Craig Burston

Biography

A design academic of twenty years, visiting practitioner, fractional, year leader, course leader. I have taught at a number of institutions, mixed economy, university and independent colleges at FE/BA/MA levels. I have undertaken a number of successful validations and re-validations and undertaken consultancy and supervisory work as part of other institutions revalidation and subject realignment exercises.

With a practical interest in the relationship between and impact of research through practice upon teaching and learning, my own work focuses upon areas including but not limited to; collaborative practice, memory and auto-ethnographic writing as design tool, the interplay between graphic design and illustration 'mark making and meaning', applied semiotics and symbology. A further area of practical and philosophical interest is the relationship between discarded and emergent technologies.

In progress projects include: Lo-Res Des for Comic Street Journal UK and Formative Visual Memory - 'What Is Your Fire', an auto-ethnographic study of childhood visual memory and its impact upon the careers of art and design academics and creative industries practitioners.Near future projects include Edit2.0/ What Does Green Really Mean [Redux], a multiple platform exploration of societies memories of and understanding of the broad environmental notion of "green" politics and related issues.

I have spoken at teaching and learning and industry conferences and seminars on subjects ranging from research in practice, memory and object based learning, student centred learning approaches, curriculum development, technology and graphic communication, student attainment with higher education with regard to widening participation, prior learning, social inclusion attainment and progression.

Further interests lie in authenticity, originality, intellectual ownership as well as hyper reality, hauntology and nostalgia.