Transmission: An interdisciplinary research project exploring making, curating and representing knowledge

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Many creative and communication practitioners are using digital technologies for their research. This proposal will harness what is being done outside university-based research to showcase innovative uses of websites and blogs, films, events and objects in the sharing of ideas to a range of communities. It marks a shift away from considering digital technologies as subject matter or method to critical transmission tools and sites of knowledge. It sets out to establish the idea that how researchers make, curate and represent knowledge (beyond talk and text) can engage and involve new audiences, both inside and outside traditional research settings.The proposal does this via two main activities; a new applied collaborative research project 'Freedom of Movement; the bike, the bloomer and the female cyclist in 19th Century Britain' and an international symposium (with accompanying user-led workshops and exhibition). The research project brings to life hands-on knowledge making process involving new archival research and analysis of existing contemporary cycling data with the making of women's cycle garments from 130 year old patents in collaboration with craft practitioners (tailor, artist and filmmaker). It combines new digital technologies (laptop, camera, video), social networking sites (twitter, blogs), classic tailoring techniques, tweed fabric (with a twist) and a period hand-cranked sewing machine. Documenting the process digitally, giving talks and exhibiting and performing the results in a range of public contexts (such as festivals and a popular central London bike café and workshop) will bring to life multi-dimensional engagements with ideas, practices and technologies, extending the organiser's skills and offering new entry points into social science research for diverse communities. The international symposium showcases cutting edge projects, provides a platform to debate and discuss the benefits and consequences of practice, develop new skills (via user-led workshops) and generate new relationships for potential future collaborations. Day one will feature presentations, performances, talks and/or tours. Speakers will be encouraged to experiment with the idea of a symposium as a multi-dimensional knowledge platform, mediating conversations, facilitating new entry points into their ideas, exploring the context of transmission and stimulating new outcomes (which may not follow conventions of a speaker and seated audience). Day two will include a series of user-led skills workshops which will enable further discussion and hands-on experience, while encouraging more people to get involved and showcase their work. Objects, photos, websites, films and other materials will be exhibited after the event. The proposal's focus on new ways of making, curating and representing knowledge is timely due to the current political shift toward open access, as outlined in the Government's 'Open Data White Paper' (Maude 2012) and Willetts's (2012) call for a 'seismic shift' in sharing knowledge. While these calls to action focus on open data access and liberating journal articles from paywalls, this research approaches the issue in a different way; via the potential (and pitfalls) of new forms of knowledge representation made possible through new digital technologies, platforms and materialities. It will enable knowledge exchange between a range of industry, policy, creative and academic communities, developing critical skills and networks for future collaborations, thereby demonstrating the impact of new forms of knowledge transmission and exchange. Findings will be shared with practitioners, policy makers and researchers through a series of outputs: a dynamic website and blog, an international symposium, user-led workshops, a short policy report, two conference papers, a journal article, a series of short films and two exhibitions.