Performance and Screen Media  

The Performance and Screen Media Research Group (PSMG) is a truly interdisciplinary group, not restricted to any one department or specialism, with its membership drawn from the full range of academic and practice backgrounds in Newport School of Art, Media and Design.

The group includes the theoretical areas of film studies, media studies, theatre studies, animation studies and cultural studies, and theatre practice, film practice and animation practice. Key possible interests include performance in all forms of screen media (both more traditional and interactive), screen media consumption practices, remediation and adaptation across media, the limits and possibilities of narrative across screen media, formal experiment and the avant garde, as well as the production of theoretically informed innovative short film, digital artifacts and animation.
 
PSMG intends to go far beyond traditional disciplinary research to also engage in the study of, and production of, those screen artifacts that can be considered marginal to any focus on live action cinema. This includes a concern with popular culture and screen media, and with far more experimental work. We are seeking to exploit the new knowledge and insight that can result from working across disciplines and traditions, and harness the creative potential of engaging in a dialogue with colleagues with a different critical apparatus and practice toolset.
 
PSMG has a history of hosting successful events including seminar series and reading groups, and has provided the collegial context for associated activities, such as the AVPhD Symposium and the successful collaborative bid (in a Southern Britain Consortium also including UWE and Brunel University) to co-host the 2009 DiGRA conference.

Key Aims

• Establish a supportive intellectual environment for those colleagues pursuing research and high-level practice;
• Provide a forum for sharing ideas and experience, particularly for early career researchers;
• Underpin the broader academic activity of Newport School of Art, Media and Design, including the teaching at Masters level that must be informed by work at a national level of competence and recognition;
• Aid colleagues in the preparation of bids for funding to support their research, and provide a recognisable outward facing identity for colleagues wishing to pursue collaboration with other bodies and institutions;
• Provide a space for visiting and internal speakers that prepare Newport School of Art, Media and Design researchers for external speaking at conferences and other professional events.

Researchers