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"Stomata on the epidermis of wheat" created from a 3D image taken of a leaf under the microscope, currently on display in the Science Museum in London.

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Researcher or creative?

Technically both! For the last 4 years I've been a PhD student at the University of Sheffield studying how stomata (microscopic pores on the surface of plants) open and close to control gas exchange across the leaf surface. As part of my PhD I developed a new technique to capture the 3D changes in cell shape that take place across the leaf surface during stomatal movements. Imaging the cells on the leaf surface in 3D inspired me to refine my artistic skills and learn how to knit wire so that I could create accurate, 3D sculptures of the cells I captured in my images to help teach people about what stomata are, how they work and why they are important. I'm now looking to establish my career as a science artist after my PhD finishes this November.

Academic department or artistic field/medium?

Plant science is my academic background, and for my artistic practice I knit metal wire (mostly stainless steel) into 3D forms, but i'm very comfortable exploring new areas and new mediums.

Planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar event on the 10th of September in person?

Yes certainly, please come and say hi! I will bring some small prototypes of my sculptural work with me to give you a sense of what I can do.

Areas or topics of interest?

I love anything plant related, but I'm interested in all things structural, whether that be the complex 3D structure of proteins, the organelles of cells, or the cellular structure of whole tissues and organs. Although the majority of my artwork has so far been related to the structure of plant cells, I'm keen to explore new territories in other kingdoms of life!

Any other information you would like to share with potential collaborators/other attendes?

My most recent sculpture (in the photo above) in currently on display in the National Science Museum in London as part of their 'Future of food' exhibition. Earlier this year I also collaborated with Professor William Ratcliffe at Georgia Tech University and made a sculpture of his model organism (Snowflake yeast) for his lab, so I have prior experience with sci-art collaborations.

If you are unable to attend the Ideas Bazaar event on the 10th of September but are interesting in collaborating with me (not just for the festival of the mind!) then please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for reading :)

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https://linktr.ee/colourwitchraychel

Creative
I'm a multidisciplinary artist, author, and creative facilitator working under the name The Colour Witch. My work blends colour psychology, storytelling, emotional wellbeing, and visual journaling to support emotional transformation and creative empowerment.

Field / Medium
I work across illustration, publishing, painting, writing, and participatory and community arts. My current passion project is The Colour Witch Chronicles - a magical, down-to-earth exploration of emotions through colour, which I plan to turn into a printed newspaper for public engagement and promotion of my work.

Attending in person on 10 September?
Yes! I’ll be there in person — possibly with my witches hat and wand, definitely with ideas.

Areas / Topics of Interest
Emotions, colour theory, storytelling, psychology, neurodiversity, wellbeing, creative journaling, ritual, public engagement, alternative communication.

Other info
I’m looking to collaborate with an academic who’s curious, open to a bit of creative mischief and WitchyWooWoo, and excited about using colour and storytelling to connect research with real people in powerful, playful ways.

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I am the managing editor of the Society of Glass Technology, a publisher of journals and books and organiser of conferences related to glass of any and every kind. Formed in 1916 there's a lot of archival material.

Attended the AI for Creatives course run by Mastered for the SY Mayoral Authority and DfE.

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Studio Polpo is a Sheffield based arts and architecture social enterprise, with a long track record of working with the arts and third sector.

We work with a range of other disciplines on everything from graphics and installations to buildings, and love to collaborate with new people and organisations.

We have previously worked with a number of partners on installations (including an algae demonstrator with BioEngineering at last years FoM), both in Sheffield and further afield (including the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale).

We are particularly interested in material re-use, bio-materials and climate, community, architecture & place. Our approach is tailored to individual projects but characterised by engaging design that encourages adaprtability and agency.

We'll be at the Ideas Bazaar on the 10th September.

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Studio Polpo is a Sheffield based social enterprise architectural practice.

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Creative-

Hi! I'm a theatre-maker, actor, writer, poet, facilitator interested in sex politics, mental health and disabled and feminist narratives particularly looking into using humour to tackle these themes.

Medium-

I am currently taking my 3rd solo show (semi-autobiographical this time rather than my other 2 biographical shows) to the Edinburgh Fringe for a 2 week run having just received a 4* review from The Reviews Hub at the preview at Barnsley Civic last week.

Attendance-

Yep I'll be there!

Areas-

Mental health, feminism, disability, sex politics, OCD, toxic work ethic, burnout, female empowerment, storytelling, poetry, spoken word.

Other info-

I created a 30 minute piece of theatre for the last FoM with professor Cathy Shrank and it was such a fantastic experience I want in again!

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Forge PressDoes My Fanny Look Big in This?

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Eleanor May Blackburn | Actor, Writer, Facilitator

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Welcome to Eleanor May Blackburn’s online portfolio. Discover her vast body of work in acting, writing, theatre-making and facilitation.

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Liam Healy / Prototyping Multi-species Encounters

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Liam Healy / Prototyping Multi-species Encounters

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I am a designer, social-researcher and lecturer in Design in the School of Architecture and Landscape.

(Both researcher and creative).

My research draws on the traditions of critical and speculative design to explore human / more-than human relationships. I often design, make and deploy 'research devices' with communities to aid in design processes.

My current research project 'Prototyping Multi-species Encounters' seeks to address the polycrisis of biodiversity collapse, habitat loss, and climate damage being experienced by nature reserves in the UK by imagining, prototyping and deploying a set of speculative research devices — designed objects for fostering more-than-human interactions and inter-species connections between dogs, water voles, curlew, humans, trees, water, toads, and so on — at Redmires Reservoirs in Sheffield.

I can't make it to the Ideas Bazaar, but happy to be contacted by either researchers or creatives if there is interest in the project.

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I am a creative - specifically a sculptor using ceramic, mixed media, and sometimes sound, to create work that conjures ideas of the body, evoking the visceral, whilst also suggestive of landscape, organic form or alien life - familiar, yet strange, uncomfortable, intriguing. I'm currently fascinated by the gut microbiome as an extraordinary micro world within that keeps us alive....or not, if the balance is upset. I'm keen to explore and understand this idea in more depth from a science perspective, and to consider its function not only in human health but also as a sort of metaphor for the ecology of the planet.

I am planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar in person and hoping to be able to show some work there.

I am also very open to other ideas.

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Researcher or creative: Creative.

Academic department or artistic field / medium: Creative writing / fiction / short stories.

Planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar event on 10 September in person: Yes.

Areas or topics of interest: I’m open to every area; they’re all opportunities to learn and potentially a chance to produce something centred around a topic that's new to me.

Any other information that you would like to share with potential collaborators / other attendees: In 2020, I made stories around the future of Care, which I then turned into 2 audio dramas with the help of several voice actors, for Festival of the Mind’s Carescapes.

Between 2019 and 2021, I wrote several creative descriptions for It’s Proper Art, which were displayed throughout Leeds and London, and my debut collection of stories, The Storm, won the Society of Authors’ Somerset Maugham Award in 2021.

For the 31st Off the Shelf Literature Festival of Words, I curated Words, Vision and Sound, which brought together ten artists of different disciplines for the event, and it was featured again in the 2024 Huddersfield Literature Festival. During that year, I wrote Landscape Carving for Ashley Holmes' exhibition and vinyl, Skylarking, which I performed with Bel Odawa and Holmes.

My short story pamphlet, Post-modern Hustle, was released through Intergaphia Books last October and features artwork by Thomas D. Fowler.

