Igniting Research with the Cultural Sector
Four Ways the Ignite Fund Supports Researchers and Cultural Professionals to Collaborate in 2024.
The Cultural Institute fosters collaboration between researchers and the cultural sector in West Yorkshire in several ways, including through the Ignite Fund.
What is the Ignite Fund?
The purpose of the Ignite fund, which we relaunched for 2023–4, is to support collaborative projects that strengthen partnerships between university researchers and external cultural, arts, or third sector organisations. These projects hold the promise of not only making an impact in themselves but also paving the way for future research and engagement.
This year we are supporting 4 projects across artforms and research disciplines.
Let’s take a closer look at the projects that have received Ignite Funding this year:
Grey Play: Enhancing Urban Spaces
‘Grey Play’ is a collaboration between Dr Dani Abulhawa, (School of Performance and Cultural Industries) Harry Meadley, (Leeds Beckett University) and Leeds Playhouse.
Focused on participatory design, this project seeks to explore the enrichment of urban spaces, particularly Playhouse Gardens, for recreational use. Through research design workshops and playful installations, ‘Grey Play’ aims to test inclusive design methods, contributing valuable insights to improve public spaces, foster community engagement, and potentially inspire future research and other initiatives.
Sameena Hussain, Associate Director at Leeds Playhouse at Leeds Playhouse expresses her excitement:
“This funding allows us to research urban spaces creatively, with the aim of fostering a sense of community and safety.”
Circular Economy in the Arts: Promoting Sustainability
Led by academics Dr Paul Jensen and Dr Ana Rita Domingues from the School of Earth and Environment, the ‘Circular Economy in the Arts’ project collaborates with SAIL. This initiative strives to explore circular economy practices within West Yorkshire’s creative and cultural sector.
By organising a workshop involving 50 stakeholders, the project promotes sustainability by using exchange and collective action to minimise waste and reuse materials.
Developing an existing relationship with SAIL, the collaboration anticipates enhancing sustainability within the creative community and producing a comprehensive guide for a sector-wide sustainability transition.
Helen Brook, Project Development Manager from SAIL:
“By facilitating knowledge exchange between our academic partners & our membership, [this project] will enhance our understanding of the barriers to progress, drivers of change, and the required solutions to fully embed a circular economy in our sector.”
CoRE/Collective Reading: Nurturing Well-being Through Literature
Dr Ruth Daly, (School of Performance and Cultural Industries) partners with Arts and Minds Network Leeds and Leeds Central Library for the CoRe | Collective Reading project. This collaboration aims to create inclusive, community-based shared reading groups, exploring how literature nurtures human connection and enhances mental wellbeing.
The project seeks to build a longstanding connection between Arts and Minds Network Leeds and the University of Leeds with a view to collaborating on future projects.
Linda Boyles, Development Manager from Arts & Minds Network highlights the project’s significance:
“This project fits well with our aims and way of working and we are keen to forge a new partnership with the University of Leeds. We anticipate that participants will benefit from an improved sense of mental wellbeing, and increased confidence in expressing themselves by working as a group.”
Facilitation and social change: Working Towards a Common Framework for the Participatory Arts Sector
Led by Dr Matthew Elliott and Dr Ben Dunn, School of Performance and Cultural Industries, this initiative involves creative partners from Mafwa Theatre, Mind the Gap, Utopia Theatre, and Fall into Place. Born from a need identified by the sector and a 2023 masterclass, the project collaborators will develop ideas around continuing professional development for participatory arts facilitators interested in driving social change.
With workshops scheduled from February to June 2024, the partners envision building lasting collaborations and bridging the gap between academic and cultural knowledge in the arts sector.
Partners on this project state that
“ There is little opportunity to share facilitation practice across the arts sector, an opportunity to do this with additional collaboration from academic partners is a meaningful opportunity for a common need to upskill and maintain contact with the most recent research and thinking “
The Cultural Institute plans to open new round of Ignite later in the year. Follow us on X (Twitter) and subscribe to the Cultural Institute newsletter to stay updated.
