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Chris Dorsett
Reader in Art School Practices, School of Arts and Social Sciences (A&SS) Northumbria University
Born: UK
Education: (linked below)
Exhibitions/Projects/Publications: (linked below)
Work experience: (linked below)
E-mail: chris.dorsett@northumbria.ac.uk
Current post
2005 – present
Reader in Art School Practices,
School of Arts and Social Sciences (A&SS), Northumbria University.
MA (RCA), Andrew J. Lloyd Prize
1971-74, Royal College of Art, School of Painting
Recent career details
1999 – 2005 - Northumbria University
Programme Director of Research Degrees (fine art and media), A&SS.
1992-99 - Northumbria University
Associate Senior Lecturer (sculpture), Department of Visual and Performing Arts
1987-97 - Central St. Martin's School of Art, London
Visiting tutor, Critical Fine Art Practice.
1991-95 - Konsthögskolan, Stockholm Guest Curator.
1976-92 - University of Oxford, Ruskin School of Drawing
Tutor in Sculpture, (Head of Sculpture 1988-92)
Visiting lecturer (UK) 1974 – 1999:
Royal College of Art, School of Sculpture; Royal Academy Schools (Premium Prize judge); Goldsmiths College, MA studies; Wimbledon School of Art, School of Sculpture; Winchester School of Art, School of Painting; University of Derby, BA Fine Art; Manchester Metropolitan University, MA Fine Art; University of Plymouth, BA Fine Art.
Visiting lecturer (Overseas) 1991 – 1999:
Hochschule für Architektur und Bauwesen, Weimar (The Bauhaus); Polytechnic of North Karelia, Joensuu, Finland; University of Art and Design, Helsinki; Ecole Pilote d'Art et Recherche, Nice; Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen, Norway; School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Dept of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Public exhibitions
2004 ‘Trees Walking’
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
AHRC funded solo exhibition consisting of an installation within the Plants and People Museum, a signage installation, curated walk and map (published by Artgoes Imprint).
Published critique:
Bacon, J., (2006), Recollecting the poetry and politics of archival space: an exploration of performance and installation art in the museum, Belfast: University of Ulster (PhD thesis). Discusses Chris Dorsett’s projects with museums and heritage sites back to the Pitt Rivers collaborations (1985-95)
2002 – ongoing ‘Arts and Healthcare: undercurrents and h’exhibitions’
Northumberland Healthcare NHS Trust
Curatorial initiative leading to the Images of Trust photographic project (Iku Tsuchiya, Jo Spence Fellow), the design of a Japanese garden at Wansbeck Hospital (Ryu Artists’ Group), the ‘just well loved’ photographic project at the new children’s A&E resource at Wansbeck Hospital (Christina Kolaiti) and the Tyne Track frieze commission for the exterior of Hexham General Hospital. Involves the supervision of AHRC and Northumbria studentships (Kolaiti, Tsuchiya and Yee) and a Leverhulme curatorial residency (Ashley Hipkin).
1999 - 'Resurrection Shuffle: A Story of Storage'
Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum
Commissioned solo exhibition to celebrate the museum's centenary. Featured historical material from Edward Wilson (Antarctic Explorer) and Brian Jones (Rolling Stones).
Published critique:
'An Artists Trail'. Museums Journal (Vol. 95, No. 5) 1999
'The Curator's Quirk' Guardian Guide, September 13th 1999
1998 - 'Divers Memories/Hong Kong'
Museum of Site, Kat Hing Wai heritage village, New Territories
Guest curator. The exhibition featured artists from Hong Kong and the UK and was commissioned by the Arts Development Council of Hong Kong exploring different cultural aspects of the hand-over to the Peoples Republic of China.
Published critique:
‘Exhibition Enterprising: six cases of realisation from idea to realisation’, Katja Lindqvist, Stockholm University (originally a PhD thesis) 2003
'Divers Memories/Hong Kong', Xpressions Cultural Supplement, South China Morning Post (17.12. 98)
1996 - 'Muistoja Syvältä/Divers Memories' Pielisen Museum, Lieksa, Finland
Guest curator, exhibition included 122 contributors including Jorma Puranen; textile designer Merja Miettinen; Danish glass designer Katrin Maske.
