is here that an ethical stance becomes fundamental as I develop methods of
undertaking this which mirror the principals at the heart of the practice itself.
Key words: ethics, arts, mental health
Gavin Wilson
Biography
In his early career Gavin worked as a UK-based freelance cameraman and occasional
director on film and television dramas, commercials, music videos, and writing narrative
fiction screenplays. Interspersed with working within various professional grades in the
industry, he has taught media studies, photography and visual communications studies at a
number of UK education institutions. Latterly, whilst studying for an MA in Screen Media
Cultures, he worked as a Sector Manager for Screen Yorkshire, the screen agency for
Yorkshire and the Humber region. The provisional title of his doctoral thesis is 'Cell/ular
Cinema: Individuated Production, Public Sharing and Mobile Phone Film Exhibition’.
Abstract
Caressing the Screen, Feeling the Moving Image: Mobile Screens and Digit(al) Desire
Emergent practices in filmmaking, using mobile phones, Smart-Pads and similar devices
affects new kinds of connections between filmmaker, subject, moving image and spectator.
The introduction of usable on-camera monitors allows (encourages) filmmakers to shun the
traditional camera viewfinder, and engage physically with the screen of the moving image.
Via touch-screens, framing and composition are squeezed, focussed and zoomed using
fingertips. By augmenting visuality with the tactile manipulation of screen surface, the
filmmaker’s relationship with the subject and its image can no longer be thought of as
determined by eye and brain alone.
Building on the phenomenology of tactility and embodiment in film(making) in the work of
Jennifer M. Barker (2009) and Vivian Sobchack (2004), this paper seeks to analyse how these
new modes of engaging with the moving image produces filmmaking that diverges from that
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produced from the familiar engagement of eye to viewfinder to frame, with subtle or
sometimes radical consequences for the visual aesthetic of the resultant film. Drawing on
examples from films made with the touch-screen cameras of mobile phones, I seek to
illustrate how the filmmaker’s embodied connection to the screen image in this mode of
moving image production might contribute to a new level of affectivity and sense of
identification, in its most interesting and disruptive form, between filmmaker and spectator.
Key words: screens; tactility; embodiment.
Cath Heinemeyer
Biography
Cath Heinemeyer has an MSc in Education for Sustainability and became insterested in
storytelling as a more creative and effective means of tackling issues of ecology,
sustainability and community in both formal and informal educational settings. She has
been a freelance storyteller and education consultant for five years, working with all ages
from toddlers to the elderly. In October this year she started a practice-led PhD in
Storytelling with Adolescents, located within ICAN - the International Centre for Arts and
Narrative - which is jointly run by YSJU and York Theatre Royal. Her research will be focused
around her own practice as a storyteller, working over long periods with groups of
adolescents in different settings.
Abstract
‘It’s not about the story’: articulating a practice-as-research inquiry into storytelling with
adolescents through a focus on context
Oral storytelling has become a marginalised practice in mainstream education, yet
teenagers have a unique relationship with story, and its benefits for their mental wellbeing,
communication skills and developing sense of agency have been documented. As a
storyteller embarking on a practice-led PhD with adolescents, I seek ultimately to facilitate
its wider adoption by youth educators.
Reflecting on my and others’ practice to date has led me to a focus on the creation of
contexts in which teenagers can take possession of storytelling. Theatre practitioners have
long emphasised that the context – the codes, venue, rules, history and expectations - of a
cultural event influence how an audience engage with it. The storytelling revival of the past
four decades has offered ‘traditional’ and ‘performance’ modes of telling, between which
many storytellers (including myself) switch according to occasion.
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The ‘traditional’ mode, which celebrates the accessibility, embeddedness and immediacy of
storytelling, but may alienate young people through an over-reliance on ‘old-fashioned’
tropes and a lack of experimentation. The ‘performance’ mode seeks to achieve excellence,
a blurring of genres and an acceptance of storytelling as a serious artform, but its emphasis
on the artistic over the ‘interactive social’ dimension may inhibit teenagers from finding
their own voice as storytellers. Overly instrumental expectations of arts in education may
put up further barriers to their participation.
Other rituals and contexts, created by young people themselves, may be needed to build a
genuinely contemporary, accessible, empowering form of storytelling. In this paper I search
my own past practice - and that of others in the storytelling, applied theatre, performance
ethnography and therapeutic arts worlds - for possible materials with which to build
contexts in my upcoming long-term work with groups of, often socially excluded or mentally
unwell, teenagers.
Key words: storytelling, reflective practice, context
Rob O’Connor
Biography
Rob studied for a BA in English Literature and Language, graduating in 1999, when this
institution was the College of Ripon and York St. John. He then spent ten years in the book
retail industry, focusing upon event management. During this time he met several authors,
publishers and celebrities and has many stories to tell. In 2010, Rob became a literature and
creative writing tutor in the lifelong learning sector as well as undertaking an MA in
Literature at York St. John University, graduating in 2012. He is now undertaking a PhD,
focusing upon the depiction of theoretical, social and urban landscapes in the work of China
Miéville. Rob’s research interests focus upon genre theories, science fiction and fantasy,
contemporary fiction and literary prizes and teaching creative writing.
Abstract
China Miéville and the problems of genre classification in twenty-first century literature
This paper will examine the work of science fiction and fantasy author China Miéville, whose
novels since the turn of the millenium have continually challenged the perception of genre.
