Roddy Hunter
Head of
Programme Fine Art and MA Contemporary Arts
Born Glasgow, 1970, I am an artist, curator,
educator and writer interested primarily in contemporary arts
practice. I live and work in York, England where since 2007 I have
been Senior Lecturer and Head of Programme, Fine Arts at York St
John University. I also contribute significantly to curriculum
design and delivery of the University’s MA Fine Arts taught
postgraduate programme. I have been a member of the Faculty
of Arts Quality Enhancement Committee from 2007-2012; have led
revalidation proposals of BA and MA Fine Arts and as a member of
the University Quality Network participated in revalidation of BA
Business Management. I now also serve as an external panellist for
programme review and revalidation events, most recently for BA Fine
Art at Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Birmingham City
University.
My current doctoral research at University of
Sunderland, entitled ‘Curating the Eternal Network After
Globalisation’, concerns how ‘intermedia’ art practices emerging in
the late twentieth century (e.g. conceptual art, performance art,
net.art) relate to contemporary issues of geopolitics. I am
particularly interested in how new media technology can support new
thinking around art as a form of cultural communication. My
individual expertise in this area results from over twenty years’
international experience through practice. I also previously gained
an MA Contemporary Arts from School of Art & Design, Nottingham
Trent University between 1996-1998.
Between 1998-2007, I taught Visual Performance
and Fine Art (Contemporary Practices) undergraduate and
postgraduate programmes at Dartington College of Arts, Devon,
England. During this time I held membership of the College’s Senior
Management Team, Academic Board, Research Committee and Academic
Standards and Development Committee. I was also a member of the
curriculum research network for MA Contemporary Arts Practice &
Dissemination: a unique international project to establish a
Masters curriculum across HEIs and NGOs in England, Netherlands,
Spain, Slovenia and Lithuania. From 2004-7 I was External Examiner
for BA Fine Art: Time-Based Practice at Cardiff School of Art &
Design, University Wales Institute Cardiff.
I also have experience as a visiting lecturer
and guest artist on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
internationally including Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, China;
Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver, Canada;
School of The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA, USA; Eötövos Loránd
University and Budapest University of Technology and Economics,
Budapest, Hungary; Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academy,
Rotterdam, Netherlands; Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art &
Design, University of Dundee, Scotland; Cardiff School of Art and
Design, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Wales; National
University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”, Kyiv, Ukraine; University of
Hull, England; University of Huddersfield, England; University of
Lincolnshire and Humberside, Hull, England.
My work in mainly performance and installation
art practice has featured at CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw; trace:
installaction artspace, Cardiff; Sculpture Square, Singapore;
Werkleitz Gesselschaft, Törnitz; TENT Centrum Beeldende Kunst
Rotterdam; CCA, Tel Aviv; Site Gallery, Sheffield; Centro Galego De
Arte Contemporánea, Santiago de Compostela; Le Lieu, Québec; CAC,
Vilnius; Ludwig Museum, Budapest. I have participated in festivals
further throughout Europe as well as in North America, Asia and the
Middle East.
Curatorial work includes 'Art. What is it good
for?' (with Tracey Warr, Dartington, 2004), 'Span2' (with André
Stitt, London, 2001) and 'Rootless ’97: The Nomad Domain' (with
Hull Time Based Arts, 1997). Critical writings include monograph
essays on Alastair MacLennan, John Newling, and André Stitt.
I am formerly Regional Chair of Arts Council
England’s Turning Point Network for Yorkshire and The Humber and
Chair of the Board of Trustees and Directors, East Street Arts,
Leeds. Of other projects, I am a founder member of the Chapeltown
Union of Psychogeographers and Practice in Context, an online web
platform for new art and research. I was also an active member of
Hull Time Based Arts, Kingston-Upon-Hull, 1994-1998.
SELECTED PUBLISHED
WORK
- Co-authored with Judit Bodor. ‘Art, Meeting,
and Encounter: The Art of Action in Great Britain’. In: Heddon D.
and Klein J (eds.) Live Art UK: Histories and Practices.
London: Palgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming.
- ‘I think I now
know’. In: Arlander, A. et al. Artistic Research in
Action: Proceedings of the Colloquium on Artistic Research in
Performing Arts 2 held at Theatre Academy Helsinki, Finland.
[online] Helsinki, Theatre Academy Helsinki. 2012. http://www.teak.fi/tutkimus/carpa/proceedings
- Co-authored as the
Chapeltown Union of Psychogeographers. The Saucer.
[newspaper] Leeds, East Street Arts. 2011.
- Bodor Hunter, J. (ed.)
Roddy Hunter: Civil Twilight & Other Social Works.
Cardiff, Trace: Samizdat Press, 2007
- ‘If We Take, Care: On ‘The
Suicide of Objects’ (Mythology and Obsolescence)’. In: Bacon, J.
(ed.) The Suicide of Objects. Belfast, Catalyst Arts,
44-54. 2004
- ‘A Place to Place; a Site to
See: The Predicament and Situation of the Table In some of Alastair
MacLennan’s ‘Actuations’. In: Mulholland, H. (ed.) Alastair
MacLennan: Knot Naught. Belfast, Ormeau Baths Gallery,
177-184. 2003.
- ‘... the true field of
action is the hidden...’, interview with artist ‘aimnín’. In:
One Place Twice. Belfast, Sculptors’ Society of Ireland /
Golden Thread Gallery. 2003
- Introductory essay and
book-length interview. André Stitt: Small Time Life.
London, Black Dog Publishing. 2001
- ‘Relief From Territory’. In:
Hawthorn, M. (ed.) The Degenerate Art Book. Bristol,
Arnolfini. 2001.
- ‘Preface’. In: André
Stitt: Homework: Scores + Statements + Notes for Akshuns 1976-
2000. Köln, KRASH-VERLAG. 2000
- 'Against Belief in
Ossification'. In: John Newling: Place [CD- ROM].
Nottingham, Far Ahead Publishing. 2000.
- 'Re-mapping a psyche',
interview with André Stitt. In: 0044: Irish Artists in
Britain. Cork, Gandon Editions, 144-151. 1999
- ‘Notes...sources....
commentaires' (tr. Julie Bacon, adapt. Nathalie Perreault).
Inter Art Actuel #74: 'Installaction', Québec, Éditions
Intervention. 22-23. 1999
- 'Éloignement, rencontre,
nomadisme' (tr. Julie Bacon, adapt. Nathalie Perreault), Inter
Art Actuel #73, Québec, Éditions Intervention, 55-57.
1999.
- ‘Three propositions
concerning the performance of place and the place of performance’.
In: Northern Exchanges I, Huddersfield, England, Theatre
Studies Division, University of Huddersfield, 37. 1999
- 'Digging Deeper', interview
with Alastair MacLennan. In: Transcript, Vol. 3 #1,
Dundee, Scotland: Duncan of Jordan stone College of Art, 20-29.
1997
- 'Insurrection artistique sous surveillance' (tr. Julie Bacon).
Inter Art Actuel #67, Québec: Éditions Intervention,
65-66. 1996