London/Liverpool: Becoming Social Symposium - July 2026

Tereza Ruller, Wicked Worlding with The Rodina, Design Museum London, 2019

BECOMING SOCIAL

REFLECTIONS ON THE SOCIAL MODALITIES
OF YOUR DOCTORAL RESEARCH

20-24 JULY 2026

JOHN LENNON BUILDING
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY
LIVERPOOL, UK

STATEMENT
KEY QUESTIONS
PROGRAMME
KEY NEXUS SESSIONS
ALL PARTICIPANTS
PROFILES

STATEMENT

AS A POSTGRADUATE RESEARCHER, it is likely that you have been told that “this is your PhD.” Yet this commonly-held assumption tends to overlook the deeply social, relational nature of the doctoral process. While the final thesis represents an individual’s practical and intellectual contribution, a closer look reveals that the PhD is invariably shaped by a complex interplay of social relationships.

Those who have undertaken doctoral study will recognize that claims of complete autonomy are far from accurate. The PhD is shaped by the guidance provided by supervisors, constrained by the established methodologies and theoretical frameworks of a specific field, and influenced by the ongoing conversations and scholarship of your peers. Beyond these academic and institutional relationships, the practical realities of research – including the support of partners, family, and wider networks – also play a significant role.

These social modalities fundamentally shape the development of you and your research. Your negotiations with the dynamics of supervision, established ways of thinking within a discipline, and the reciprocal relationships at the heart of doctoral studies all matter. These effect the questions that you can ask, the methodological choices that you make, the expectations for supervision, and ultimately, the overall structure and coherence of your thesis.

For many years, supervisors have explored these interconnected influences. Their conversations have focused on how these social dynamics impact doctoral education from their perspective – especially the pedagogical challenges and political ramifications presented by doctoral-level research. 

This Transart Institute residency provides a valuable opportunity for postgraduate researchers and alumni to have their say in these matters.

This Event is the pilot for an annual NEXUS EVENT symposium.



KEY QUESTIONS

This residency invites PhD candidates and alumni to reflect on the the multifaceted social dimensions of their own doctoral studies, considering the following key areas:

PGR accounts of supervisor-PGR dynamics; the significance of peer support and kinship networks; the exercise of relational agency – the capacity to proactively establish and maintain supportive relationships; negotiation of disciplinary norms and expectations; and defining the communities to whom individual “contributions to knowledge” are made. 

We invite you to explore issues related to academic socialization, including the impact of cultural differences, and the reconciliation of academic and professional criteria for success.

We also invite reflections on the influence of external support networks – such as extra-institutional mentoring and participation in communities of practice, alongside considerations of disciplinary and institutional expectations regarding the form of doctoral theses; and the role of examiners and negotiation of examination conventions.





PROGRAMME

LONDON

 

LIVERPOOL

 

KEY NEXUS SESSIONS

Nexus Program Collection
JOHN BYRNE: USEFUL ART AS SOCIAL IMPERATIVE

JOHN BYRNE: USEFUL ART AS SOCIAL IMPERATIVE, A TALK

VALERIE WALKERDINE: SHY GIRL AND OTHER CHARACTERS

VALERIE WALKERDINE: SHY GIRL AND OTHER CHARACTERS, A WORKSHOP

GEOFF COX: WE SUPERVISE TO FIND COMRADES

GEOFF COX: WE SUPERVISE TO FIND COMRADES, A PRESENTATION

SIMON POPE: BECOMING SOCIAL: THE SOCIAL MODALITIES OF YOUR DOCTORAL RESEARCH

SIMON POPE: BECOMING SOCIAL: THE SOCIAL MODALITIES OF DOCTORAL RESEARCH, A WORKSHOP


ALL PARTICIPANTS (in order of presentations)

Nexus Program Collection
ALDEN JONES: HOW NOT TO WRITE A NOVEL

ALDEN JONES: HOW NOT TO WRITE A NOVEL, A TALK

YVETTE CHAPARRO: TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROGRAMME IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: DEVELOPING A NEW PEDAGOGICAL METHODOLOGY THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH

YVETTE CHAPARRO: TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROGRAMME IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: DEVELOPING A NEW PEDAGOGICAL METHODOLOGY THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH, A TALK

ERIC ABAKA: DRAWING WITHOUT LOOKING: WHOLLY DRAWING AS PERCEPTUAL PRACTICE

ERIC ABAKA: DRAWING WITHOUT LOOKING: WHOLLY DRAWING AS PERCEPTUAL PRACTICE, A TALK

SUSAN FRANCIS: WE ARE MULTI-STOREY CREATURES, A SCREENING

SUSAN FRANCIS: WE ARE MULTI-STOREY CREATURES, A SCREENING

DANIELA ALVES MARQUES: WORK THROUGH COLLABORATION: TURNING AN OLD GAS PUMP INTO AN ART PIECE

DANIELA ALVES MARQUES: WORK THROUGH COLLABORATION: TURNING AN OLD GAS PUMP INTO AN ART PIECE, A TALK

RACHAEL ROSALIE VOLKER: DESIGN FOR NEURO-REHABILITATION

RACHAEL ROSALIE VOLKER: DESIGN FOR NEURO-REHABILITATION, A PRESENTATION

STEFANIE DENZ: MOVING AND BUILDING IN CONNECTION

STEFANIE DENZ: MOVING AND BUILDING IN CONNECTION, A WORKSHOP

JAMES WOOD: ECOLOGICAL MUSICOLOGY

JAMES WOOD: ECOLOGICAL MUSICOLOGY, A TALK

BRITTA FLUEVOG: ART ACTIVISIM IS POWERFUL

BRITTA FLUEVOG: ART ACTIVISM IS POWERFUL, A TALK

CHRIS TSOGIAS-RAZAKOV: CATALOGUING THE OXYAULOS ARCHIVE: DO WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE?