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Works that feature commissioned writing by Akeem Balogun Words, Vision & Sound Skylarking Wynter’s Paper Young Critics Along this Line Sheffield Carescapes: Potential Futures for a Caring…

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Creative or researcher?
Creative

Artistic field / medium:
Creative technology, AI-assisted music production, interface aesthetics, audio-based performance

Attending in person?
Yes - as an exhibitor

Areas or topics of interest:
Creative AI, music technology, human-computer interaction, cognitive flow in creative practice, sound design, emotional computing, user experience design

Additional info for collaborators:
I’m developing The Whisperer, an AI-powered assistant designed to support music producers by minimizing decision fatigue and enhancing creative flow. I’m looking to collaborate with a researcher in AI, music technology, or HCI to develop this further for Festival of the Mind 2026. I bring a cross-disciplinary background combining machine learning with creative practice.

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Hi! I'm a freelance visual artist living and working in Sheffield. My own practice is predominantly drawing and stitching based, and I am particularly interested in anatomy, the liminality between life and death, and the natural world.

I have a lot of experience of working on projects with the university. These include:

Festival of the Mind, 2024 - Holy Herb and the Psychoactive Revolution, with Profs Phil Withington and Colin Osbourne.

BioFest, 2023

Nashe Project - Penniless? with Prof Cathy Shrank, 2023

Stitching projects with Profs Marysia Placzek and Andrew Furley.

I very much enjoy learning about research and discussing different visual ideas to represent various aspects of your work. I'm hoping to attend the Bazaar event in person, and will bring images and examples of my work with me. I look forward to chatting to everyone!

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Hello, I am Leonie Briggs co-founder and driving force behind Amazelab, an award-winning STEAM education company dedicated to inspiring curiosity, creativity, and confidence in young learners. With a background in education and a passion for making science, technology, engineering, and maths accessible to all, we have developed a wide range of hands-on activities and workshops that bring STEAM to life in classrooms, community spaces, and events across the UK.

Amazelab is known for its innovative approach to learning, blending sustainability, design, and real-world relevance to engage children in meaningful exploration. Whether it’s building eco-cities, experimenting with renewable energy, or crafting engineering challenges from everyday materials, Amazelab empowers students to think like problem-solvers and future innovators. The company continues to champion inclusive STEAM education, working with schools, STEM Ambassadors, and industry partners to shape a brighter, greener future. We are passionate about using creativity to break down barriers to STEM Learning.

https://linktr.ee/Amazelab

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I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Sheffield. I work collaboratively with academics and artists to deliver world class art installations and exhibits. I will be exhibiting at The Ideas Bazaar. Come say hello!

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Virtual Voyage through the Milky Way, Futurecade, Millennium Gallery, Festival of the Mind 2024

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Human Studio is a creative team with international credentials in design, moving image and immersive experiences (virtual, augmented and mixed reality) that explore new paths of communication and creative expression. Driven by the discovery of knowledge, technology and culture, we work with individuals, groups and organisations that make a difference.

The team collaborates with academics, artists, institutions and global brands on creative projects for live events and online. Work by the studio has been enjoyed by a range of audiences at galleries and events across Europe, Brazil, China, Japan, Canada and the United States.

www.humanstudio.com

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I am a performer, theatre maker and academic with a background in performative collaboration at UoS, SHU, Birmingham and Roehampton universities. I have worked with the Ibsen award winning theatre ensemble Forced Entertainment since 1986 and pioneered outreach and education work around the ensemble's model. Over the last six years I have been exploring collaborative practice with different groups of young people in Sheffield.

I am especially interested in collaboration across fields and with models for making work that are responsive, experimental or improvisational.

I have twice worked with UoS academics for the Festival of the Mind-on a performance version of the 16th century 'first English novel,' Beware the Cat, with Frances Babbage, Rachel Stenner, Penny McCarthy, Robyn Orfitelli, Bill McDonnell, Bob McKay and Adam Piette (2018 ) and on a filmic exploration of AI performance working with Dorothy Ker, Andrew Stratton, Balraj Johal, Andrei Clopotel and Dave Cameron across the Departments of Music, AI and Computer Science and the Information School (2020).

I will be rehearsing with Forced Entertainment whilst the Ideas Bazaar is on but would love to hear from any academic who might be interested in collaborating on a performative exploration of their research.

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I am a digital artist specialising in immersive technologies (VR/AR/XR), music, animation and interactive design. My recent practice has developed through a PhD that explores the ethics of representation and engagement with real-life experiences in VR. I continue to explore these themes through the production of immersive narrative experiences and digital artworks. I am currently developing work that explores data-representations of the body and natural environments, investigating how immersive technologies can invite emergent and processual interrelationships between our bodies, our experiences and the world.

My recent digital installation, ‘Flow State’, a 2024 No Bounds Festival commission, used data-driven digital arts processes and 3D imaging to merge experiences, data, images and found objects from Sheffield's rivers as they flow through the city. The work offered a rare glimpse into the role of rivers in shaping our communities and urban spaces and was featured in publications such as The Guardian, Rolling Stone and The Wire.

https://danielbacchus.co.uk/

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Creative

I am a fine artist and archaeologist living and working in Sheffield. My practice is rooted in the exploration of the human form, portraiture, and the materiality of painting, whilst simultaneously engaging with the archaeological record and historical traditions of representation.

Artistic Field/Medium

Drawing on both classical and contemporary techniques, my work examines how visual languages, ancient and modern, communicate identity, meaning, and memory. After graduating from the Athens School of Fine Arts, I pursued a master’s degree in archaeology at the University of Sheffield, where my research focused on experimental approaches to pigment production and paint application on marble surfaces during the Greek Early Bronze Age. This dual background informed a practice that seeks to bridge art and archaeology, creating works that are both aesthetically resonant and deeply connected to human history. To that extent, I predominantly work with traditional painting and drawing mediums and techniques.

I will be attending in person on the 10th of September.

Over the past four years, I have collaborated on artistic residencies which combined artistic production with archaeological and historical research, resulting in exhibitions and public engagement events that connected diverse audiences with themes of craft, mobility, and cultural memory.

Previous Projects

2024 - 2025: Resident artist with the program “Place, Craft, and Alcohol in Historical Perspective: Exploring Artisanal Brewing and Distilling in Sheffield, Past and Present”, Department of History, University of Sheffield, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/place-craft-and-alcohol

2021 - 2023: Resident artist with the program “Finds Stories: Addressing Mobility through Object and People Biographies”. This was a collaboration between the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, five European research institutions, from Croatia, Greece, Serbia, and the United Kingdom (University of Bristol - department of Archaeology and Anthropology), who were awarded a prestigious Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Research Grant tostudy mobility in South-East Europe through object biographies. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/archaeological-dialogues/article/study-on-creative-object-biographies-can-creative-arts-be-a-medium-for-understanding-objecthuman-interaction/D924AEA70D48D5EC74CC0D03D43C573C

I am currently a studio holder at Trafalgar Studios, Sheffield.

My aspiration is to continue developing a career that unites artistic practice with academic research. I am committed to creating art that reflects my own identity whilst offering new ways of seeing the past, believing that the stories of earlier societies enrich not only our understanding of history, but also our contemporary cultural landscapes.

Official Webpage: https://mariamarinouart.wixsite.com/maria-marinou

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I’m a Professor at the University of Sheffield, specialising in gender-based violence (GBV), health inequalities, and responses across health and cultural systems. My research investigates how abuse impacts women, children, and marginalized groups and how health services can offer better, more empathetic support. I am passionate about merging research with creative expression to humanize experiences, stimulate empathy, and drive social change.

At Festival of the Mind 2020, I co‑led “Phoenix: Impact of Domestic Violence and Abuse”—a striking ceramic art installation created with Angie Hardwick. Built on survivor stories, the pieces visualize the emotional and physical toll of abuse while offering powerful hope player.sheffield.ac.uk.

