LSE Fringe

This is an exploratory diagramming workshop which uses diagramming and drawing as a mode of close reading of theoretical texts. Participants will explore various forms of diagramming e.g. abstract-schematic; sequential ‘storyboarding’, illustrative; interweaving of pictures and symbols. The participants will have the opportunity to try this approach for themselves with advice and support from an experienced practitioner.

The act of collective painting, whilst immersed in philosophical discourse sharpens the mind through conceptual visualisation and implementation; an artist is allowed the space to bring multiple solutions to life using critical thinking skills. During the process, what the participants imagination will evolve and there will be moments of felt-frustration due to limitations/unexpected outcomes that occur during any artistic practice. Exploring solutions to address these limitations as a group builds important problem-solving skills in a fluid, non-judgmental space, which is vital to learning to think outside the box. Participants will be expected to participate in lively discussion around a set of primary questions. There will be a large canvass (120 x 80cm), which will have already been prepped with some aspects of the framework laid out. A combination of discussion, movement and painting exercises will flesh out ideas on how we might reconceptualise our global population into one seamless landscape: What if the Entire World Lived in One City?

This workshop provides an introduction to the potential of research poetry, as both method and in research engagement, with opportunities for participants to start creating their own research poems.  Starting by considering poetry as a form of expression, and how that might relate to research, the facilitators will take participants through an exploration of approaches to research poetry drawing on their own practice and wider literature. Writing activities will provide participants with the opportunity to put these ideas into practice, e.g. using short-form poetry in research diaries, using poetic transcription when working with text-based sources, and poetic responses to objects and artefacts (provided by curators from LSE Library archives). Participants will be invited to start their own research poems responding to these prompts.

This workshop looks at the power of storytelling and how you can harness it to improve your ability to reach out and engage all kinds of audiences. You will explore the fundamentals of effective storytelling and how they relate to research activity. You will be introduced to a flexible but free suite of creative tools to help you shape your digital stories, and get started on creating your very own research story.

You will need to bring a device, preferably a laptop but an iOS or Android mobile device will work too. If you are using a mobile device you will need to download the Adobe Creative Cloud Express app .

In this workshop you will watch a demonstration of the Dreams platform, led by members of the Media Molecule team. You will have the opportunity to discuss how the platform can be used to illustrate and disseminate research outputs.