Day One Programme – Thursday 8th December
Please note: the conference programme is subject to change at any point before or during the conference itself.
Introduction from CHASE
Overview from Conference Lead Milly regarding conference layout, programme and commitment to accessibility.
9:00 – 9:20 Welcome Announcements
9:20 – 9:45 Welcome to the Cohort (Work in Progress Presentations)
Chair: Milly Mulcahey, Center for Indigenous and Settler Colonial Studies, Kent University
Connor McClenan Staging Autism: A reflection on the theory and practice behind staging Shakespeare through an autistic critical lens.
+ Abstract
In my presentation, I plan to detail my experiences during my MA Theatre Directing Final Project, which formed the foundations upon which my PhD Research is built. I shall discuss my investigation around the effectiveness of British theatre director Katie Mitchell’s directorial methodology in the exploration and reclamation of staged autistic identities, and the observations and discoveries I made during this process. I shall share with the conference the practical and theoretical challenges faced during my investigation, which involved staging an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with autistic re-imaginings of two characters, and how working effectively and collaboratively with my neurodiverse cast on this project directly informed the development of my current PhD Research.
Connor Mccleanan is a First Year Drama Practice Research PhD within the School of Art at the University of Kent.
Erica Piasecka Pained Bodies, Pained Worlds: A Feminist Phenomenological Investigation of ‘Being-With’ Chronic Pain in Live Art and Performance.
+ Abstract
I am based at UEA and my research concerns chronic pain in live art and performance. My focus is on artworks that, by engaging in a queer discourse on chronic pain as a non-normative experience, problematise the requirement for pained bodies to enact their pain in specific ways in order to access treatment and support. In this way, I hope to move away from dominant narratives that present chronic pain as an individual problem at a time where pain and pain-related diseases are the leading cause of global disability and disease. The concept of ‘being-with’ is central to my overall theoretical framework, which will draw on feminist phenomenology of illness to understand chronic pain from a relational perspective, foregrounding encounters between pained bodies, non-pained bodies and the world in the space of performance. Since ‘being-with’ is crucial to the phenomenology of Martin Heidegger, a large part of what I’m doing at the moment involves reading Being and Time and trying to think about ways to develop a critical response.
Erica Piasecka is in the first year of her PhD at the University of East Anglia. Her research focuses on chronic pain in live art and performance and draws on feminist phenomenology of illness to understand chronic pain from a relational perspective through the concept of ‘being-with’.
Emma Rose Kraus A Method for Madness
+ Abstract
Emma Rose Kraus is a PhD candidate at the University of Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS). Her thesis project (conducted in association with The Oxford Marlowe) examines performances of madness in contemporary productions of early modern drama under the supervision of Dr Sarah Dastageer, Dr Rory Loughnane, and Professor Chrissie Rogers.
9:50 – 10:50am Room One: The Positionality of the Researcher
Chair Olivia Andrew
9:50 – 10:50am Room Two: Interpreting the Arts as Researcher & Practitioner
Chair Rob Witts
11:00 – 12:00 Wellbeing Sessions
Room One: Yoga – Embrace the True Self | Hypnosis – Become Who You Are
led by Cass XuXin
“…Hypnosis is the art of presenting ideas directly to the receptive unconscious mind…” This session, delivered by Cass XuXin, combines ancient practice YogaNidrã and modern science based Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy. MesmeRest delivers a Therapeutic Deep Relaxation, bringing IMMEDIATE physical and emotional benefits, melting away stress, fear, pain and anxiety.
Room Two: Mindfulness Art: Look, Listen, Make led by Hanna Randall
No art skills or creativity required! In this session, you will be introduced to looking closely at one artwork and listening closely to a piece of music through short guided meditations and guided art making prompts. Art making with mindfulness invites us to be more fully aware of our sensory experience: the lines and shapes of the image or sound, the movement and touch of your pencil or brush, the rise and fall of the breath as you create, your bodily movements and sensations in response to the artwork. Coming into our senses like this can help us to feel more focused and grounded, creating a positive effect on our sense of wellbeing. Please bring any art making equipment that appeals to you to the session, preferably non-3D mediums such as pencils, pens, and paints, as well as paper to work on or any other surface.