For Festival of the Mind 2026, I’m looking to develop creative collaborations focused on:

Domestic abuse as a public health crisis,

Technology-facilitated violence, and

Stories of survival, resilience, and recovery.

I seek partnerships with artists, performers, filmmakers, and digital creatives passionate about social justice and transforming GBV research into accessible, thought-provoking public works.

I can be contacted at parveen.ali@sheffield.ac.uk

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Researcher (PhD)

Sociological Studies - Thesis: Labours in the Porn Industry

I'm interested in methods of coproduction and collaboration, I'm reasonably early in my degree as a part timer, but I am interested in creative methodologies in particular and have experience in theatre, crocheting/sewing/embroidery.

I'm planning on attending the event in person on 10th September.

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I am a multidisciplinary artist and educator, drawn to the unexpected—whether that’s visual hallucinations, memory, dreams, or hidden histories. My work has ranged from exploring the legacy of Nottingham’s lace trade to the romance and spectacle of the circus.

Currently, my practice and research are centred on Charles Bonnet Syndrome, which has led me into the fascinating intersections of psychology, neurology, and ophthalmology which I am keen to develop further.

I’m especially intrigued by how we understand memory—its biological foundations, its psychological layers, and its role in shaping our lived experience.

I’m also interested in the cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming, as well as the profound social impacts of misinformation and disinformation in our digital age.

I’ll be at the Ideas Bazaar and would love to connect—please come and say hello.

To see more info of artwork and previous projects visit: sarahjanepalmer.co.uk

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Researcher or creative:

I am an A&E researcher and medical doctor at the University of Sheffield

Academic department:

I'm based in the Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), which is part of the school of medicine and population health

Planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar:

Yes

Areas or topics of interest:

My current research is about experiences and inequalities in A&E. My research touches on issues around poverty, medical paternalism, "patient flow", "inappropriate attendances" at A&E. I am interested in how to engage the public with A&E in a respectful and impactful way: perhaps we could work with A&E staff to make some form of A&E tour? Or build a mock-up A&E for people to go inside. I have co-created a collection of ambient sound recordings of A&E that we could use.

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Creative: professional artist for 40 years, working as both a textile artist and an sketch-illustrator.

I have taken part in the last two FOTM exhibitions, creating large, hand-embroidered, textile sculptures. I have also collaborated with academics from Manchester, York and Nottingham universities.

You can see my fine-art textiles at http://lynnechapmantextiles.co.uk and my sketch-illustration at https://www.lynnechapmanurbansketching.co.uk/projects

I will definitely be at the Ideas Bazaar, aiming to hook up with a new partner.

I have an interest in memory and make personal work about the relationship between Aphantasia and memory loss, but am open to all ideas. Previous academic collaborations have included:

tissue engineering & plastic surgery

the language of plastic reuse

dementia care

Cystic Fibrosis & hospital architecture

happiness in the workplace

dormant things in the home

mental health & social media

synthesizing menthol

Please do get in touch either before or after the Ideas Bazaar, if you have any questions: contact@lynnechapman.co.uk

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I am very interested in commissions where I create a live documentation of events, processes or research projects. I have recently finished a year-long residency with The Morgan Centre, but a project can equally be just a single day. Here are some highlights of recent work. I am always excited to explore new subjects, so do get in touch if you have an interesting idea.

Unfolding Stories, a 15-minute film about my residency with the Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives.

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I am very interested in commissions where I create a live documentation of events, processes or research projects. I have recently finished a year-long residency with The Morgan Centre, but a project can equally be just a single day. Here are some highlights of recent work.

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C&G (Clara CHEUNG & Gum CHENG Yee Man) are two Hong Kong artists who have founded the art space: C&G Artpartment in Hong Kong, in 2007, and relocated its space at Hillsborough, Sheffield in 2024.

The practice of the C&G is humourous and challenging at the same time. The activities that C&G organise are often collective and participatory in nature. In 2023-2024, they hosted the project of "Harcourt Road" --- collecting and showcasing parallel histories of community organising in two streets of the same name in Sheffield and Hong Kong. (https://www.harcourtroad.co.uk/)

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The Guilty Will Kneel
--a group exhibition of
Burmese artists in exile
等天收 -- 緬甸流亡藝術家聯展

Part I: C & G Artpartment, Sheffield
Opening: 5:30pm (Wed) 23 Apr 2025
Exhibition Dates: 3-5, 10-11 May

Part II: Nunnery Gallery, London
Opening: 5pm (Fri) 2 May 2025
Artist Dialogue: 5:30 - 6:30pm, (Fri) 2 May
Activist Dialogue: 6:45 - 7:45pm, (Sat) 3 May
Exhibition Dates: 2-4, 6-11 May, 10am-4pm

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The Guilty Will Kneel --a group exhibition of Burmese artists in exile 等天收 -- 緬甸流亡藝術家聯展 Part I: C & G Artpartment, SheffieldOpening: 5:30pm (Wed) 23 Apr 2025Exhibition Dates: 3-5, 10-11 May Part II: Nunnery Gallery, LondonOpening: 5pm (Fri) 2 May 2025Artist Dialogue: 5:30 - 6:30pm, (Fri) 2 MayActivist Dialogue: 6:45 - 7:45pm, (Sat) 3 MayExhibition Dates: 2-4, 6-11 May, 10am-4pm

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hello :) I am Tobias, a magician and writer who studied neuroscience. my main interest is clown, physical theatre and comedy, which allow the performer and audience to appreciate something together, as opposed to trying to "fool" people - the method can be more magical than the effect! this doesn't always make me popular with other magicians...

I am working on a show

exploring what it means to grow up in a society with no "magic" in its core belief system. science seems to have explained away rituals, optical illusions, dreams, puzzles, etc - how can we again appreciate the magic they hold ? isn't the fact these things exist proof of magic?

i am keen to explore everything really. my email is thudson1459@gmail.com, and i am excited to speak to people at the bazaar !

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Researcher

I'm a senior lecturer in Microbiology at the School of Clinical Dentistry, and my main interests are developing new antimicrobials and testing them on lab grown models of human chronic infection. We have recently started an exciting project involving fungi for human benefit (so the opposite to our usual work!) and our team would love to work with a creative to illustrate 'helpful' fungi in some form - we imagine sculptural or textiles, but open to any and all ideas!

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I'm a creative facilitator and writer.

I use philosophical enquiry methods to engage groups in thinking together. This can be a fully immersive creative experience of itself or lead to particular creative output - either by individuals (writing or making) or with me collating contributions into a finished piece.

I've facilitated an open access pub-based philosophical enquiry group in Sheffield for 7 years. I'm also a lead producer for the Late:Philosophy hosted by Sheffield Museums.

I have a particular interest in working with artworks and artefacts as stimuli for enquiry. I would love to work on a research-focussed project where the outputs of research were the stimulus for a group to collaboratively respond to create new written work / object-based writing. Or for the facilitated enquiry to be an interactive opportunity for community engagement.

Unfortunately I'm not able to attend in-person on 10/9/25. I'll be on my way to Prague (by train!) to deliver a creative / philosophical workshop at the Colloquium on Dialogical Philosophising: Reason Meets Emotion

I'd like to make connections with academics who are interested in community based collaborative engagement to explore creative responses to their work.

enquire@rosiecarnall.co.uk

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21 Questions about Death: a community collated poem

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Hello, I am Erica Mulkern MA. A dancer and choreographer based in West Yorkshire. I have been a resident artist with the UoS from 2021-2023 and successfully created 2 projects at Festival of the Mind 2022.

I will be attending the event in person.

What I am looking for?

I do have a specific project in mind which is around Greek Mythology, so if there are any academics with historical links in this area or any links that could be relevant, this would be ideal.

However, I do also have the capacity to be a part of other projects, so if you are an academic looking to bring your piece to life through movement, please don't hesistate to get in touch with me.

Here are some stills from one of my prior FotM performances, 'Love Should Not Hurt'. I directed, produced and auditioned the dancers to allow the academic involved to focus on the research.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkNnN7lNEa_/?img_index=1

Contact:

ericamulkern1414@gmail.com

My bio:

Erica Mulkern MA is a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer and mentor based in West Yorkshire, UK. Erica is currently developing and performing her first solo work ‘Suzy Homemaker‘.

She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance where she received a First Class Hons Degree and the Carolyn Woolridge Prize for highest performance marks. She also gained a Distinction in an MA in Contemporary Dance. Prior to this she completed the Foundation Course at NSCD with a Distinction.

During her time as a professional dancer she has worked with Opera North, Black Box Dance Company in Denmark, Jana Bitterová, Mercurial Dance, The Hexagon Collective, Constella OperaBallet, Tina Tarpgaard, Jason Mabana, Marie Brolin-Tani, Steph Giles, Dionysia Bouzioti, Joseph Reay-Reid, Northern Dance, Lila Naruse, Jacob Stage, Melody Putu, Alexander Michael, Balbir Singh Dance Company and Gerry Turvey. Other choreographers she has worked with include: Jos Baker, Laila Diallo, Vanessa Grasse, Lila Dance, Gemma Harrison and Gwen Rakotovao.

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Hi! I'm a PhD student at the University of Sheffield. While I'm primarily presenting at this event as a researcher, I'm a creative as well and engage in science communication through zines and podcasts.

My current work involves looking at the importance of colour in the wildlife trade. It aims to understand how our perception of birds, how aesthetically attractive we find them, influences global patterns of trade.

I've come up with different ways to measure and quantify dimensions of colour and I'm now using these metrics to understand the flow of colour between countries and identify cultural biases in which birds are selected for trade.

My lab group does further research on colour, particularly on collecting and creating the data requires, as well looking at the future of bird colour and other macroecological analysis. Some of these ideas would be be available to be incorporated into a creative project as well.

I'm primarily looking for a creative who could take this research about this complex human-nature interaction and connects it back to the humans at this event. Ideally it would be through a medium or style that could capitilize on the use of colour.

I will be attending the event in person but I'm happy to be contacted outside of that for ideas concerning my research, or as a creative collaborator.

Further details about my research and creative work can be found on my website linked above, and further details on my labs research interests can be seen here https://www.cooneylab.co.uk/

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H O M E

PhD student at the University of Sheffield currently looking at the role of colour in the wildlife trade.

shriyau01@protonmail.com

Asking large questions about the connection between animals and humans through reserach and science communication. I believe in a multidiscplinary approach to science and find areas of overlap most interesting.

I'm an animal conservationist by trade and always looking for more ways to put it into practice.

Research group

Most species do their own evolving, making it up as they go along, which is the way nature intended. And this is all very natural and organic and in tune with mysterious cycles of the cosmos, which believes that there's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone.

- Terry Pratchett

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H O M E PhD student at the University of Sheffield currently looking at the role of colour in the wildlife trade. shriyau01@protonmail.com Asking large questions about the connection between animals and humans through reserach and science communication. I believe in a multidiscplinary approach to science and find areas of overlap most interesting.

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Computer Science Academic with 12+ yrs Industry experience. I will be attending the Ideas Bazaar.

My interests are in Digital Interactive Exhibits for which I have a software tool (Quando) that has been used for previous Festival of the Mind including 'How can you Avoid Dementia' at Event Central 2022 (breif details linked above), and a film and event with interactive robots 'What does it feel like' (2020).(https://festivalofthemind.sheffield.ac.uk/2020/spiegeltent/what-does-it-feel-like-film/)

I am interested in supporting researchers and creatives looking to produce digital interactive exhbits through my tool, Quando, to rapidly try out different digital interactions. In the past this has included summer internship work for student/alumni software developer.

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How Can You Avoid Dementia? - Festival of the Mind 2022

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An interactive exhibit by Dr Iain Croall, Andrew Stratton and Ruby Fox looking at how dementia changes the brain and how we can to prevent it

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Hi, I’m Sean, I make films with a social conscience. I’m passionate about documentary filmmaking and telling stories that focus on social action, the arts and equality.

I produce a lot of films for different departments within Social Science at the University and always looking for new, exciting collaborations to share research and powerful stories with new audiences. I've made 2 films that were part of Festival of the Mind in previous years and I'm familiar with the application process.

I'll be attending the Ideas Bazaar so if you want to discuss any ideas, please get in touch or look me up. You can see more of my work on my website: www.seanlovell.com

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Researcher

School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery

Hi everyone

My research is focused on sexuality and relationships in our middle and later years. In particular, tackling stereotypes and taboos, so we can provide inclusive and respectful health and social care.

I am looking for a creative/digital partner for our work that is focused on supporting sexual rights in care homes. We are keen for the FOTM project to be celebratory of older age and life in care homes, and to take a positive approach to sexuality.

If this peaks your interest, feel free to email me on s.hinchliff@sheffield.ac.uk

You can learn more about the work I do on sharronhinchliff.com

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We are a Sheffield-based documentary film and video production company and are responsible for a very significant number of films for The University of Sheffield since 2014. Many of these can be seen on our Vimeo page here - www.vimeo.com/sortoffilms. You might particularly like the UoS collection here - vimeo.com/showcase/9910738

Last year, we partnered with Dr Heather Ellis and the wider research team to produce the documentary 'Food for Thought: The UK School Meals Service' which has been listed on the UoS Player as 'School Meal Memories'. https://player.sheffield.ac.uk/events/school-meal-memories

I have a passion for creative and experimental documentary forms. Last year's film isn't evidence of this - it's a professional, direct piece of research communication. If that's not your vibe, you might enjoy my 8 minute Arts Tower Paternoster installation film 'Carriage' instead. Someone's got to!! https://vimeo.com/312990898?share=copy#t=65.877

I sadly can't attend the Ideas Bazaar this year due to a shoot in Wales. :( Feel free to drop me a line though via email (ed@sortoffilms.co.uk) or via our website (www.sortoffilms.co.uk).

Areas of interest? Landscape, architecture, natural world, sustainability, ecology, environment crisis, climate, environment crime, environment solutions, health, literature, film theory/history, music, psychology, geography, politics, sociology, education....and many more.

We'd be delighted to partner with any academic looking for an end product which works for the festival and beyond.

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Hello from Patna, St-Joseph's High School, India 

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We are accounting and finance lecturers at the University of Sheffield Management School, working with colleagues on a new project in financial literacy education. Our work translates accounting and finance knowledge into financial literacy knowledge for all ages. Currently, we are focusing on young people and exploring how co-designed resources can support schools in making financial literacy more engaging and relevant.

Together, we are passionate about merging research with creative expression to transform complex financial ideas into accessible and engaging formats for young audiences.

We have recently run a workshop in India with teachers and pupils, generating rich insights and co-designed content. From this, we are developing an interactive comic booklet that can be shared with schools in India to help pupils begin learning about financial literacy in their own context.

This is the first step in a wider project: we plan to adapt and expand these materials for use in other countries, recognising that financial literacy is highly context- and age-specific, but too often overlooked.

For Festival of the Mind 2026, we are looking to develop creative collaborations focused on:

Interactive and visual storytelling (e.g. comics, animation, or digital media) to communicate financial literacy.

Adapting school-focused resources into formats that engage wider public audiences.

Expanding context-specific approaches to financial literacy education in diverse cultural settings.

We seek partnerships with illustrators, comic artists, digital designers, and creative practitioners interested in co-developing materials that make financial literacy accessible, relevant, and thought-provoking for both schools and the wider public.

We can be contacted at m.rajjaque@sheffield.ac.uk o.cam@sheffield.ac.uk

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Festival of the Mind artwork from 2024: 'Filling the Void'.

I worked with researchers developing new materials to help in the replacement of soft tissues after body trauma.

I will be attending in person. See www.lynnechapmantextiles.co.uk for more work and info

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Festival of the Mind artwork from 2022: 'Yes it's Plastic, But...'

I worked with researchers into plastic reuse and looked at the language we use when talking about the environmental issues around plastic.

I will be attending in person. See www.lynnechapmantextiles.co.uk for more work and info

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Hello! I am an artist based at Yorkshire Artspace in Sheffield. I have a substantial track record of co-creation at the point of intersection between the 'two cultures' of art and science. I have worked on no less than seven wonderful collaborations with The University of Sheffield academics since The Festival of the Mind's inception in 2014. These have ranged from a life-sized drawing of a steppe mammoth (with Dr Tori Herridge in 2014) to a VR journey following photons from the heart of the sun to a quantum solar cell (with Dr Andrew Parnell in 2020). I am particularly interested in ideas of heritage, in its broadest sense, sustainability and the environment, and our relationships with non-human animals. I will be at the Ideas Bazaar for most of the day and I am very much looking forward to meeting friends and collaborators old and new - and to the beginnings of exciting conversations and inter-disciplinary collaborations!

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Nanocade: Harvesting Light Quantum Solar VR 3D180

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Short video about my work, including the art dress depicting the memory-loss issues of an Aphantasic.

Festival of the Mind artwork from 2024: 'Filling the Void'.

I worked with researchers developing new materials to help in the replacement of soft tissues after body trauma.

I will be attending in person.

See www.lynnechapmantextiles.co.uk for more work and info.

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- Researcher or creative?

We are two researchers (post-doctoral) working on a multidisciplinary project funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

- Academic department or artistic field / medium?

We are based in computer science (Malwina) and clinical dentistry (Rachel).

- Planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar event on 10 September in person?

We will both be coming along to the ides bazaar, with some visual aids to help get some conversations started with creative people who might want to work with us!

- Areas or topics of interest?

We are working on a project to create a new diagnostic device for oral cancer to help people get diagnosed quickly and without needing biopsies. To do this we are creating ‘oral cancer in a dish’ in the lab and studying its electrical properties to better understand how the electrical properties of oral tissues change when they change from healthy to cancerous. We are a combined team using biological techniques, computational modelling and machine learning to piece together how the tissue changes and how the electrical properties change - so we can use these differences in electrical properties to diagnose cancer.

Click here for more information 🔬

Contact us:

rachel.furmidge@sheffield.ac.uk

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Long-tailed tit chicks in their nest. Taken in the Rivelin Valley, Sheffield.

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-Researcher or creative?

I am currently a researcher at the University of Sheffield but with a strong passion for creative arts in general

-Academic Department?

I work within the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield but could be categorized further as someone who works as an ecologist & animal behaviourist.

-Planned Attendance

Yes, I will be attending the Ideas Bazaar and excited to meet everyone there!

-Areas or topics of interest?

I currently conduct research on birds and how they communicate. In particular, we are looking into how individual birds express their identity as part of the vocalisations they make. To do this, we make audio recordings of the calls of all of the individuals within a population of long-tailed tits that have been studied in the Rivelin Valley (Sheffield) for ~ 30 years. So far we have found some interesting results showing that our long-tailed tits do make sounds that are unique to their own individuality, some of which are possible for humans to detect by eye too!

-Any other information you would like to share with potential collaborators/attendees.

I hope that our research has some aspects that could be translated into interesting creative projects. As part of our work we have both sound (the recordings of birds and their environment) and image data (spectrograms of what bird calls look like to the human eye). I would love to meet someone with the creative skills to excite people to think about how birds communicate and why!

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- Researcher or creative?

Creative

- Academic department or artistic field / medium?

We are a Sheffield-based collective dedicated to telling human stories through video.

We manage creative content ideation, coordination, capture, and delivery to tell real stories about real people.

- Planning to attend the Ideas Bazaar event on 10 September in person?

No, but please do reach out to us via our website for an informal chat!

- Areas or topics of interest?

We’re particularly interested in working with researchers to tell human stories in the areas of sport, culture and sustainability.

- Any other information you would like to share with potential collaborators / other attendees.

Some examples of our storytelling:

Ascent Of Taulliraju With The Odell Brothers | adidas TERREX​

Monster Inside | Mejdi Schalck’s Olympic Dream | adidas TERREX

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Ascent Of Taulliraju With The Odell Brothers | adidas TERREX​

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I have a technical background in supporting all levels of students in their education. With the broad background of bioscience, I now find myself as the manager of the "Anatomy at Sheffield" facility.

Known previously as the Medical Teaching Unit, or the Dissecting Room. The opportunity to learn anatomy through real cadaveric dissection has, until recently, remained one of the oldest and unchanged methods of medical education for centuries.

With this history comes ties to scrupulous activities, controversies, breakthroughs in medical interventions, philosophical and existential contemplation and of course a deep synergy with the arts.

The problem: due to the nature of our work, how do we interact with the public? How do we represent what we do in a way that engages people, inspires them, encourages them to study with us? Our HTA license restrictions prevent us from taking our stuff out, or bringing the public in.

How do we put one of the original foundations of the University and its Medical School, back to the prominence it deserves?

As we embrace new technology, does this give us an opportunity to finally be visible (again) to the people of Sheffield? Can art and sculpture represent us?

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I am a Visual Artist who enjoys using a variety of media, although primarily paper and textiles-based materials, to create 2D and 3D collages and digital (static and animated) art, sometimes reusing and reimagining discarded materials. Through my socially engaged practice I collaborate with people to find new ways to tell a story visually, whether heritage, social history, activism or pure fiction.

I have more recently been exploring natural and waste materials to see how I can reuse them effectively. This has included plastics and papers. I have also been making inks and paints from waste and natural sources, gathering berries, leaves, slag, nettles and more. I am very interested in taking the natural colours and papers further, looking at how I can make colourfast and more archival on paper and fabric, without resorting to harsh chemicals.

Some of my work can be seen on Instagram: @mandykeatingartist

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Danny, Denaby, 2022 from the series 'Invisible Vox pops' (2020 - 25)

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Creative (with PhD) - I am a socially engaged photographer and artist. The labels, collaborative, community or participatory photographer/artist all apply to me but my starting point is the same as Martha Rosler who “realized long ago that it was not possible for me to be anything other than socially engaged”.

Attending 10 Sept

Interested in the everyday, public engagement, representation and making change.

www.relativepoverty.org

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I am a theatre & games maker based in Sheffield, creating projects under the name Voyager 3. I write, design and perform, as well as mentoring other artists. I am a Reader in Theatre & Performance at Leeds Beckett University. From 1995-2023 I was co-artistic director of Sheffield-based theatre company Third Angel, with whom I collaborated with UoS academics many times. We created the lecture performance Hurrysickness with the Institute of Work Psychology, the internationally touring theatre show What I Heard About the World with Worldmapper, and the astrophysics-theatre show 600 People (pictured above) with Professor Simon Goodwin, which toured inter/nationally from 2013-2022, including gigs at Sheffield Theatres and Festival of the Mind. www.thirdangel.co.uk

I am currently interested in the folklore and spiritual beliefs that people attach to particular places, and how they might relate to the land/scape that those places sit on, or in. For me this connects to ideas about inherited land ‘ownership’ and the huge influence that has on our society today. I’d be interested in talking to folklorists, geographers, geologists, historians and anyone else for whom those ideas resonate.