CHRIS TSOGIAS-RAZAKOV: CATALOGUING THE OXYAULOS ARCHIVE: DO WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE? ESTABLISHING GROUND TRUTH DATASETS FOR THE DIGITISATION, INTERPRETATION, AND REGIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HELLENIC OXYAULOS (OBOE) CORPUS, C.1830, A TALK

W.K. LYHNE: INSTABILITY AS METHOD, A TALK

W.K. LYHNE: INSTABILITY AS METHOD, A TALK

ELINOR ROWLANDS: STIMMING AS ARTISTIC METHODOLOGY

ELINOR ROWLANDS: STIMMING AS ARTISTIC METHODOLOGY, A PRESENTATION

ROSIE DAHLSTROM: BEAUTY AS A SOCIAL FORCE

ROSIE DAHLSTROM: BEAUTY AS A SOCIAL FORCE, A TALK

NKECHI NJAKA: PRACTICING COHERENCE: AN EMBODIED INQUIRY INTO RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE

NKECHI NJAKA: PRACTICING COHERENCE: AN EMBODIED INQUIRY INTO RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE, A WORKSHOP

CARRIE E NEAL: CURIOSITY TO CONVERSATION: A HANDS-ON LAB FOR SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW DESIGN

CARRIE E NEAL: CURIOSITY TO CONVERSATION: A HANDS-ON LAB FOR SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW DESIGN, A WORKSHOP

JAKE TKACZYK: THE AESTHETICS OF AWE, MEANING, AND PLEASURE

JAKE TKACZYK: THE AESTHETICS OF AWE, MEANING, AND PLEASURE, A TALK

SHARRON HEFNER: OPEN SOURCE FILMMAKING: SOLARPUNK PRINCIPLES FOR INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

SHARRON HEFNER: OPEN SOURCE FILMMAKING: SOLARPUNK PRINCIPLES FOR INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION, A TALK

CHANDANA DIXIT: CREATIVITY UNVEILED

CHANDANA DIXIT: CREATIVITY UNVEILED, A TALK

JISUN MYUNG: PROOF OF LOVE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE MARRIAGE-BASED PERMANENT RESIDENCY SYSTEM IN THE USA THROUGH PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION

JISUN MYUNG: PROOF OF LOVE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE MARRIAGE-BASED PERMANENT RESIDENCY SYSTEM IN THE USA THROUGH PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION, A TALK

EKA ZHARINOVA: INSIDE THE CHAIN: A SOLO PERFORMANCE PROJECT DEVELOPED IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION

EKA ZHARINOVA: INSIDE THE CHAIN: A SOLO PERFORMANCE PROJECT DEVELOPED IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION, A PERFORMANCE

JULIA WIEGER: WORKING TOGETHER: IN ARCHIVES, WITH GHOSTS -- AS VAMPIRES -- IN THE CONTEXT OF MY PHD IN ARTISTIC PRACTICE

JULIA WIEGER: WORKING TOGETHER: IN ARCHIVES, WITH GHOSTS -- AS VAMPIRES -- IN THE CONTEXT OF MY PHD IN ARTISTIC PRACTICE, A TALK

KIM ROBERTSON: REFRAMING THE SOCIAL: ATTUNING TO THE OTHER-THAN-HUMAN WORLDS

KIM ROBERTSON: REFRAMING THE SOCIAL: ATTUNING TO THE OTHER-THAN-HUMAN WORLDS, A TALK

BRITTANIE JACKSON: THE QUESTION OF "ARTIST"

BRITTANIE JACKSON: THE ARTIST AS “QUESTION”, A TALK

ESRAA KASEM: IMMERSIVE GAMIFICATION AS A STRATEGY FOR MUSEUM BRANDING AND VISITOR ENGAGEMENT

ESRAA KASEM: IMMERSIVE GAMIFICATION AS A STRATEGY FOR MUSEUM BRANDING AND VISITOR ENGAGEMENT, A TALK

POLINA CHIZHOVA-WRIGHT: RESEARCHING THROUGH MAKING WITH PLASTICINE

POLINA CHIZHOVA-WRIGHT: RESEARCHING THROUGH MAKING WITH PLASTICINE, A WORKSHOP

OLGA MACRINICI: DRAMATURGY AS COLLECTIVE INTERROGATION

OLGA MACRINICI: DRAMATURGY AS COLLECTIVE INTERROGATION, A TALK

 

ALL PARTICIPANT PROFILES

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