Creative and Cultural Industries Research Centre

The Creative and Cultural Industries Research Centre unites the activities that shape the interdisciplinary research landscape in the arts and humanities around a common purpose and intent. Our academic research focuses on increasing the understanding of the shifting boundaries and new relationships within artistic and humanities-based practice and theory, exploiting the potential of overlap and merger across disciplines to create new and dynamic knowledge. We share our research through our creative practice, exhibitions, events and published research.

Our aims

Our centre of excellence explores and communicates the research and its interdisciplinary impacts in diverse ways, through clusters focused on animal studies, art and wellbeing, pedagogy in practice, situated knowledge and place, social and political history, and literary and communication studies. Our researchers explore the potential of hybrid art forms made possible by using digitisation alongside traditional art and design media, performing and therapeutic arts, film and media, humanities and publishing, and collaborations across disciplinary boundaries. The research illuminates and challenges cultural values and social assumptions within civil society to benefit local, national and international communities and organisations. As well as influencing public and stakeholder activity. We share and disseminate our research and its impact through our creative practice, exhibitions, conferences and events as well as through published research.  
  
We are active in national and international research events and activities, such as the FORMAT International Film and Photography Festival, a biennial held across the city of Derby, and the Being Human festival. 

Research Centre Leads

The Creative and Culutural Industries Research Centre is led by Professor Ang Bartram and Professor John Steel. 

Ang Bartram reading book about dog theory to Oscar the dog
Professor Ang Bartram

Ang works as an artist and artistic researcher. Her research focuses on documentation as an act of ephemeral art process, and with animality and empathy (as acted and/or intuitively behaved)...

John Steel
Professor John Steel

John is Research Professor in Journalism and his role is to support research activities across the School and wider university. He has interests in a variety of research areas including journalism eth...

Our research

An attendee experiencing a virtual exhibit
Long exposure: developing the UK’s leading international photography festival

Making a significant and cultural impact on the city of Derby, FORMAT has grown to become the UK’s leading international photography festival. Organised as a collaboration with QUAD arts and media cen...

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Artistic encounters deliver new perspectives on climate emergency

Vital debates about climate change are being taken into new communities – thanks to thought-provoking artistic research by the University of Derby. Our researchers have devised original approaches tha...

A giant figure of Brittania walks in the South Wales valleys
Addressing the history and identity of welsh wales through Realistic Collage

Understanding our past can help us learn and discover how and why historical events occurred. Researcher Marc Bosward is concerned with how history and society can be understood through the practice o...

Research Clusters

Student observing painting of 'The Widow of an Indian Chief watching the Arms of her Deceased Husband'
Enlightenment and Romanticism Research Cluster

The Enlightenment and Romanticism Research Cluster is an interdisciplinary group of researchers from across the Humanities whose work engages with the history, literature and culture of the eighteenth...

A collection of luscious green plants with pink, white and blue flowers
Animal Research Cluster

The Animal Research Cluster contributes to the interdisciplinary debate in the subject around what it is to be beyond the human.

An elderly gentleman wearing a green jacket looks towards a window
Lovability Research Cluster

The Lovability Research Cluster aims to contribute to interdisciplinary research in the arts and humanities through critically informed arts practice.

A white clothed table with embroidery hoops, thread, pens and a pair of scissors on top
Spaces and Places Research Cluster

The Spaces and Places Research Cluster is an interdisciplinary group of researchers that explore how spaces and places are experienced, and how they are represented in local and international cultural...

A man sitting down looking at his phone with another man's arm on his shoulder
A/r/tography Research Cluster

Bringing the imagination to life in the teacher/student dynamic through a/r/tographic research. A/r/tography celebrates the tension in the multiple roles of artist, researcher and teacher and how this...

Clay model of a baby in a symbolised womb
Research in Arts and Wellbeing (RAW)

The research connected to arts and health impacts upon the healthcare experience by changing perceptions and practices within a healthcare setting.

Walls of an anechoic chamber
Electro-Acoustics Research Lab

The Electro-Acoustics Research Lab (EARLab) is dedicated to the "democracy of sound". EARLab is led by Associate Professors Dr Adam Hill and Dr Bruce Wiggins. Their mission is to deliver high-quality ...

Join us

If you are interested in joining the research centre or would like to find out more about how we could collaborate with you, please contact Professor Ang Bartram or Professor John Steel.

If you are interested in applying for a PhD, please contact: