Abstract

Feeling part of a community has proven to be a fundamental aspect of our social experience in online and offline environments. Notions of camaraderie and reconsidered creative landscapes fuel a seemingly utopian online learning experience.

We will explore the liberating and limiting effects of creative communities working together in online and physical environments. We will explore this in tandem with practice based online community creation, rooted in DIY radio and sound practices, with digital radio station and artwork; Rounded Radio. This online listening platform was created by Roshni Bhagotra, who is an artist and arts educator currently working at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts, UAL within Digital Learning.

This artwork influenced a community oriented approach and led to the creation of a student centred project exploring the pedagogy of sound within the ‘live’ learning experience. This teaching and learning project will take place throughout the spring and summer terms in 2022 across the schools of Art, Design and Performance. Although this sonic practice led towards the creation of this hybrid teaching project, I believe the value in understanding the role of community is through the lens of this project, driven by the integration and understanding of technology.

By questioning the ethics and freedom in sharing unheard voices, Rounded Radio brings together an amalgamation of artists, musicians, educators, academics, non creatives, and other publics to participate in a collaborative and real time listening experience intended to ignite a sense of community.

We delve into democratic and sustainable approaches for tackling marginalisation amongst mixed level student cohorts, exemplifying the ‘unheard’, ‘regular’ and ‘unseen’ voices within digital and physical environments.

Prior to the global pandemic, community was experienced largely in physical buildings and public spaces owned by the university, shared for its students and staff. Join us as we reimagine and explore the challenges of our learning communities. Aims to create online commune across

multimedia disciplines manifested as a cross college orientated exploration of teaching with podcasts, rooted in pedagogic sonic practice.

Supportive and inclusive hybrid digital environments are at the heart of the student experience. We examine the cultural relevance, social desire, intimacy and necessity of listening experiences within gallery education, arts education and student led communities. This presents an extensive insight into the power of practice led communal experiences.

Bio

My name is Roshni Bhagotra and I work at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Art, University of The Arts London (CCW). I currently work within the Digital Learning team at CCW and have experience working within a variety of student and staff oriented technical and academic positions in further and higher education.

I’m passionate about the power, impact and complexity community focused work can have in arts practice and education. I strive towards equality, diversity, access and inclusion within arts education and currently explore strands of these themes within my creative practice and work as an artist and practitioner.

Contact: r.bhagotra@arts.ac.uk, rbhagotra@outlook.com