Quick post to alert you all to the first episode of the new OU-BBC Co-production ‘Art That Made Us’, which will be broadcast this evening (Thursday 7th April) on BBC2 at 9pm. I am an academic consultant on the series, which has been an absolutely brilliant experience! It’s a great series. Be sure to tune…
Colonial histories, museum collections, FabLabs and community engagement
I was delighted to be asked to contribute to a round table discussion (which, under pandemic conditions took place asynchronously online!), with colleagues from the OU for the latest issue of Open Arts Journal. The resulting paper was published at the end of 2020. Abstract below: This roundtable explores how issues of the local and…
Chinese Propaganda Posters at the British Library
I’ve recently published a paper in Visual Resources (36:2), which rounds up the cataloguing project I undertook at the British Library back in 2015. Abstract below: In this paper, I discuss a project designed to increase knowledge of and make more accessible a collection of post-1949 Chinese propaganda posters at the British Library, for the…
Two recent guest blogs – Post-1949 Chinese revolutionary art and design
I have recently published* a pair of guest blogposts on the subject of post-1949 Chinese revolutionary art and design. The first, ‘Knock Down the Gang of Four!’: caricatures in the British Library’s collection of post-1949 Chinese posters, is available from the Language of Authoritarian Regimes website. The second, ‘Do the Chinese always smile?’ Exhibiting the…
A simple meditation
I am a big advocate for meditation and mindfulness. I have practised on and off for years, and even done a few courses. I find it really helps me to manage my stress and energy levels. It’s taken me a while to find a routine and a type of meditation that works for me and…
Why I’m striking
Today is the first of eight consecutive days of industrial action by members of the UCU – the University and College Union. I am participating. What is the strike about? We are university staff and members of the University and College Union (UCU) and we are taking strike action over falling pay, the gender and…
EAMENA exhibitions now online
Just a quick note to say that the seven pop-up exhibitions I helped to design and produce earlier this year and last for the EAMENA project are now available to browse online. Please do have a look and, if you have a moment, send the team your feedback. Thanks! Image: The Tunisia exhibition on display…
Shut Up and Write!
A quick post about the rebirth of Shut and Write! Leicester, now on the first Sunday afternoon of each month. If you’d like to find out more, please join the Facebook group or email me for details. Image by Parker Byrd
Sprout: Working from home – tips and tricks
As my new job will be home-based, I recently asked friends and followers on social media for their top hints and tips for productive home-working. They had lots of great ideas and I thought they might also be useful for anyone for anyone who doesn’t have an office or a comfortable office space (PhD students…
Some news and the future of this site
Pastures new, geddit? (Not an accurate representation of Milton Keynes.) So, I received some rather stunning and unexpected news a couple of weeks ago. After nine years of precarity, someone round here has finally got herself a permanent, full-time academic job! From the beginning of November 2019, I will be joining the Open University as…