Susan Stockwell & Dr Christine Shaw-Checinska in converstation

The artist Susan Stockwell engaged the library audience with a revealing insight into her art practice at our Clothes Cloth and Culture Group event last week. Susan's work is concerned with ecology, geo-politics, mapping, trade and history. She talked with Dr Christine Shaw-Checinska about the notion of 'the creative spirit'; how 'Eureka' moments of inspiration are sparked by the process of making. In a practice informed by research into the materials she chooses, such as rubber and tea, Susan's work makes connections to their historical, economic and social meanings.

If you missed the event, you can read more on our webpage and listen to an audio recording of the conversation- streamed below.

Audio recordings of on 30 April. Althea McNish in conversation with John Weiss

John Weiss and Althea McNish, Stuart Hall Library

We are very grateful to Althea and John for an insightful and interesting evening at the April Clothes Cloth and Culture Group. Althea is an internationally successful textile designer who came to Britain from Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s. She studied as an architect, at the London College of Printing and at the Royal College of Art. Althea's vibrant textile designs were sold by Liberty's, Hull Traders and other textile companies throughout Europe.

Fabric by Althea McNish

Althea's husband, John Weiss, is an architect and jewellery designer. John and Althea talked entertainingly about their lives together and the inspiration sources for Althea's textile designs. They touched topics as diverse as the origins of their surnames, the royal family, Althea's experience as a migrant to Britain and how she worked with technicians in the textile industry. Read more 

some of the audience and a sample of Althea's fabric

Michael Bryan and Marcia X speaking at the Research Network Meeting, November 2014

The two emerging artists presented their experiences as artists who explore race, the black body, identity, gender and representation in their individual art practices and writing. Michael Bryan and Marcia X each showed thought-provoking images of their art works and offered the audience insights into their often difficult experiences in art education. Michael Bryan described how he faced censorship of his performance art at college. Marcia X encountered lack of support or dismissal of her identity-focused explorations. A lively discussion with the audience followed - if you missed the event, you can listen to the streamed audio recordings below.

Stuart Hall Research Network audio recording Sharlene Khan, Gitanjali Pyndiah

Sharlene Khan, Nervous Conditions

The Library's last research network meeting on 15th May proved to be a stimulating evening. 

Presentations were made by South African visual artist Sharlene Khan and cultural studies researcher Gitanjali Pyndiah. Audio recordings are now available if you missed the event.
audio recording of Sharlene Khan's presentation on SoundCloud
(Gitanjali's recording removed for editing - it will be published shortly)