BCMCR Research Seminar: Creative Industries – Work in progress session

Dr. Annette Naudin and Dr. Natalie Hart (BCU) | A critical exploration of the use of data visualisation methods for communicating and addressing inequalities in children and young people’s engagement with arts and culture
In this paper, we interrogate the development of a methodology for collecting and presenting data, as a means of addressing inequalities in children and young people’s cultural engagement. Drawing on a case study, Cultural Landscapes, we explore the challenges of using a data visualisation tool as a methodology for supporting cultural organisations who seek to address inequalities in cultural provision, specifically for children and young people. The Cultural Landscapes project was commissioned by Arts Connect (based in the West Midlands, UK), with the aim of reducing the inequality gap in children and young people’s access and engagement in cultural opportunities across the region. In creating a data visualisation tool, we are concerned about the robustness of the data, the ‘story’ it presents and how this is used and interpreted by cultural organisations.

Sihlangu Tshuma (BCU) | The lived experiences of first-generation African cultural entrepreneurs in Birmingham
Among new immigrant communities in the UK are African cultural entrepreneurs, who contend with transitioning from original contexts of their practice into unfamiliar structures of the dominant culture. The paper exploits salient theoretical debates on cultural and ethnic entrepreneurship to facilitate a deeper understanding of the experiences of new immigrant African cultural entrepreneurs. I argue that a deeper appreciation of race and racism in cultural production is integral for explaining their lived experience.

Claire Gillian Watt (BCU) | ABZ: A Community Through Sound
I am a music teacher, currently working with music as a tool for engagement across the wider curriculum. As part of my PhD Research I completed a pilot project earlier this year in a secondary school setting, titled ‘ABZ: A Community Through Sound’ which captured pupil work from a live classroom, exploring the use of music as an additional tool for engagement when exploring a classroom topic. The pilot project and plans for Phase 2 of the research are the main focus of the paper.

Dr Annette Naudin is Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Entrepreneurship at BCU. She completed her PhD at the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, University of Warwick, exploring the cultural workers experience of entrepreneurship, investigating issues of identity and personal agency in relation to cultural policies.

Sihlangu Tshuma is in the first year of his PhD, working on his thesis; “The lived experiences of first-generation African cultural entrepreneurs in Birmingham”. He is a product of BCU’s BA Media and Communication and MA Online Journalism. A native of Zimbabwe, a multifaceted creative professional. 

Claire Gillian-Watt is a PhD student at BCU and teaches music at Aberdeen City Music School.

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