Competing Goals of Representation

This workshop, gave an extensive grounding of the considerations we need to make when using the ‘visual’ in either our research or dissemination processes. The workshop considered the drawbacks and possibilities of visual research dissemination through social media pathways using the lens of representation in a distracted-spectatorship culture (Nichols, 2017). The goal to strengthen participants’ awareness of themselves (and their work) as public-facing social actors, and their ethical responsibility towards those with whom they work and research.

Dr Shreepali Patel of the StoryLab at Anglia Ruskin University spoke of her fascinating work of ‘hyper reality’ through the way in which her work seeks to uncover and explore diverse stories. She spoke about the work of StoryLab, and how they work with narratives across multiple modes, including film, sound, alternative reality, digital technology and more; they seek to combine storytelling with creative practice, to tell stories that they hope can have an impact. Triggered by the backdrop of the fourth industrial revolution, the consideration of representation is particularly pertinent. In particular, Shreepali spoke about a recent piece of work, 'The Crossing', the story of a young woman’s journey of being sex trafficked. She talked about the way in which the StoryLab had represented this story; using a physical installation made up of nine containers, designed by different artists. The purpose was to enable the ‘viewer’ to feel some part of what this experience would feel like. Shreepali reflected on the power of multimodal experiences and their ability to see the combination between individual and collective experiences.