Published critique:
'Munneltua historiaa', Johanna Westersund. Soumen Kuvalehti. July issue, 1996
'Divers Memories/Muistoja Syvältä' Martti Honkanen. Taide. June issue, 1996
'Hyvin piilotettu näyttely', Adam Biro. Valo:Kuva. May issue, 1996
'Utställningen som strategi för övertalning', Maria Lind. Svenska Dagbladet. May 1st, 1996
1996 - 'Divers Memories: The Company of Things'
Manchester Museum
Curatorial collaboration with Prof. John Hyatt and Manchester Metropolitan University.
The exhibition had 40 contributors including Anthony Earnshaw; John Kippin: Finnish historian of photography Leena Saraste; theatre group Whalley Range All Stars.
Published critique:
'Loquation, Loquation, Loquation or, the Creative Oxymorons' Tessa Laird. Logillustrated (New Zealand). Summer 1998
'Past, but not gone' Michael Bracewell. The Independent, April 2nd, 1996
1994 - 'Divers Memories'
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Guest curator. The exhibition had 53 contributors including Phyllida Barlow; Bhajan Hunjan; and voice group Vocem.
Published critique:
‘Art and Artifact: the museum as medium’, James Putnam, Thames and Hudson 2001
'Museums of Anthropology or Museums as Anthropology' Susan M. Pearce. Anthropologica XLI (1999)
'Making Museum History' Susan M. Pearce. In 'Yinka Shonibare: Dressing Down', Ikon Gallery and Henie Onstad Arts Centre, 1999
'Divers Memories' Jeffrey Dennis. Untitled, No 7, Spring issue, 1996
'Time Machine and Divers Memories' Frances Bugg. Craft. May/June issue, 1995
1994 - 'Det Dubbla Arvet' (The Double Heritage)
Royal Swedish Armoury and Hallwylska Museum, Stockholm.
Guest curator. The exhibition had 20 contributors including installation artist Peter Johansson and writer Staffan Schmidt (Lund University).
Published critique:
'Positiva kulturkrockar' Eva-Karin Gyllenberg. Dagens Nyheter. January 23rd,1994
'Palatset har fått nytt syre' Jessica Kempe. Dagens Nyheter. February 7th,1994
'Behöver kunen tvål?' Milou Allerholm. Svenska Dagbladet. February 21st,1994
'Det Dubbla Arvet' Anna Maria Fleetwood. Siksi. February issue,1994
1992 - 'Snares of Privacy and Fiction'
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Guest curator. The exhibition had 11 contributors including music writer David Toop and poet Jamie McKendrick.
Published critique:
'Site-specific works at the Pitt Rivers Museum' Russell Roberts. Art Week Guide1992
1992 - 'Museum-Muesum'
Stockholm’s Stadsmuseet.
Guest curator. The exhibition had 21 contributors including video artist Ann-Sofi Siden.
Published critique:
'Konstgerilla intar dammiga montrar' Åsa Wall. Svenska Dagbladet. January 2nd,1992
'Sabotörer i Stadsmuseet' Ulf Hård Af Sejerstad. Svenska Dagbladet. March 4th,1992
'Det finns inte rum för tid' Ingela Lind. Dagens Nyheter. February 14th,1992
1990 - 'Upturned Ark'
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Curator. The exhibition had 10 contributors including Brian Catling; Kate Davis; Simon Lewty; Elizabeth Rosser; Ken Campbell.
Published critique:
'Putting the art into artefact' Anna Whitworth previews an exhibition that encourages a new slant on ethnography. The Sunday Telegraph. May 20th,1990
'Upturned Ark' Jane Norrie. Arts Review. May,1990
'Strange cargo cults begin at home' William Feaver finds a weird world of treasure in Oxford. The Sunday Observer. May 13th,1990
'New art out of the ark' Critic's choice. Tim Hilton. The Guardian. May 2nd,1990
Other forms of public output (mostly performances and artist-in-residence projects):
2002 - ‘Between Interpretative Communities’
Artist-in-residence at the Reserva Ducke field station in the Amazon rainforest. This AHRC funded project for the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, Brazil.