Room Three: Plant your Wellbeing, Easy Ways to Grow your own Indoor Wellbeing Jungle
Host, Harry Salisbury – Climate Justice Network
Hosted by the Climate Justice Network, this session is lead by the Kent Community Oasis Garden. Discover the value of curating your own green space and learn affordable and zero cost ways to pick and propagate plants – from spider plants to succulents and even tips for growing your own apple tree.
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 – 2:30pm Room One: Understanding Change within Artistic Media
Chair Jessica Coulson
1:00 – 2:30pm Room Two: Research as Creative Practice
Chair Rebecca Buckle
2:35 – 3:10pm Room One: Introduction to Brief Encounters
Brief Encounters is looking for you!
The editors of Brief Encounters will briefly introduce the journal – its scope, its nature, and its mission. They will talk about the upcoming issue, and discuss the new call for peer-reviewers
2:35 – 3:10pm Room Two: Tensions between Representation and Reality
Chair Erica Piasecka
3:30 – 5:00pm Training Sessions
Room One: Managing your Workload as a Neurodivergent Person
Host: Jack Rutherford, Diversity Network
This unique session will be delivered by Alba Jato from PTSD to PHD providing creative, practical, and transformative project management solutions for neurodivergent and non-neurodivergent students alike.
Alba Shares: “ As a neurodivergent PhD student, I have encountered many unique challenges with organizing and managing my data, time, and productivity – not to mention managing my triggers, anxiety, depression, executive dysfunction, and an attention span comparable to that of a golden retriever.
Fortunately enough, I am also an efficiency enthusiast with a knack for GANTT charts. I will help you to be effective, efficient and productive by providing solutions for time management and organisation tools that will make your life easier. I offer workshops, planners and blog articles that will help you write effectively, research efficiently, and perhaps more importantly, harness your unique abilities in a way that empowers you.
As my slogan says, I came, I freaked out, I conquered.
Room Two: Taster Creative Journaling Workshop for Researchers – Magnetic Ideals and Arts for Life
This taster session for the longer course on creative journaling will address how we can externalise inner thoughts through the practice of regular creative journaling. In this context, a journal can be viewed as a flexible instrument of personal, academic and creative insights. Considering how reflective journaling aids in developing critical thinking skills, reducing anxiety and improving memory.
Learning these creative journalling skills creates a space to explore and develop ideas. This can be useful in practice-based PhDs for documenting the creative process and also for demonstrating progress for upgrades and supervision meetings. Through some quick practical exercises, we will explore how creative journaling can open sensory awareness, emotional expression, and creative exploration. Participants do not have to be skilled in drawing or painting, but you will need a pen and paper! Researchers will be given a chance to respond to their own research and reflect on their insights with others.
This session will be run by Expressive Artist and Researcher Kirsty Lumm (Arts for Life) and Independant Academic and Researcher Activist Dr Heather McKnight (Magnetic Ideals)
Example Journal Pages – A breadth of topics and journal skills will be discussed.
Room Three: Getting Published: How to Write a Paper – True North
This session is capped to 20, and is only available for CHASE students and so has a separate Eventbrite page – please sign up here.
Writing research papers as a doctoral student can be daunting. In this one-hour introduction to getting published, you’ll explore your own research for potential topics for papers or articles. Can you extract one – or more – ideas that are original, rigorous and of value to your peers? We’ll also discuss what editors want (and don’t want) and reflect on how you might package your ideas in a way that’s enticing to editors and readers alike. You’ll learn how to:
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Be succinct: craft a compelling take-home message and state it upfront.
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Think about who your idea will interest – and then say why.
This session will be facilitated by Marina Benjamin from True North – a team of writers who deliver workshops that bring creative writing techniques to academic writing and research.