Dr Caitlin Shepherd
Module Lead & Lecturer
I'm an artist, researcher, and educator. I use print design, photography, sound and écriture féminine (Cixous) to explore and listen to personal stories of everyday life, with particular interest in listening into lived experiences of multi-ethnic class identity, the working conditions in the creative and cultural industries (CCI’s), precarity and socio-economic inequality.
My PhD (2015 - 2022) examined how intersectional working-class experience is excluded from socially engaged art (and the creative industries at large), and studied how convivial listening practices might help to better understand and challenge such inequities and exclusions. I’m interested in how we listen together, and how this might offer a form of giving attention, a form of listening to stories often erased, played down, or muted. I’m currently prototyping listening-rituals, using a range of listening practices and processes. I’m increasingly interested in the relationship between deep listening methods, technologies, ritual and embodiment.
I’ve been awarded numerous awards, residencies and grants for my socially engaged art practice. I am currently a member of the Shared Campus Social Transformation and Global Icons working groups, working closely with colleagues from Zurich University of Art and Design and Hong Kong Baptist University.
Alongside my role at Falmouth, I'm unit leader and senior lecturer in contextual and theoretical studies at LCC, University of the Arts London. I also tutor on the Interaction Design Communication MA at LCC.
External Links
Qualifications
Qualifications
| Year | Qualification | Awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PhD | University of West of England |
| 2021 | PGCERT in Art Design and Communication | University of Arts London |
| 2006 | BA Hons Graphic Design | University of the Arts London |
| 2002 | Foundation Art and Design | Falmouth University |
| 2021 | HEA Associate Fellow | HEA |
Research Interests
Research interests and expertise
My PhD (2015 - 2022) examined how intersectional working-class experience is excluded from socially engaged art (and the creative industries at large), and studied how convivial listening practices might help to better understand and challenge such inequities and exclusions. I’m interested in how we listen together, and how this might offer a form of giving attention, a form of listening to stories often erased, played down, or muted. I’m currently prototyping listening-rituals, using a range of listening practices and processes. I’m increasingly interested in the relationship between deep listening methods, technologies, ritual and embodiment.
Research topics
Socially engaged arts, class identity, work class studies, everyday life studies, theories and practices of listening, feminist ethic of care, queer and gender studies, deep listening, embodiment, site-specific art
Professional Engagement
Engagement with professional associations and societies
- Research candidate at Digital Cultures Research Centre, University of West of England, Bristol. 2015 - present
- Member of Centre for Research in Sound Art Practice (CRiSAP), London College of Communication, University of Arts London. 2017 - present
- Member of Pop Cultures Research Group, Shared Campus Project. 2020 - present
