The recent 'Visualising the margins: Gendered perspectives' exhibition in The Exchange presented the (audio)visual and performative work of seven women academics at King's – all of whom are exploring questions of gender and marginality from feminist and queer perspectives.

The launch of the exhibition on 8 March also coincided with the launch of the King's Visual, Embodied and Arts-based Methodologies (VEM) network. Co-ordinated by Dr Negar Elodie Behzadi and Dr Jelke Boesten from the Department of International Development, the new network aims to promote the use of such methodologies across and beyond social sciences.

The panel at the launch event spoke about engaging with VEM in academia, particularly when studying gender and violence and/or marginality, referencing their work on marginality in Delhi, Brazilian migrants to the UK, and women, men and children coal miners in Tajikistan. 

The questions raised included:

• the role of VEM in building knowledge on a more equal basis with research participants
• the role played by VEM in investigating sensitive issues/questions such as gender-based violence, gender (im)mobility, and stigmatisation
• the potential of the visual/digital and performative to engage with wider audiences beyond academia and the pursuit of the ultimate objective of creating positive social change

Click here to listen to the whole discussion

The exhibition, sponsored by the Department of International Development and the King's Gender Studies Network, coincided with International Women's Day and included the use of photographs, video documentaries, short musical clips and visual archives.

Panel: Professor Cathy Mcllwaine, Dr Ayona Datta and Dr Negar Elodie Behzadi (chair: Dr Jelke Boesten)

Co-Curators: Dr Negar Elodie Behzadi, Andrea Espinoza and Antonella Mazzone

Works exhibited: Dr Negar Elodie Behzadi, Dr Jelke Boesten, Dr Clara Bradbury-Rance, Dr Ayona Datta, Andrea Espinoza, Antonella Mazzone and Professor Cathy Mcllwaine

Visual, Embodied and Arts-based Methodologies (VEM) network: draws on a longstanding engagement within King's in using such methodologies to study topics as diverse as conflict, poverty, and/or violence within and beyond International Development. The ultimate objective of the network is to create a knowledge-platform exchange across disciplines.

First VEM workshop: 3 and 4 June 2019
This workshop will gather around 20 academics from within and outside of King's College London (across disciplines) to think about the use of VEM in the study of conflict, marginalisation and violence.

For any inquiry about this workshop, please email vem@kcl.ac.uk (cc jessica.nitiema@kcl.ac.uk).