Interrogating Spaces

UAL Teaching and Learning Directorate
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Interrogating Spaces is a podcast that examines ideas around inclusivity in Higher Education. Each episode will explore democratic and decolonised teaching practices through dialogue with practitioners as well as staff and students from University of the Arts London. This podcast is brought to you from the Teaching and Learning Directorate at UAL. 

  1. Walking pedagogies in Southall: Dr Gurnam Singh and Rahul Patel

    12/10/2025

    Walking pedagogies in Southall: Dr Gurnam Singh and Rahul Patel

    This recording is an audio walk and dialogue between Dr Gurman Singh and Rahul Patel exploring the streets of Southall and its significance to the anti-racist movement that emerged in the late 1970’s. Gurnam leads us from the station, through ‘New Southall’ and ‘Old Southall’, passing key locations including the old Dominion Cinema, the Singh Sabha Gurdwara and Southall Town Hall. We learn about how the brutal and racist murder of Gurdip Singh Chaggar sparked a powerful anti-racist movement that lasted many years and brought together communities from around the UK. We explore the numerous groups that played a key role in this scene including the Indian Workers Association, Southall Asian Youth Movement and frame these in relation to recent movements such as Black Lives Matter and Decolonising the Curriculum. Gurnam and Rahul discuss the implications for education and learning, and what a ‘Pedagogy of the Street’ might be.

    1h 21m
  2. Walking Pedagogies: Soho, Saville Row and China Town with Dr Manrutt Wongkaew and Carole Morrison

    06/12/2025

    Walking Pedagogies: Soho, Saville Row and China Town with Dr Manrutt Wongkaew and Carole Morrison

    Walking pedagogies In this walk, Dr. Manrutt Wongkaew leads Carole Morrison and Gemma Riggs on an autobiographical walk from the now closed LCF building at John Princes St though Saville Row to Soho and China Town. We hear about Manrutt’s experiences as a tailor in Saville Row and how he embraces colour in his own fashion styling as a rebellion against conformity. Manrutt shares his stories of community in Soho that have informed his practice as a lecturer and his approach that allows students to bring their authentic selves to the learning environment.  Walking pedagogies is a series of audio dialogues exploring pedagogy through conversation and walking.  Recorded in specific locations, we hear conversations between two people as they walk and discuss a subject that is meaningful to them and their environment. We hear environmental sounds and chance encounters may come up. These are embraced in this process. The approach is intentionally embodied. It allows two people to engage in a dialogue in motion, autonomous but being able to move, engage and respond to each other and the environment. The process aims to flatten any hierarchies inherent in a sit-down interview context and create a more informal, dynamic and relational framework. It also takes conversation about practice outside of the institution and allow for permeation of wider contexts and politics, particularly into the context of London, home of UAL. It allows for geography and the environment to become part of the conversation and to stimulate thoughts, memories and ideas.

    1h 1m
  3. Why work experience and alternative routes matter for a more diverse creative sector

    11/27/2024

    Why work experience and alternative routes matter for a more diverse creative sector

    This is a three-part takeover podcast from Creative Shift at UAL. This three-part podcast contains deeper reflections on some of the Making The Creative Majority report’s key findings. Each episode speaks to experts with real world experience of alternative routes into creative work, widening participation into higher education, and diversifying the creative sector. This podcast was produced by a partnership between academics and staff from UAL, KCL and University of Manchester This episode: Why work experience and alternative routes matter for a more diverse creative sector Craig Pennington (Future Yard) Siraaj Mitha (Open City) Tessa Read (University of the Arts London) For more information about Creative Shift Visit: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/academic-enhancement/creative-shift

    51 min
  4. What works to widen participation and support student access to higher education?

    11/27/2024

    What works to widen participation and support student access to higher education?

    How do we make the creative majority? A podcast series This is a three-part takeover podcast from Creative Shift at UAL. This three-part podcast contains deeper reflections on some of the Making The Creative Majority report’s key findings. Each episode speaks to experts with real world experience of alternative routes into creative work, widening participation into higher education, and diversifying the creative sector. This podcast was produced by a partnership between academics and staff from UAL, KCL and University of Manchester. This episode: What works to widen participation and support student access to higher education? Dr. Zoe Baker ( University of York) Dr. Omar Khan (TASO) Dr. Tamsyn Dent (King's College London) For more information about Creative Shift Visit: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/academic-enhancement/creative-shift

    44 min
  5. How do we make the creative majority? 

    11/27/2024

    How do we make the creative majority? 

    This is a three-part takeover podcast from Creative Shift at UAL. This three-part podcast contains deeper reflections on some of the Making The Creative Majority report’s key findings. Each episode speaks to experts with real world experience of alternative routes into creative work, widening participation into higher education, and diversifying the creative sector. This podcast was produced by a partnership between academics and staff from UAL, KCL and University of Manchester This episode: How do we make the creative majority?  Speakers: Dr. Joanna Abeyie MBE (Founder & Chief Executive Officer BLUE MOON & Common Councilor) Dr. Natalie Wreyford (King's College London) Prof.  David O'Brien (The University of Manchester) For more information about Creative Shift Visit: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/academic-enhancement/creative-shift

