Action Research Intervention Post One : Context, Social Justice Issues & Rationale

1. Context

This Action Research Project emerges from my role as a Lead Specialist Technician on the Fine Art Computational Arts (FACA) Course at Camberwell, supporting studio based learning across the department. It is also informed by 15 years of experience working professionally as an art producer and technician for artists and creative institutions across London, including the Barbican Centre and Whitechapel Gallery.

Recently student numbers have increased whilst access to physical studio space has been reduced. This has intensified ongoing departmental debates about the balance of technical resources vs. studio space. Rooms are either ring-fenced as a technical resource or a student studio space – but often cannot practically function as both. This intervention aims to address these restraints whilst investigating more widely the use of technology in fine art studios.

2. Social Justice

It is my belief that these pressures disproportionately affect students with disabilities, caring responsibilities, financial constraints, or limited ability to attend the college regularly. Traditional studio models assume physical presence, fixed resources (desks and workstations) and standardised equipment, which can unintentionally exclude students whose bodies, schedules, or working practices do not align with these assumptions. This raises a clear social justice issue in that it is unclear who is able to participate fully in Fine Art studio culture and under what conditions.

3. Rationale

Within this context, hybrid learning is often discussed as a technological solution. However, hybrid studios typically require significant planning and investment alongside bespoke infrastructure, making them difficult to trial without evidence. This project therefore adopts a paired down exploratory approach, testing whether existing infrastructure can be successfully repurposed to prove the viability of more inclusive studio access and support.

The aim of this Action Research project is not to deliver a finished solution, but to identify feasible, ethical and pedagogically meaningful ways of widening access to studio-based computational practice. By focusing on accessibility, flexibility and institutional realities, this project seeks to foreground the student experience rather than technical novelty.