Art of Research 2026

The Art of Research immersive workshop, which is a biennial event, has become a genuine highlight in the Research Office Training and Events schedule for a number of reasons:

This year’s workshop took place in mid-May, with 14 participants, headed up by Karen Heald, Professor of Interdisciplinary Art Practice, and it was an afternoon full of different activities. First up was the ‘speed dating’ esque, getting to know you session, where the PGRs have three mins initially to explain their research to an MA student. Once the three mins is up, they switch to a new person and the time they have to convey and pitch their research is gradually reduced every rotation until the students have just 30 seconds to pitch their research! Students found the time reduction element challenging, with people feeding back that they missed out some key details on some of the rotations, but that it was a worthwhile exercise that they can apply to future networking…which is music to our ears! The room was a buzz of energy during this session, a perfect way to kick off the afternoon. 

Post lunch, Karen had everyone doing the "Exquisite Corpse" ice breaker. This game has its origins rooted in a parlour game designed to unlock the imagination, it involves creating a "creature" by folding the paper into three sections so that participants create either the head, torso, or legs without seeing the previous artist's contribution. The grand designs were then unfolded and revealed in all their glory, we had robotic elements, animal elements, and human form…. some of which came together surprisingly well to create an interesting body of work. This game got the artistic juices flowing, sparked conversation, and gave a glimpse into people’s artistic flare and creativity.

The afternoon then moved onto the visualisation of the research. PGR students were paired with an artistic partner, and they were encouraged to simply start talking about the PGR research and making notes on A4 paper, considering prompts such as:

The working pairs then started sketching out a visual representation of their exploratory conversations on ‘the big paper’, it was time to commit! Pairs were spread out across the studio, with some on tables, some working on the floor and others relocating to separate rooms. Various resources were in use including paints, colouring pencils, material and fabric to create texture and even a 3D structure under construction. 

Each pair went on their own journey, taking different approaches, with different end results and the time just flew by, Karen gave the ‘last 10 mins’ warning at least three times over a 45 min period, as people were just so engrossed in their creations, which was inspiring to see. The group came back together and provided an overview of their artistic interpretations and how they related to their research and the research journey. The pairing of the PGR students with the artists really unlocked a new way of thinking about and interacting with the research and everyone created something beautiful and meaningful, from an Octopus to a 3D castle, to a garden in full bloom, to a rain drop causing flooding, and everything else in between.

A huge thank you to the artists, Professor Karen Heald, members of the research team who support everything operational, and to all of the students who attend and engage with the session wholeheartedly. You all make this workshop the special event that we look forward to attending. Diolch!