    42 min
  6. About Inquilab

    01/18/2024

    About Inquilab

    This polyvocal podcast tells the story so far of Inquilab / Ink-Lab; an alternative reading group based at University of the Arts London.  Outraged by the brutal murder of George Floyd many individuals within higher education (HE) were incensed, leading to a collective realisation of the imperative for transformative action. In response, Dr. Gurnam Singh, Jheni Arboine, and a small cohort of UAL staff and students made a decisive commitment to establish a distinctive reading group—Inquilab. This group distinguishes itself by embracing an unapologetically radical approach, with its foundation rooted in the principles of decolonisation, anti-racism, and flattened hierarchies. Inquilab's primary objective is to foster an authentic space where UAL staff and students can converge, encouraging the exploration and contemplation of radical pedagogy and practices within a supportive, open, and organic space.  In this podcast we hear from Inquilab’s founders about the context, values and ideas that were behind its beginnings and how it has since developed into its 3rd year. Participants and contributors tell us what brings them back and how the unique qualities and approaches that Inquilab embraces makes it a very different kind of discursive space. We hear about what it means to be able to bring your true self to a studio setting and how that fundamentally reconfigures hierarchies to create a greater sense of belonging and community for both staff and students.  Contributors:  Jheni Arboine  Nadia Idle  Deshna Mehta  Dr Gurnam Singh  Dr. Manrutt Wongkaew  Music:  Thank you to Shinda Singh for the song Shaheed Bhai Mewa Singh for allowing us to use their music in this podcast  Sound recordings credits:  Tim Kahn for the recordings of a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon, 7th June 2020 Production and Editing: This podcast has been created and edited by Gemma Riggs

    35 min
  7. Compassionate Feedback

    10/11/2022

    Compassionate Feedback

    In this episode of interrogating spaces, Dr Emily Salines takes us on an exploration of feedback practice, and how we might take a more compassionate approach. The impact of feedback on student learning is well documented in educational literature. We also know that it is a critical area of practice where the emotional impact of assessment is at play. We speak with a number of practitioners, teachers and students to set out to map a framework for compassionate feedback practice and how we might enact it  The questions we are asking are: How can we harness feedback to support learning in a way that does no harm and supports students?How can we use feedback to foster belonging?Can compassion help us? And what would compassionate feedback look like?This work is part of the QAA collaborative enhancement project on ‘Belonging through assessment: pipelines of compassion’ with UAL, Glasgow School of Art and Leeds Arts University. Speakers: Liz Bunting is an Educational Developer at University of the Arts London, where she co-leads a programme of educational development on Fostering Belonging and Compassionate Pedagogy. She supports colleagues in creating educational ecosystems that promote social justice through compassionate cultures, policies and practices. Her research investigates belonging, compassion and trauma informed care in Higher Education. Vikki Hill is an Educational Developer: Attainment (Identity and Cultural Experience) in the Academic Enhancement Team at University of the Arts London (UAL). A Senior Fellow of the HEA, Vikki works with staff to support equitable outcomes and experiences for students. Vikki’s research is focused on educational development, compassionate assessment, pedagogies and policies through arts-based and posthuman approaches. Dr Emily Salines is a former member of the Academic Enhancement Team at UAL, where, as Educational Developer she co-led the Enhancing Assessment for Equity strand of Academic Enhancement work until September 22. She is now Head of Education Programmes at Queen Mary Academy (Queen Mary University of London). Her research focuses on assessment design, assessment for social justice and approaches to compassionate feedback.  Dr Anna Troisi is Course Leader for the BSc Creative Computing at the Creative Computing Institute (CCI), UAL. Anna is a member of the UAL Ethics Research committee. Her initiatives to promote social justice with the introduction of non-violent communication enhanced students’ experience and enabled students’ agency in the curriculum.  Dr Victoria Odeniyi is a Decolonising Arts Institute research fellow where she leads the Reimagining Conversations research project which seeks to raise critical awareness of the educational and creative potential of the use of language. She has research and professional interests in educational inequality, linguistic diversity and institutionalised knowledge production and how these issues intersect with race and identity.   Student contributions: Simbi Juwon-Sulaiman: Graphic Communication, Central St Martins, UAL  Amina Akhmedova: Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL

    36 min
  8. Creative Shift Takeover: Women+ of Colour in Leadership (full version)

    10/05/2022

    Creative Shift Takeover: Women+ of Colour in Leadership (full version)

    In this podcast we hear from three students about their experience of taking part in Creative Shift’s Women+ of Colour in Leadership (W+CinL) live brief project (2022). W+CinL is a 10-week project designed to inspire and empower UAL students who identify as female. Giving 15 students an opportunity to develop different aspects of leadership through leadership coaching delivered by Jannett Morgan, Director of JM Learning & Skills, while applying their learnings to an industry live brief. This year we worked with PR agency, Hope&Glory and their client LinkedIn, students designed and presented a PR campaign representing barriers women face in the workplace. For more about the Women+ in Leadership programme see our webpage here. Credits / references Podcast host Debra Chosen is a highly-experienced communications expert; who has worked across Social Media & Marketing for 8 years including a range of sectors such as fashion and beauty, property and also charity. Carefully crafting brand messages from strategy through to content creation, Debra’s career has orbited around telling stories that engage and provoke human connection. She is currently working as Global Content Manager for Dove at Unilever and hosts Trusting The Process, the podcast that celebrates black women doing big things. Participants Davinia Clarke – BA Hons Illustration and Visual Media student Jade Milton-Baptiste – BA Hons Design Management graduate Pearl Gerald – BA Hons Graphic and Media Design student Sound Engineering and Production: Hannah Kemp-Welch

    38 min
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About

Interrogating Spaces is a podcast that examines ideas around inclusivity in Higher Education. Each episode will explore democratic and decolonised teaching practices through dialogue with practitioners as well as staff and students from University of the Arts London. This podcast is brought to you from the Teaching and Learning Directorate at UAL. 

Information

  • Creator
    UAL Teaching and Learning Directorate
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 University of the Arts London
  • Show Website
    Interrogating Spaces