Bren is a Visiting Research Associate with the University of Hertfordshire

Her research interests include: art practice, phenomenology, environment, technological mediation, sensory perception, reciprocity

On February 23rd 2010, in collaboration with anthropologist Dr Helen Cornish, Bren will be presenting a seminar at the School of Art and Design, University of Hertfordshire.  The seminar will address art practice that is associated with academic research.

On May 27th 2010, Bren will be presenting a seminar about phenomenology and art practice at the Ashton Bower Campus, The University of the West of England. This seminar is part of the UWE PLaCE/LAND2 seminar series. 

Click here for Ashton Bower Campus.

During 2009, Bren worked with the NtKC (non-traditional knowledge and communication) group within the Research into Practice cluster at the University of Hertfordshire.  Led by Professor Michael Biggs, this group is researching non-traditional knowledge and communication in creative and performing arts.  Bren's specific role within the group was as an arts practitioner working from a research perspective.  Her particular research question was 'what happens to the meaning that might be associated with art practice when the medium is changed?' 

click here for NtKC group

In collaboration with fellow member of NtKC, anthropologist Dr Helen Cornish, Bren's art practice was recently exhibited at The Exchange Gallery, Penzance, in an exhibition entitled 'Double Vision'.  Helen and Bren discussed their work 'Research and practice: medium and meaning' at a lunchtime talk in the gallery on Friday, 4th December 2009.

Click here for 'Double Vision' exhibition at The Exchange Gallery

PhD

The title of Bren's PhD thesis, completed in 2008, is Phenomenology and landscape experience: a critical appraisal for contemporary art practice.  Her supervisory team included Dr Steven Adams, Professor Michael Biggs and Professor Marty St James.  The project was examined by Dr Richard Southern, University of Hertfordshire and Professor Naren Barfield, Glasgow School of Art.

Click here for University of Hertfordshire archive for Bren's thesis

September 2009, IMPACT international multi-disciplinary printmaking conference, University of the West of England, Bristol.  Bren exhibited her practice at this conference and also presented a research poster entitled Medium and Meaning.

Click here for IMPACT conference

June 2009, Living Landscapes - performance, landscape and environment AHRC programme conference, Aberystwyth University.  Bren presented a paper entitled Phenomenology and landscape experience: a critical appraisal for contemporary art practice.

Click here for Living Landscapes conference website

 May 2009, Practice outcomes of Bren's research were exhibited at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol as part of an NSA (NewlynSociety of Artists) show 'From a Cornish Perspective'.

Click here for The Royal West of England Academy website

On 14 November 2007 Bren talked about her work within the context of the current NSA exhibition 'Lineage' at The Newlyn Art Gallery, Newlyn, Cornwall.

Click here for The Newlyn Art Gallery website

Bren presented a paper on her research into practice at 'Sensuous Knowledge 3', international conference held in Norway, November 2006.  The title of her paper was: Sticky praxis: technology as the 'glue' between experience and visual representation.

Click here for Bergen National Academy of the Arts 

SSAHRI (Social Sciences Arts and Humanities Research Institute) event.  Bren's practice was part of a research showcase presented at the University of Hertfordshre in April 2007 

click here for SSAHRI homepage

To contact Bren in connection with research into practice please send an e-mail to: b.unwin1@herts.ac.uk