I hope to be at the Ideas Bazaar for at least some of the day. I can be contacted on voyager3[at]posteo.net, and at
@voyager3.bsky.social

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Hiya!

Researcher or creative

Creative, although I also have experience of working in collaborative academic research contexts.

Academic department or artistic field I’m a contemporary artist who works with drawing, moving image, digital media, print, sound, and music production. I’ve produced work for gallery, theatre, and performance settings and have experience collaborating with artists, designers, and composers as well as researchers from a range of disciplinary areas.

Planning to attend

Yes

Areas or topics of interest
There are two main strands to my artistic practice:

👉🏻 The first begins with an interest in post-digital practices and the social consequences of technological innovations. I’m particularly interested in image technologies such as computer vision, AI, and ‘big data’, and their ethics and social impact. The question of trust in AI is a big concern, as is the role of the ‘online’ in shaping everyday experience. I’ve produced graphical works, publications, and performances that address these ideas.

👉🏻 The second strand of practice is to do with class and access to the cultural industries and academia, and features often very personal responses to my own experiences. This strand includes areas of interest such as meritocracy, utopianism, architecture and urban planning, theories of class and working class methods, and economic precarity as experienced by cultural practitioners. I’ve explored these ideas through print, drawing, writing, and 3D modelling. I’ve also produced T-shirts, stickers and other low-brow cultural interventions that tackle this subject.

👉🏻 I also work to commission, participating in projects that are adjacent to my own concerns and through which I can develop my approach to my own work.

Any other information

I've participated in FOTM twice since 2014 and am interested in developing new collaborations!

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Nearly 30 years ago, I found myself in prison. Three decades later and it's clear that little has changed. An expensive, over-crowded inequitable system that expects and accepts abject inadequacy. This has been observed and experienced whilst working in prisons, youth justice settings, local government, charities and courts along with communities affected by violence.

During that time, I have also been involved in a number of performance projects, most recently as a co-founder of Sheffield Arts Lab and as a recent recipient of Art's Council Developing Your Creative Practice funding.

Although open to offers, I'm particularly interested in exploring creative alternatives to custody, including challenging the popular narrative that 'locking them up and throwing away the key' makes all of our lives better.

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Multidisciplinary Artist | Creative Producer | Community Arts Practitioner

📍 Rotherham, South Yorkshire

About me:

I create multi-sensory art blending abstract painting, Arabic calligraphy, and storytelling — exploring identity, wellbeing, and spirituality.

Just back from an artist residency in Fez, Morocco, where I explored creative slowness and cross-cultural connection.

One of my ongoing coproduced projects, Blurring the Edges, was a creative response to research exploring the impact of physical and invisible borders between neighbouring communities — particularly among South Asian and Romani groups. The project has had multiple iterations and is still ongoing, further details can be found on this link Social Frontiers. It has evolved through community workshops, collaborative exhibitions, and site-specific installations, with each iteration offering new perspectives on how identity, emotion, and place are shaped by division.

I also work as a Creative Producer & Community Arts Practitioner across South Yorkshire — supporting inclusive, wellbeing and access focused projects.

🔍 Areas of Interest

• Arts & wellbeing

• Women’s creative expression

• Multi-sensory practice

• Cultural memory

• Art & public health

• Community-led research

• Nature, ritual & identity

✅ Attending 10 Sept

🤝 Open to collaboration

📮 Instagram: @uzmaraniarts

📝 Substack: The Artist Within

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Simulation of a branching tree -generated using a mathematical model we developed to describe biological tissues and nerve cells

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I'm a researcher at the University of Sheffield, where I use mathematical models to explore how living systems like cells and tissues develop and behave. I also have a training in music (cello), and I'm interested in combining music and science in creative projects.

One such example was creating a project called "The sound of neuronal morphologies", where I generated a polyphonic representation for the growth of tree-like structures in biology such as neurons or blood vessels. This work was exhibited at ARS Electronica in 2022.

Biology offers a wealth of incredible spatiotemporal patterns, like cells moving collectively or organs growing in amazing shapes, and we have access to both experimental data and mathematical simulations of such systems. I would therefore like to connect with musicians or sound designers to develop new ways of translating these processes into immersive "soundscapes" -and hopefully design an exhibition about the "Music of living systems".

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Hello! I’m a freelance visual artist creating sculptures and installations that explore ecology, natural processes, and sustainability. My work invites audiences to reflect on their connection to these themes and to each other.

I’m particularly interested in creating work with elements of interactivity & play, creating active audience participation.

My piece Melting Point, created for Festival of the Mind last year in collaboration with the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre, used thermochromic pigments and invited the audience to touch the artwork, changing colour & mirroring the melting points of steel and glass within the research. I loved working on this project & would really enjoy taking part in the Festival of the Mind again!

I have a background in Sustainability, and so all of the work I produce is really considered in terms of materials, lifecycle & environmental impact.

Some of my portfolio is available to view on my website: https://www.helencbrook.co.uk

Or get in touch directly at hcbrook@gmail.com

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Web: www.angiehardwick.co.uk

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/AngeMadeCeramics/

Creative: Visual Artist

About Me: I specialising in ceramics and large scale sculpture.

My work connects people and highlights specific themes bringing them to the forefront, creating thoughtful links and raising awareness.

I explore and visually narrate themes. I have experience devising and facilitating authentic, bespoke creative projects; to coincide with various topics, tailored to individual specifications. I can confidently plan a project, support ideas and develop concepts, through to completion of artwork and coordination of installation/exhibitions. I have previously taken part in numerous Festival of the Mind events, creating a giant mouth using mixed media, illustrating oral diseases. I have installed 100 ceramic figures highlighting the percentage of people that experience gender based domestic violence. More recently I have created a large scale model of soil, illustrating how nutrients circulate. I have a good understanding of health and safety procedures when delivering and displaying permanent or temporary art installations.

Planning on attending the Ideas Bazaar?

Yes, I will have a small selection of ceramic sculptures on display. Please see my facebook page for installations and large scale sculptures.

Get in touch if you would like to discuss a possible collaboration

Email: ahardwick1@hotmail.co.uk

Areas of Interest: I am open to any topics Translating different themes into visual Artwork is at the core of my practice.

Any other information?:

I facilitiate workshops with all ages and abilities. My practice is focused on intergenerational multicultural inclusion, offering positive exciting art experiences and embedding a sense of belonging.

Creative Practice Video: https://youtu.be/tXSB2uXKauY

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Hello! I’m Chella, an artist, author, performer, and science communicator with a background in education, theatre, and design, and I use creativity, games, play, and humour to make complex or sensitive subjects accessible to all.

My practice blends zines, craftivism, installation, play, and participatory workshops to spark curiosity, critical thinking, and conversation. Alongside my menstrual health work (see below!), I have also developed projects on particle physics, wind turbines, outer space, disability access, sex education, and healthcare, collaborating with scientists, engineers, medics, young people, and community groups.

Whether through hands-on activities, performance, or co-designed resources and installations, I aim to empower people to connect research with everyday life in playful, thought-provoking ways. I’m passionate about inclusive, values-driven engagement that inspires curiosity and agency across generations.

As well as three past collaborations with Festival of the Mind (Zinemaking as part of Do It Thissen, 2014, creating the Urban Turbines installation, 2016, and directing the Leo and Hyde particle physics musical, Inside Out, 2024.) For the past 12 years, I have delivered commissions for and/or collaborated on projects with CERN, Manchester Science Festival, Manchester International Festival, Edinburgh Science Festival, Off the Shelf Festival of Words, Games for Change, Girlguiding UK, and the Institute of Physics. I coordinate Sheffield Zine Fest and promote independent publishing and community zinemaking.

