Photo-Phone
Discussing Photography and Higher Education
In turbulent times for photography and creative education, the Photo-Phone podcast is a discursive space for topics and themes concerning student, graduate, and staff experiences in higher education that have broader implications for the education sector and the creative industries.
Project details
| Project lead | Jesse Alexander & Clare Bottomley |
|---|---|
| Start date | October 2023 |
| Centre alignment | Centre for Pedagogy Futures |
| Podcast website | https://photo-phone.org/ |
The Photo-Phone podcast was established by Jesse Alexander (Course Leader, MA Photography (online) and Clare Bottomley (Dep. Course Leader BA(Hons) Photography (online)) as a space for discussing and reflecting on ideas and experiences around teaching and studying photography in higher education. Guests have included creative practitioners, cultural professionals, recent graduates and educators.
With both presenters engaged extensively with online learning, Photo-Phone has leaned towards the global nature of learning and the creative industry itself, and the experiences of online communities and their idiosyncrasies
- To communicate and better understand the challenges and other experiences of those involved in photography and higher education.
- To identify and share best pedagogical practice.
- To promote inclusivity, critical discussion, and opportunities for networking.
- To return academic research into public spaces and demystify subjects for those external to academia.
- To have an international reach.
- To foster connections, collaborations, and trajectories of research.
The philosophy of the podcast extends the idea of “communities of practice” (Etienne Wenger (1998) Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.) exemplifying the interconnected and inter-dependent nature of learners, graduates, staff and industry.
Student and staff experiences are central to the podcast, as well as Falmouth University’s commitment to be a global leader in photographic education. The podcast provides a unique discursive space to gather the experiences and critical perspectives of a range of practitioners, academics, students and graduates, identifying pedagogical best practice and practical solutions for those delivering, experiencing, or simply curious about photography in higher education contexts.
We approached industry contacts, colleagues and recent graduates who we knew have experience in specific areas we wanted to explore. We set up an online form as well as used social media to gather questions and themes that our listeners wanted us to make episodes about.
Project team
Jesse Alexander
Course Leader, MA Photography (Online)
Jesse Alexander is a photographer, educator and writer on photography based in Somerset, England. Wh...
Clare Bottomley
Lecturer & Module Leader
Clare Bottomley is an artist, educator, and early career researcher, originally from Gloucester UK, ...
Outputs & outcomes
The podcast is published on Spotify and available across most podcast distribution platforms. Episodes are archived on a dedicated website:
Impact & recognition
Judging by the responses to our invitations for episode themes, core audience is most likely Falmouth students and graduates. Streaming statistics indicate reach well beyond the institution though, and a global listenership likely comprising potential students including those interested in returning to education.