Social Higher Education Depot (S.H.E.D)

Abstract

Research Enquiry: This research enquiry asks how can artistic research engineer a transformative space for the design of dialogue? Through taking the concept of a shed as a space for conversation generation. How can you design for dialogue by taking the premise of a garden shed and reconsider its purpose as a mobile, reconfigurable space for the shedding of preconceptions about people and place? Two key aspects have come out of this, S.H.E.D the delivery space for activity and shedding, which is the process driven research enquiry. To establish this, Jones reconsidered the materiality of a shed, how it is a familiar space, a non-threatening space, a space of curiosity, for storage and depositing of things. From this, a position was established for what else a shed could stand for, and the play with, and design of language to support this as an activity. As a result, the acronym S.H.E.D was established, meaning the social higher education depot. This emphasised the conceptualisation of a shed as a social space, the relationship with higher education because Jones works as a post-doctoral researcher within HE and depot, as a space for unlimited storage and capacity for knowledge exchange. - S.H.E.D. So what then if a shed was no longer rooted in the garden? What if it sprung up where it is needed most as an accessible space, not as a storage space for objects, but for the storage of conversations? How would it be possible to create a (literally and metaphorically speaking) transformative space that invites others to co-create, design and deliver activity in S.H.E.D? To reconfigure, to reimage – to think about shed and shedding and those who work on this project as shedders. To this end, the research question asks: • What impact can a mobile arts space designed for talking have on cultural, social and political discourse? • What impact will S.H.E.D have on its partners and on the theory of place shaping? • How does S.H.E.D facilitate an opportunity to rethink the ambitions for S.H.E.D to be a literal and metaphorical vehicle for the transformation of dialogue? Theoretical Framework: Artistic practice is the primary research methodology, a position supported by The Artist as Researcher (Wesseling 2011), Practice as Research (Nelson 2013), Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts (Smith and Dean 2009) or Art Practice as Research (Sullivan 2010). Artistic practice offers insight into how we address the long-term issues and impact for the project. It is suggested that art is a social action model where art is the mechanism for social engagement and change through participation (Sholette & Bass, 2018). It is a process of investigation leading to new insights, effectively shared. For me this is absolutely critically about how research bridges the gap, how it reaches out to society to fulfil a civic duty. Impact: Shortlisted for Shed of the Year, Unexpected Shed Category, (national public vote) 2020 Finalist for GreenGownAwards UKRI, Benefiting Society Category, 2020 International research partner in Global Design Emergency, DESIS project, 2020 NCCPE Membership, 2020 Contribution to University of Derby KEF submission, 2021 Stakeholder Group for S.H.E.D created (12 members), first CiC and spin out company from University of Derby, 2020 Arts Council Funded programme of activity creating 15 reconfigurable designs for S.H.E.D Live Modules with Interior Design Students 2019 and 2020, Creation of NEW Research Group for DMARC, School of Arts and co-chair of Civic Lab, 2020