- 'Zettelsraum'
Guest speaker for the inaugural night of a multimedia project curated by Arne Ludwig. Literaturhaus, Cologne.
1998 - Curator-in-residence at the walled village of Kat Hing Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. Projects in schools and colleges in Yuen Long and Sha Tin.
1996 - 'Several and Divers Memories'
Derby International Photography Festival
Artist-in-residence, intervention piece Derby Local Studies Library.
Refereed and conference proceedings
2007 - ‘Exhibitions and their Prerequisites’
Chapter
‘Issues in Curating, Contemporary Art and Performance’ ed Judith Rugg
Intellect Press
2004 - ‘Creativity in Organisations’
10th EIASM Workshop on Management and Organisational Cognition
ESSEC, Cergy-Pontoise, (co-chairperson with Annick Bourguignon)
Place of publication and venue: Paris. 1 – 304
2003 - Identity and Creativity: Can Organisations Learn from the Arts?’
conference paper (co-author Annick Bourguignon, ESSEC, Paris)
11th European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology.
Place of publication: Paris. 1 – 40
Venue: Lisbon
- ‘Creativity: Can Artistic Perspectives Contribute to Management conference paper (co-author Annick Bourguignon, ESSEC, Paris)
‘Creating Knowledge in/on Organisations’
European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, Brussels.
1 – 38.
Non-published conference contributions
2007 - ‘Hospital Practices, Art School Research’
conference paper (co-authored with Brenda Longstaff, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust)
‘Through the Looking Glass – Critical Connections Summit’
Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds
Website:
2004 - ‘Front and Back of House: an artist engages with botanical fieldwork’
Conference paper
‘Curatorial Strategy as Critical Intervention’ symposium
Kent Institute of Art and Design.
1999 - 'Museums and Material Culture: collecting as practice'
conference paper
Economic and Social Research Council Fund Research Seminars
Department of Sociology, University of Keele, Liverpool Tate and Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester
1998 - 'Vision, Witness, Profession'
conference paper
Invited speaker with artists Cornelia Parker and Richard Wentworth.
Conference jointly sponsored by the Departments of Anthropology and Visual Arts, Goldsmiths College, University of London
1998 - 'A Remote and Innocent Rite'
conference paper
'Fine Art: drawing, ever closer, towards the millennium'
1998 - NAFEA Conference
Northumbria University
1997 - 'Acts of Audience'
conference paper
Invited speaker with film director Peter Greenaway and David Wilson (Director, Museum of Jurassic Technology, Los Angeles).
'Engaging Practices: The forum for artists and museums'
Museum Directors' Federation of Aotearoa New Zealand
Maritime Museum, Auckland, New Zealand.
Other refereed articles (catalogue essays)
2006 - ‘Still Drawing’
Catalogue essay
Commission for ‘Present Histories’
Indiana State University
2004 - ‘In this basement at least’
Catalogue essay
Commission for Waygood Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2003 - ''21 October 2000'
Catalogue essay
Commissioned contribution to the 'Visions for the Future' series. Edinburgh: Fruitmarket Gallery. 21 – 29.
2000 - 'Presents, for the unopening of.'
Catalogue essay
Commission by installation artists Dunhill and O'Brien (Plot)
Bristol: Wild Conversations Press. 8 – 11.
1998 - 'Freighted with Wonders'
Catalogue essay
Commissioned contribution to exhibition catalogue about artist-designers working at Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion.
Ipswich Borough Council and Galleries. 8 – 17.
Research supervision
Principal Supervisor:
Dr. Henna Asikainen. ‘Art, Nature and Environmental Aesthetics’, completed 2004.
Dr. Silvana Macedo. ‘From Fine Art to Natural Science through Allegory’, completed 2003.
Dr. Apichart Pholprasert. ‘The Rural-Based Artist: an investigation into the creative processes by which artists have rejected the metropolitan context of contemporary art.’ Completed 2006.
Second Supervisor:
Dr. Caroline Mercier. ‘Designing Theatrical Costumes in Collaboration: a contribution to theatre’, completed 2003.
Current supervision:
Principal Supervisor:
Jane Park. ‘The Spreading of an Idea: can the evolution of an idea within and between social groups be defined as art?’ (AHRC doctoral scholarship)
Sachiyo Goda. ‘An Investigation into Japanese Notions of Space and Time: practising “ma” through the process of making sculpture.’
