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The Research Hub and The Hydra

This year’s CCW first year research students exhibition is The Research Hub, a collective that will be held at the Cookhouse Gallery at Chelsea from 23-27 March. There will be a series of events that engages with the multiple facets and diversities that range between the broad subject matters and modes of research as well as The Hydra publication. The gallery will be divided into four rooms; the Office, the practice presentation room, the function room and The Hydra display.

The cohort has taken inspiration from the original Hydra Magazine published in 1917. The original publication is from the Craiglockhart War Hospital, written by recovering soldiers to keep other patients and the community informed about the happenings around Craiglockhart.

Map by the first year cohort

Map by the first year cohort

In the true nature of research, there will be a draft publication of our version of The Hydra as a printed programme. The programme itself is a work in progress that will be added to and evolve during the week; it will reflect the events and contributions from speakers and other participants. This will be published after the event as the Cohort Hydra, Research Hub documentation.

The Office will be occupied by one or more current research students working on their research in situ, whatever form that may take- reading, writing, drawing, etc.

The Practice Presentation Room will host experimental work. An event will happen on Tuesday 24 March for which research students have been invited to give short, informal presentations on their work. Sharing the work is part of the research process, an evolution in itself, to 'practice' talking about complex ideas that often take the form of art work, film or theory. This opportunity is to build the research community within UAL and to give a platform for people to exchange and discover.

The Function Room will host different, led discussion and guest speakers. We hope to create an atmosphere conducive to informal social events that allows conversation to happen.

The Hydra itself is known as a mythical beast that had multiple heads. When one head was chopped off another would grow in it's place. As a group we decided the best way to reflect our research community was to embrace the research process in common themes that effect our individual practices and the chaotic dynamic that happens while investigating a subject, concept or proposed theory. Much like a beast, uncertainty, surprising outcomes, risk and possible failure daunt the unbeaten path of such an undertaking as research. The students organising The Research Hub are Fangyu Cheng, Denise Clarke, Alice Evans, Robert Gadie, Penny Georgiou, Jennifer Murray, Stephanie Spindler, Maria Theodoraki and James Lander and those who wish to remain anonymous.

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Practice Presentation collage by Stephanie Spindler

 

The full programme of events is as follows:

-Monday 23rd ' open from 4pm onwards: Opening night drinks reception; Fangyu Cheng and Alice Evans will be giving a practice presentation called 'Disobedient Objects'; Stephanie Spindler will also be presenting some new work; and the Office of Public Ritual will be performing a ritual.

-Tuesday 24th ' 2 til 5pm: A selection of PhD students will be giving informal practice presentations, and leading discussion;

5pm onwards: UAL Senior Lecturer Dave Beech will be leading a talk.

Drinks reception following talk.

-Wednesday 25th ' 6 til 8pm: James Lander will be presenting: SHOWREAL: moving images from the Balfron Tower/Rowlett Street Archives. This event will be hosted in the Lecture Theatre.

-Thursday 26th ' 11 til 1pm: Dr. Stephen Wilson and the 1st year CCW PhD students will be chairing a discussion leading on from the series of lectures held at the ICA titled 'Where Theory Belongs';

3pm onwards: the Riotous Cities group J. Y’Barbo, L. Locke, K. Hye Lee, F. Peschier, M. Namazi, will be hosting a discussion about their Riotous Cities project, and their upcoming Art Riot project.

Drinks reception following discussion.

-Friday 27th ' Office room and HYDRA room will be open.

 

Top image: Hydra doodle by Robert Gadie

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