This month, Wednesday 6th April 2022 marked our first student led research conference this year, Feminist Futures SAR research conference featured a range of talks and exhibited work from students, staff, alumni and partners centred in an around the subject of feminism.

Conference presentations included  Neo-bimboism and the re-appropriation of post-feminist aesthetics as a site for radical leftism in the digital sphere (One Night in Paris with Karl Marx) by Chlöe Leeson Editor-in-Chief Screen Queens and MA Design History alumni.

Subverting the [Heterosexual] Matrix in The Wachowski Sisters’ Matrix Trilogy Harry Fraser by BA (Hons) Fine Art student Harry Fraser and Exposing the Design Bias in Gender Neutral Everyday Objects by Angela List-Evans MA Design History student and Researcher.

Speaking of her the conference and her contribution Angela commented “I think people would be amazed how many everyday objects are designed for the average male with little thought to the useability for others.  This can lead to anything from mild irritation to being actively dangerous…It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to take part in this conference at The Northern School of Art.  It’s the first conference the School has staged and it is great to be part of the whole process and seeing it develop from an idea to finally being staged.”

Featuring a Film Showcase the conference presented a number of works based around feminist themes including the multi-award winning film Abode written and directed Film student Anna Bant and One Hundred Years a Woman by school lecturer Andrew Hutchinson plus many more!

Evening exhibitions included work from BA Hons Photography student Debbie Todd Elevating Individuality, Fine Art students Olivia Askwith & Faith Maddison presented Define Femininity. BA Hons Fine Art, SELF by Kyla Jean Hall and MARRA Collective respond to Towards a Feminist Future curated by MARRA collective artist Ellie Cutmore.

Ellie Cutmore, Fine Art student and member of MARRA Collective said “I’m so grateful for the opportunity which has given me a chance to gain experience in curating. I got involved in the project through the school by putting myself forward for it as a representative of the collective.”

You can see the full schedule here.

If you are interested in finding out more about the research projects happening at the northern school of art you head to our instagram @thenorthernart or the schools  scholarly activity and research feed @thenorthern_SAR on instagram.

We also offer a range of research based MA programmes which you can read about and apply for here.