By examining the work of twentieth-century genre theorists this paper will show that the
understanding of genre has dramatically shifted in the past two decades, with writers such
as Miéville ‘cross-inhabiting’ different genres to create new forms. By examining Mieville’s
stance regarding genre theory this paper will show that original genre classifications are
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now just marketing tools and that the real focus must now turn to the more specific subgenres that have been created by the commercial saturation of the field.
Since Miéville is an author that openly explores different genres, this paper will examine his
work from the perspective of three different genre types: literary fiction, science fiction and
fantasy fiction. The aim will be to demonstrate through Mieville’s example that the
boundaries between these different genres are rapidly disappearing, allowing contemporary
writers to create and explore new forms. By comparing Miéville to writers such as Margaret
Atwood, this paper will demonstrate how contemporary writers are disassociating
themselves from the commercial genre labels and are embracing the multiplicity that subgenres have created, even using the form of the literary novel in which to express their
ideas. By using the example of China Miéville and his novels, this paper will show that the
recent death of classification has given birth to a new field of intertwining sub-genres that
reflect the disappearing boundaries present in our twenty-first century world.
Key words: genre, literature, Miéville.
Archie Folta
Biography
My name is Archie Folta, 23 years old and I am from Munich, Germany.
I moved to England in 2006 after completing my GCSE equivalent to continue my academic
career at Ripley St Thomas sixth from. I completed my A-levels in Math, Physics and Media
and despite my love for the sciences I decided to pursue my interest in the media industry
by attending York St John University Media Studies course. Towards the end of my 2nd year
and thru ought my 3rd year I decided wanted to continue to education and eventually teach
at a university. Seen, as the video game industry is one of the youngest mediums present, I
decided to explore the theoretical approaches, from narrative to immersion and audience
participation. With the help of my lecturers and supervisors I completed my BA with a 2:1
and started my Masters by Research in theoretical video game analysis.
Abstract
Role Playing Games and the importance of adaption
My 1st chapter in my MARes consists of highlighting and exploring the evolution of the
fantasy genre and how it progressed from Anglo-Saxon folk tales, literature, and TableTop
games to modern day video games. Specifically I am highlighting the influence Tolkien’s
work had on the community and how it created a fan base for many fantasy mediums to
follow. Due to the main aspect of the fantasy genre relying on character development and
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environmental exploration, games such as Dungeons and Dragons adapted the aesthetics
from literature and turned into a participatory medium. During the 70’s the community
grew and expanded into the realm of the digitalisation. Once Computer scientists were part
of the fantasy community, the genre was adapted into video games and has since
progressed into aesthetically significant medium. As there has been a clear progression from
one medium to the next, I am identifying the similarities and characteristics that allowed
modern day video games such as Skyrim to be as popular and well received by the audience
as they are.
The main features of the Role Playing Game and in particular the fantasy genre relay heavily
on the player to participate and immerse themselves into their character and the fictional
universe they are exploring. Including theorists such as Laurence Stern and Oliver Grau,
who identify the importance of immersion and as a player being present in a world allowing
us to create our own experience rather than providing one, enables me to construct a
connection between these definitive concepts with modern day video games.
Phenomenology and the theory of Edmund Husserl also plays a big role in my research as I
highlight a connection between this fairly deep-rooted theory with the type of involvement
the player experiences whilst exploring certain aspects of video gameplay.
Key words: immersion, adaption, role playing games
Fraser Mann
Biography
Fraser Mann gained his Bachelor Degree and Masters from York St John University between
1995 and 2000. In 2004 he qualified as a teacher at the University of Greenwich and spent
several years teaching in Further Education in London. He decided to concentrate on
furthering his academic career and returned to York St John to begin his doctoral research
into twentieth century American war narratives in October 2010. He is currently engaged in
teaching on the York St John Literature programme at undergraduate and postgraduate
level.
He is an active member of the Massachusetts based Norman Mailer Society and has
contributed to their conferences and journals with papers on the constructed masculine self
in war fiction and Mailer’s literary use of ambiguity. He has delivered papers in both
European and American conferences and has had chapters published twice by The
Interdisciplinary Press.
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Abstract
Dear Reader: the letter as textual object in American war fiction
When one considers the historiography of war, the letter is a highly significant object. As a
record of the everyday existence of the ordinary combatant it resonates with memory,
epiphany and the minutia of a life lived outside the boundaries of accepted normality. The
poignancy of communication with family or cherished lovers is a forceful signifier of the
sacrifices expected of soldiers from all parts of the socio-economic spectrum. Alternatively,
it can be viewed as the official harbinger of grief as families have their worst fears confirmed
through a written discourse both grandiose and dripping with sentiments of noble and
patriotic suffering.
Within the parameters of this paper, I will offer analysis of a literary pattern observable in
the work of three significant chroniclers of twentieth-century American conflict; William
March, Norman Mailer and Larry Heinemann. For March, the repetition of meaningless
condolence to the families of countless and dehumanised casualties is a grotesque
dishonesty; his stark rebuttal of the discourse of glorious endeavour is a bold authorial
decision. Mailer reverses the process of war bereavement through the savage and ironic
communication of familial loss to Private Gallagher and, in doing so, addresses difficulties
faced by the restrictive masculine group in times of emotional trauma. For Heinemann, the
letter operates beyond mere reading. Its significance as textual object is simultaneously a
promise of hope and linguistic familiarity. It operates as talismanic charm and objet d'art in
which Vietnam can be narrated in a fashion ironically beyond the inadequate language
therein.
Key words: narrative, epistolary, object