This is a free, ticket event. Click here for tickets.
16:00 - 17:15 Roundtable Discussion
17:15 Catered Reception and Networking
As part of Thought Bubble Comic Arts Festival week, the University of Leeds presents Comics Practice and Theory, a week-long exhibition and a public roundtable event exploring the intersection of comics, creative practice and academic research.
On Wednesday 12 November, the University of Leeds hosts a public roundtable discussion. The panel features leading creators and academics, including artist Karrie Fransman, scholar Paul Fisher Davies, and comics writer Rik Worth, who will discuss the future of comics scholarship and creative collaboration.
Topics to be explored may include:
What does it mean to do research as comics?
What makes a successful and equitable academic-creator collaboration?
How can the unique visual language of comics affect how complex ideas are communicated?
The discussion will be followed by a catered reception with complimentary drinks and light bites, providing an informal setting for networking and continuing the conversation with our speakers and fellow attendees.
This free ticket grants you access to the roundtable discussion and the catered reception that follows. We look forward to welcoming you.
The roundtable will be held within a specially curated public exhibition, which runs all week (10th-16th November) in the School of Design foyer. This exhibition, featuring work from an international network of artists and scholars, is free and you are welcome to visit at any time during the week. It features the work of Nick Sousanis, Kay Sohini, Jordan Collver and Kate Evans.
This event is organised by Miriam Kent (School of Media and Communication) and Eirini Boukla (School of Design) and funded by Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute and the School of Media and Communication. Contact m.r.kent@leeds.ac.uk for more information.
About the Speakers:
Karrie Fransman is an acclaimed comic creator whose work has been published in the Guardian, the Times, the New Statesman, and by the Arts Council and the BBC. She is the author of two graphic novels with Penguin Random House: The House That Groaned and Death of the Artist. Karrie has developed an award-winning comic for the British Red Cross, and created an installation for the British Council and the Southbank Centre. She has presented her work worldwide for organisations including TEDx, the Guardian Masterclasses, the Hay Festival, and Oxford University.
Paul Fisher Davies is a leading scholar on the language and form of comics. He is the author of the monograph Comics as Communication: A Functional Approach and has published widely in key academic journals including Studies in Comics and the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, with some of his academic work appearing in comics form. His research explores the unique communicative properties of graphic narrative. Alongside his scholarship, he has also written a collection of graphic short stories. He gained his Ph.D. from the University of Sussex and currently teaches at East Sussex College.
Rik Worth is a comics writer and journalist from the north of England. He is the co-creator of the Eisner-nominated comic Hocus Pocus, which explores the history of science, the paranormal, and illusion. He is also the author of The Creators of Batman: Bob, Bill and the Dark Knight. As a journalist, his work has appeared in the Independent, Prospect, and the Fortean Times. His most recent work is the children's book Pets Tell Tales: Ancient Egypt with artist Jordan Collver. He currently works at the University of Leeds.
