- The new Centre of Excellence brings together transdisciplinary research and practice across the arts, social, health and computational sciences for collaborative projects
- Members of Muses Mind Machine will work closely with participants, stakeholders and collaborators to address questions faced by practitioners, citizens and policymakers today
Researchers, educators and members of the public attended the launch event ‘Future directions of arts in the South Yorkshire region’ as part of the launch of the new research centre.
Muses Mind Machine is one of the University of Sheffield’s Centres of Excellence, with the aim to transform the understanding and employment of the arts to support human flourishing.
The launch of the Centre brought together practitioners, academics, funders, policymakers, industry, students and those with a shared interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative research on the contribution of the arts to human flourishing.
The event featured a day of talks including examples of research, contributions from external collaborators and organisations, discussion panels and workshops, and opportunities for networking.
Drawing expertise from across various faculties at the University, the Centre covers five research themes:
- Aesthetics, cognition, emotion
- Creative action and interaction
- Supporting health and wellbeing
- Technologies and AI
- Intersectionality, inclusion, and sustainability
Professor Renee Timmers, Co-Director of Muses Mind Machine, said: “I am hugely excited about launching as a Centre of Excellence. The centre has been built on 15 years of ‘Music Mind Machine’ a previous centre with a primary focus on music. Muses Mind Machine will open its doors to diverse art forms, and strengthen connections with other Arts & Humanities disciplines as well as expertise from across the University. Acting as a portal for interdisciplinary expertise on creative arts and human flourishing, our aim is to support regional and national developments in establishing sustainable creative arts for all, whilst addressing some of the main challenges faced by practitioners, citizens and policymakers in this area of work. The launch event will set a first step through its focus on past and future developments in creative arts in the South Yorkshire region”.
Nikki Dibben, Professor of Music and Co-Director of Muses Mind Machine said: “This new centre allows us to bring evidence-based approaches to understand and shape the contribution of creative arts experiences to well-being. I’m thrilled to see this inclusive vision for the arts, health and technology come to life in collaboration with so many talented people within and beyond the University of Sheffield”.
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