Although I’m attending the Ideas Bazaar as a creative, I should also mention that I’m the founder of Period Positive, an award-winning grassroots movement and youth- and community-codesigned framework dedicated to improving menstrual literacy and breaking taboos around the menstrual span. I am the author of the books Own Your Period and Be Period Positive, and was the script advisor for the International Emmy Award nominated CBBC Newsround special “Let’s Talk About Periods”. I also take on research, policy advisory and freelance consultancy about menstrual literacy.

I love how Festival of the Mind provides the opportunity to do deep creative dives into science communication right here in Sheffield. If we don’t connect at the Ideas Bazaar in person, please feel free to reach out through the contact page at www.chellaquint.com

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Who is Rachael Clegg?:

Rachael Clegg is a photographic artist / storyteller and painter.

Rachael Clegg's work:

Rachael Clegg’s world is one of gritty visual style and wit. Her photographic images illustrate moments from history, creating a surreal parallel universe which is both entertaining and enlightening. In this universe, Rachael has carved out a unique art form for herself, fusing fact and imagination to create bold, sometimes absurd images, which are always accompanied by text. Her background as a features writer and editorial specialist in academia covering areas such as astronomy, mathematics, bioscience, aerodynamics and Biblical history means Rachael has a unique combination of skills when it comes to creating engaging content.

Rachael’s work has accrued a cult global following and has won her commissions from private individuals to major corporations. She has exhibited across the globe and in 2021 appeared in the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme’s (FIM) Women in Motorcycling book. Her choice of subject matter is wide ranging, and includes the Isle of Man TT, the Nürburgring, Germany and the history of rocket science. At the heart of it all Rachael’s work - whether about rockets or racing circuits - is a humorous interpretation of historical events with text and surreal photography.

Rachael also paints as a means of communicating facts and information. Her 'Sound Stories' are huge abstract oil paintings of sound waves, one of which was used for the cover of The Edinburgh Companion to Literature and Sound Studies, from Edinburgh University Press.

I am interested in the following areas:

Biblical history

Aerodynamics

Bioscience

Astronomy

Physics

AI technology

List of publications and exhibitions:

Proud Galleries, London:

The Thrill of It Art exhibition of my work about the history of the Nürburgring and Isle of Man TT

Manx National Heritage:

Manx National Heritage, May - September 2023.Thirty-Seven and Three Quarters exhibition of my work about the history of the Isle of Man TT

Commissions:

Molten Rock - 2014 to 2016:

Creative storytelling project telling the story of people with paralysis.

Ferodo - 2014 to 2017:

Exhibition about the function of brake pads.

Champion - 2014 to 2016:

Content creation for a print advertising campaign.

SES Satellites Ltd - 2013 to 2014:

Distilling the history of the satellite for a corporate exhibition. This involved condensing

hugely complex rocket and satellite history content into short prose and entertaining, engaging images.

Publications

Rachael Clegg - Book One, The Isle of Man TT:

A 280-page book on the history of the Isle of Man TT, along with a

series of art-directed photographs communicating the history of the event. I wrote and designed the layout of the book and collaborating with the printers at every single stage of the publishing process.

An Unusual Guide to the Isle of Man TT Course:

An invaluable guide for of the IOM TT, offering useful advice, funny yet striking imagery and a wealth of stories from riders of the present and past. As well as writing and designing the layout, I undertook extensive research including in depth interviews with the racers themselves.

Rachael Clegg - Book Two, The Thrill of It:

A 218-page photo book, celebrating famous thrill seekers and risk takers spanning the Nurburgring (in Germany), the Tourist trophy (on the Isle of Man) and the history of Space technology and the Race to the Moon. As with other publications this involved designing, researching and writing the content and then working closely with the print team to deliver upon the vision.

Contact:

Website: rachaelclegg.com

Number 0044 7976361247

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Chile Solidarity Poster held by the Working Class Museum Library, Salford.

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I am a historian at the University of Sheffield. My previous research focused on transnational histories of dictatorship and counterinsurgency across Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. I am in the early stages of a new project on the history of international solidarity, with a particular focus on the ties between Britain and Latin America 1970s-1990s. One part of this research is trying to understand how solidarity bonds are formed and how events in one country were perceived/portrayed as relevant to the lives of those many thousands of miles away. We are also trying to map social and activist movements and the ties between them in the UK and Latin America (primarily Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua) and consider how developments in the 1980s and 1990s affected these ties (Thatcherism in Britain, the end of the Cold War, the return of democracy in much of Latin America).

I'm interested in finding ways to communicate this research beyond typical academic formats and creating public-facing works relating to the broader topic of solidarity (particularly international solidarity). I'll be at the Bazaar for a short period of time but you can also drop me an email on m.avery@sheffield.ac.uk.

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I'm a Sheffield based visual artist, with a fascination in exploring qualitative data with creative methods.

My work often focusses on environmental and social themes. I use a variety of traditional and unusual media, primarily in 2D and some sculptural work.

I'd love to chat with researchers also interested in expressing data in creative methods or in environmental and social themes.

I'll be attending the Ideas Bazaar in person and can also be contacted by email.

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Clarkson's work explores the different scales of the technology and coded language of data management. Clarkson is interested in how the abstract language of data management carries and imposes a visual order on the functioning of society. Data infrastructures are often referred to in terms of invisibility, but they actually rely heavily on aesthetics to convey the idea that it is possible to run the world, and capital, smoothly. The arrows, numbers and codes, in Clarkson's work, surpass their assumed categories under the universal language of economy. The result is an artistic language that cannot be reduced to information and treated like currency.

https://www.james-clarkson.co.uk/home

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I'm a composer and musician, doing solo work, as well as one half of Sheffield's electronica duo Ayusp. I have led and contributed to  a number of Festival of the Mind projects, including Sheffield's Enchanted Woodlands (2012 with Human Studio), the Labyrinths of Sheffield (with Chris Blackmore in 2018) and Wild Edges (with Bob Johnston in 2020). I also work as a freelance harpist, having contributed on albums with a range of Sheffield bands, including Reverend and the Makers, In The Nursery, Jim Ghedi, Ba'al and many more.

My work ranges from ambient and pastoral music, through to more dance, techno and industrial styles.

Attending on 10th September?

Yes I will be there between approximately 12.30 and 3 pm.

Topics of Interest

As well as my musical work, I am also a full time member of University staff, in which I run the University Library's new Digital Commons creative makerspace. I am actively involved  in developing students' creativity in the areas of 3d printing and design, Virtual Reality, stitchcraft, Generative AI critical literacy, and coding.

I also have an academic background in archaeology and have a PhD in archaeology and virtual reality. I also have a previous background in biology, having done my first degree in this.

I'm very keen to collaborate with anyone who has ideas that could find synergies with any of the above!

Ayusp Bandcamp

https://ayusp.bandcamp.com/

email gmcelearney@gmail.com

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I am a multidisciplinary artist currently working closely with dance, film and live performance art.

My previous projects and collaborations have spanned - sculpture, photography, film, dance, musical theatre, acting, writing, singing and sound - as well as working collabroatively with museums, heritage sites and other artists working in visual, sound and performance.

I am professionally trained with a BA(Hons) Professional Dance and Musical Theatre. Previous projects have been exhibited and performed in spaces including, but not limited to - The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Clifton Park and Museum, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Urban Commune Wakefield, Buzz Gallery Rotherham, Citizens Art Gallery London and a range of outdoor festivals.

I'm excited to meet and connect with wonderful open thinkers and see what we can do together!

