Making the Familiar Strange: Practice Research within Academia

**This seminar has been supported by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities Discipline+ Catalyst programme, and funding from QMU’s Researcher Development fund**

About this event

Creative Practice Research is growing in attention as an acceptable methodological research approach. Indeed, it is useful in exploring those domains which are perhaps more affective, ephemeral or relational, and as such can often work very freely between disciplines. However, it could also be highly focused on particular processes and practices, centred in creative production. Recently Creative Practice Research projects have been apparent in healthcare contexts, water management policy, management and infrastructural studies, social work, as well as expected domains such as arts, literature, crafts and performance domains. Problematically, however, it is a methodology that seems to be at odds with traditional academic structures due to its process-based, messy and unpredictable methods, and is often critiqued for its high subjectivity and/or a lack of rigour. How can such research approaches work effectively and appropriately within the confines of acceptable research activities?

What to expect

Through presentations, round table conversations and workshops, this seminar will provide space for current (and future) Creative Practice Researchers to examine where such work fails, but also where it might succeed. It will explore topics such as its ontological framing, the ethics surrounding such work, and its outputs/impacts.

Who should attend

While it may initially seem mostly suited to those PhD Candidates within Scotland researching within the Arts and Humanities domain, Creative Practice Research can fit well into interdisciplinary contexts. Therefore, this seminar would welcome those interested in such methodologies, including those who may have no experience in such research methods.

Travel Stipened

There is a travel stipend of up to £20 available for a select number of PhD candidates wishing to attend. Please contact us for more information.