CADRE

CADRE – Centre for Art, Design, Research & Experimentation

Wolverhampton School of Creative Industries / Centre for Art, Design, Research & Experimentation

Director: Professor Dew Harrison (Professor of Digital Media Art)

The Centre for Art, Design, Research & Experimentation accommodates researchers within the Wolverhampton School of Creative Industries. It was established in 2006 to explore and develop the beneficial effect of art and design upon society. The Centre is clustered into three focused areas of research interests: Art Philosophy and Social Practice; Digital Technology Theory and Practice; Material and Theoretical Practice.

Research Clusters

◆ APSP – Art Philosophy and Social Practice

◆ DTTP – Digital Technology Theory and Practice

◆ MTP – Material and Theoretical Practice

Our Impact

CADRE has submitted two Impact Case Studies to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF): ‘Art and Design for Social Change: Agency, Engagement and Dramaturgy’ and ‘Technology and Collaboration in the Digital Age’. Regarding the first of these, research at the University of Wolverhampton has long engaged with the social impact of art and design. For example, as part of the MinD project, health professionals were involved in shaping and implementing art and design practice concerning dementia, engaging mindfulness and enhancing the participation and engagement of dementia sufferers. In addition, our research informed our submission to the Environmental Audit Committee and has materially affected the debate, resulting in a change to Government policy on sustainable clothing. In terms of our digital work, we have engendered significant impact and recognition through engaging with new audiences and influencing creative practice. For example, our experimental films and performance works have led to new innovations, extended international reach, and have pushed the boundaries of video installation and dance. Over 200,000 people in the UK and internationally have engaged with our research.

Recent projects include:

FEINART – Marie Curie International Training Network (Horizon 2020) award of €3,000,000 in the area of art and social engagement to support a European-wide PhD training programme (2020-2024).

MinD – RISE (Horizon 2020) award of €515,000 concerning mindful design for and with people with dementia (2016-2020).

S4S – Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing – AHRC funding Co-I £179,791 (2017-2019).

Maker-Centric – Building Place-based Co-making Communities - AHRC funding £98,986 (2017-2018).

PhD Study

Current PhD students.

Find out about the PhD opportunities available and how to apply.

FEINART Lecture Series

The FEINART LECTURE SERIES will discuss the role, impact, and theoretical implications of socially engaged art. This series of public talks is organized by the Innovative Training Network FEINART (The Future of European Independent Art Spaces in a Period of Socially Engaged Art) jointly led by the Universities of Wolverhampton (coordinator), Zeppelin University (direction of the training programme) University Iceland, and University of Edinburgh.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860306