Mark Hill. ‘Drawing through Technology: the contemporary fine art interface.’ (Northumbria University studentship).
Nickos Kabitsis. ‘A Practice-led Exploration into the Relationship between Art and Schizophrenia.’ (Greek government scholarship).
Second Supervisor:
Alexandra Rowe. ‘Communicating Pain: can physical pain be communicated and understood through art?’ (AHRC doctoral scholarship)
Ikuko Tsuchiya. ‘Therapeutic Touch: the use of photo-based methodology as a healing practice within the context of healthcare.’ (PhD project funded in association with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust).
Hiroko Oshima. ‘Artists’ Groups in Japan and the UK and their impact on the creative individual.’
Christina Kolaiti. ‘The Role of Photography in Healthcare Dialogue.’ (AHRC New Collaborations)
Interdisciplinary supervision (Principal Supervisor)
With Criminology subject division, Northumbria University:
John Lavell. ‘Is there an analogous relationship between the creative process and forensic methodology?’ (AHRC doctoral scholarship)
With ESSEC Business School, Cergy Pontoise, Paris:
Jolande Bosch. ‘The Artist and Corporate Identity: exploring strategic identity awareness in fine art practice.’ (AHRC doctoral scholarship)
Membership of Northumbria University committees
2004 – present University Graduate School Committee
2005 – present A&SS Research Management Group
2002 – present A&SS Research and Consultancy Committee
2002 – present A&SS Research Degrees Sub-Committee
2000 – 02 Northumbria University Research Degrees Steering Committee for QAA
(contributing author to the University’s PGR code of practice)
Administrative roles
Director of practice-led enquiry in the arts, humanities and social sciences
Co-ordinator of the contemporary arts research centre (fine art, media and performing arts)
UoA 63 co-ordinator for RAE 2008
Programme director of research degrees (fine art, media and performing arts).
Deputy course-leader, MA Fine Art.
Student Progression and Achievement working party for Art and Design QAA.
Relevant external activities
2003 – 05: ‘Life, Work, Art’
Northumbria’s representative in a FDTL funded consortium hosted by Newcastle University. The project seeks to improve the teaching of professional skills at every level of fine art education in North-East England.’
2000 – 04: Healing Arts Committee (Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust)
Member of the steering committee for three-year arts development plan at the new Hexham General Hospital.
2000 – 03: ‘Images of Trust’ Committee (Jo Spence Fellowship)
Member of the steering committee for a photographic project chronicling a year in the life of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust (with funding from the Regional Arts Lottery Fund and Northern Arts). The committee oversaw funding applications, the fellowship residency, the ethical issues and the publication of a hardback book (61 pages) with four essays and 72 images.
Commissioned journalism
2000 - ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’, Museums Journal (Vol. 100. 1)
1998 - 'Divers Memories/Hong Kong'
Xpressions Cultural Supplement, South China Morning Post (17.12. 98)
1997 - 'Life AD: four recently graduated art students talk to Chris Dorsett’
Artists Newsletter, June
Taught modules:
MA Art Practice, Contextual Practice module.
Semester one induction lecture: ‘Exhibiting knowledge, examining practice: assessing research from within studio, exhibition and contextual practices’.
Semester two lecture: ‘Belief-led, practice-led, reception-led: doctoral and post-doctoral research for creative practitioners’
Semesters one and two: small group seminar series. Introductory sessions on writing-up practice-led research (topics: bibliographies and referencing, tutorial reports and reflective diaries, abstracts and conference papers, chapter plans and tactics for writing-up)
MA Art Practice, Studio Practice module
Semester one lecture: ‘Just talking: art schools and “state of nature” stories.’
Semesters one and two: group critiques in student studios
Semesters one and two: studio tutorials.
MA Art Practice, Exhibition Practice module
Semester one lecture: ‘Divers Memories: acts of audience in museums and galleries.’
Semesters one and two: Group critiques of student exhibitions, interventions, events and screenings.
In addition: weekly seminars and workshops for fine art and media PhD students on practice-led research methods in relation to studio, exhibition, conference, and writing-up activities.