Making Conversation Research Festival

Supporting Organisation(s):
UAL (MA Fine Art programs)
Chair/Other Speakers:
Renee Odjidja, Chair, Anna Bunting-Branch

The Making Conversation: Research Festival was a four-day public programme hosted at APT Gallery by the University of the Arts London. Centred on the theme of dialogue as a creative tool, the event featured artist David Cotterrell presenting on art and human dignity, with contributions from Renee Odjidja and chair Anna Bunting-Branch. The festival showcased diverse MA Fine Art research through exhibitions, workshops, and panels exploring how art addresses urgent social and technological challenges.

The festival functioned as a collaborative laboratory transforming the gallery into a space for “live research”.  This intentionally blurred the traditional boundaries between artist, researcher and audience.  Rather than a static exhibition, the event utilised conversation to explore how fine art practice responds to global instability.  It focused on the shared agency between the maker and the observer.

In David Cotterrell's presentation "Making Conversations Launch", he delved into the ethical complexities of his practice.  His contribution examined the intersection of art and human dignity, particularly questioning how artists can authentically represent or engage with conflict and vulnerability without compromising the subject’s humanity.  Drawing on his extensive experience in empathetic observation, his talk critically questioned the researcher’s responsibility in navigating sensitive social landscapes.

The schedule also featured a dedicated Zine and Publication Space, allowing visitors to engage with tactile records of ongoing research from the Camberwell, Chelsea, and Wimbledon cohorts. These displays, alongside various workshops and screenings, mapped out a diverse landscape of contemporary concerns—ranging from the impact of computational arts on traditional craft to the role of printmaking in political activism.