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Hello, I am an artist with a practice rooted in place making and participation. I coordinate projects shaped by community exchange, social connections and a collaboration of ideas. I enjoy utilising processes of collaborative textile making and doing including stitching, applique and printing to foster conversations and bring people together.

I often situate my practice within educational settings and learning programmes in cultural institutions as I am passionate about embedding local voices, creating connections between people and places, demystifying the cultural landscape and artistic practices and listening and learning from communities.

Medium

With a specialism in Textiles, exhibition outcomes and artworks have included installations, sculptures, wall hangings and prints that consolidate themes of the project.

Areas of interest

My practice explores themes of knowledge exchange and production, rules and codes of conduct (and how to subvert/challenge these), the role of legacies and relics as a means of proving one’s existence and the spaces and environments these objects inhabit. I relish in making artworks with people that broadly explore and embed these themes, including mapping activities, ritualistic practices of letting go and designing permanent public artworks.

Previous projects

I've delivered a gaggle of workshops, projects and programmes with Nottingham Contemporary, The Hepworth, University of Nottingham, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester International Festival, Loughborough University and Factory International. In 2022, as part of a 4 year residency with a local primary school, I worked with Turner prize winning collective Assemble in a group show 'The Place We Imagine' at Nottingham Contemporary. Our large scale text based artwork subverted traditional gallery rules and explored how environments change our behaviours.

I've also been working with academics at City as Lab with University of Nottingham, in conjunction with City Arts, translating air pollution data into a textile map of the city, which is currently on display in the exhibition 'The Air We Breathe' in Nottingham.

I was unable to attend the Ideas Bazaar. Please do get in touch if you'd like to find out more or work together!

thetuppermuseum@gmail.com

More information about my practice can be found at www.thetuppermuseum.com

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Mural Artist who creates bold yet painterly botanical murals.

My latest mural was based in the millennium galleries where I created a mural inspired how bees see colour.

www.gracevisions.com

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Visual Artist - I create murals and studio works which find patterns and shapes within a visual or conceptual reference that inform the composition of the work.

Interests - rivers and waterways.

social class

marcusmethod.com

marcusmethod1@gmail.com

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Filmmaking with Willow Tree Academy. Photo credit: Louise Rennison.

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I'm a freelance filmmaker based in Sheffield. I mix animation with live action and documentary to create engaging, informative and entertaining films about art, education and cultural heritage, with a special interest in digital arts and culture.

Alongside filmmaking I work with arts organisations, galleries, theatre companies, museums and educational institutions delivering educational engagement projects, often in collaboration with other educationalists artists and scientists.

I run stop motion animation workshops with schools, colleges and SEN providers, helping people of all ages to develop creative skills through making their own films and animation.

www.jonharrison.com

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I am a polymath artist and work in a range of materials with a specialism in ceramics. I like to design to solve a brief and I like to explore/use new materials. I enjoy working collaboratively and experienced in taking workshops in all kinds of situations. I can work figuratively accurately or impressionistic, 2d or 3d and have incoporated lighting and audio in recent work.

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Medium

Comics, graphic novels and zines

Creative

I've been working as a freelance comics producer, writer and editor turning research into this accessible and engaging format, to share important findings with the general public and decision-makers, to make change.

Comics provide an extra layer of visual communication in addition to text, and can convey subtle non-verbal aspects and people's personal experiences in a powerful way. The panels created are easy to read and share online and on social media, and the impact is easy to measure via analytics tools. Comics are an attractivce source of information for all ages for wider reach!

My past and current projects include a comic about hydroponics, three comics about social care (care-experienced graduates, dementia care and unpaid working carers), and a project about a social movement in Colombia called Habitancia.

If you'd like your research to live on in the realms of popular culture, comics are an excellent option, where you as the researcher can also excercise a different kind of creative muscle to work in collaboration with an artist and myself.

Areas of topic/interest

I have social science background (politics & international relations) academically, but have worked as a primary school teacher, project manager and events producer - amongst other things.

I'm interested in social change, in finding ways to make life more enjoyable for people via the medium of comics.

Please get in touch if you're interested in working together, I'm Sheffield based so always up for a coffee!

Leave a comment or get in touch on gabi@graphicnovelreadingroom.com

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(Sheffield-based comedy & public engagement social enterprise)

Gags for Good uses stand-up comedy, storytelling and facilitated workshops as tools for public engagement, wellbeing and community connection.

Our work is informed by lived experience of mental health challenges, chronic illness and disability, neurodivergence, caregiving and working-class life. We use humour to help people engage with complex or sensitive topics in ways that feel human, accessible and safe, not academic or intimidating.

We specialise in creating participatory spaces where people don’t just watch, but take part, reflect and connect, using comedy as a method rather than a performance alone.

We’re interested in co-designed public engagement projects led by University of Sheffield researchers, particularly those exploring:

Mental health and wellbeing

Disability and neurodiversity

Chronic illness and long-term health conditions

Lived experience, narrative research and identity

Community, connection and belonging

We’re especially keen to collaborate on ideas suitable for Festival of the Mind 2026, including live performances, participatory workshops, talks, and hybrid formats that combine research with comedy and storytelling.

We can you offer as a creative partnerA

Design and delivery of live comedy-led public events

Facilitated workshops translating research into accessible, engaging formats

Trauma-aware, inclusive and ethical audience engagement

Experience working with non-traditional and under-represented audiences

Creative documentation for digital platforms (short films, audio, written reflections)

We bring a strong understanding of comedy as a public engagement method, supporting researchers to share their work in ways that resonate beyond academic audiences.

We value care, collaboration and curiosity. Our approach prioritises accessibility, trust and creating spaces where people feel comfortable engagin particularly when topics are complex, sensitive or personal.

We’re happy to explore early-stage ideas, shape concepts together, or respond creatively to existing research interests, and we’re open to both one-off festival projects and longer-term partnerships.

Email: info@gagsforgood.org

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I am a community artist and musician based in Sheffield. I am passionate about working with natural and recycled materials as much as possible, using willow, leaves, and other materials from trees, and paper in many projects, from giant willow spheres to ephemeral land art left in situ.

I also work with artist-collaborator Patrick Amber to co-create 3D art with community groups, from giant lanterns to shadow puppetry, usually around an event or theme, such as a lantern festival or community event. All our work is inspired by animals and nature, with community at the core, through workshop participation, a community event or display in a public place.

Recent commissions have included a Kaleidoscope of Butterflies community outdoor installation of 60 giant butterflies at NT Wentworth Castle Gardens 2025

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/wentworth-castle-gardens/partnership-in-practice-at-wentworth-castle-gardens

The Scream of Swifts willow sculptures installation at the Millenium Galleries 2024

https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/scream-of-swifts/

Big Fish shadow theatre lantern at Parkwood Springs lantern festival 2025

www.goodgym.org/v3/reports/lantern-transf-ish-ormers-at-parkwood-springs-under-the-sea-lantern-festival

Giant kestrel animated lantern at Parkwood Springs lantern festival 2024

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BceZhlv7EK8

Billy Goat Stomp! Tramlines fringe project co-creating 35 goat puppets and going on a Troll expedition in the Rivelin Valley

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MumAaKZyr2s

All our work is playful, joyful, community based, intergenerational and enables people to learn more about animals and nature.

We also work collaboratively with the RSPB, the Crucible, Pitsmoor Adventure Playground, Green City allotments and many more.

I am also a folk and improvisational musician and incorporate interactive music into many projects, through music for dancing, for drawing, relaxing and to accompany shadow puppetry. I also work for Live Music Now, providing interactive music in special schools and for people living with dementia.

You can see more of my work on:

www.instagram.com/joveal_art/