In tension

The conceptual subject matter of in_tension falls between two major categories: the personification of two conflicting female roles (the need to be a nurturer and the longing to be an object of sexual desire) and the amalgamation of biological and societal foundations in which we see ourselves and others. These two major categories are more principally bound by the larger schema of relations between the sexes and the molding of our desires through social conventions. My artwork tends to explore the conflict many women encounter—including myself—of which roles they wish to partake and the friction between the voyeur or the exhibitionist, the mother or the mistress, the photographer or the subject. The juxtaposition between performance and voyeurism has always been prevalent throughout my work, between familiar templates and the content within them. The friction of unresolved conflict can be found throughout the exhibition, from the Ishihara Test Series to the Sampler Series and Love Swing. Through the juxtaposing of various diverse elements, it is my intent to bring the viewer’s attention to a variety of female specific conflicts. The third-wave feminist notion of reclaiming power over cultural imperfections through mimicry and performance is a prevalent and hopefully successful strategy in my exhibition. It continues to influence my work. While it is never my intent to answer all the questions surrounding the themes of my artwork, it is my hope that my work sparks discussion that adds to a greater visual discourse

Parents are now ‘digital natives’ too – thoughts from the 2015 family online safety institute conference

Last week, we shared a range of insights from our Parenting for a Digital Future project at the 2015 Family Online Safety Institute Conference, which focused on the many benefits, opportunities, and challenges our online lives can offer. Alicia Blum-Ross reflects on the mixed messages that industry and research often provide to parents, as they are now increasingly ‘digital natives‘ themselves. She finds that monitoring and protection are important aspects of digital parenting, but so are fun and enjoyment, too. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

#Parentfails and triumphs – favourite podcasts and learning from others

Alicia Blum-Ross tells us how she, as a researcher and mum, keeps up with debates on parenting and technology. She listens to podcasts on her daily commute and she shares some of her favourite ones. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

Filmmakers/educators/facilitators? Understanding the role of adult intermediaries in youth media production in the UK and the USA

The possibilities that making “their own” media might contain for engaging young people in learning has been celebrated in recent years, while the role of adult intermediaries in guiding these projects remains too often obscured. Here, I draw on several years of ethnographic research conducted in the UK and the USA to distinguish among three different types of facilitators: guides who privilege processes over outputs; collaborators who position themselves within an egalitarian team; and mentors, who draw on specialist knowledge to encourage young people to make “high quality” films. I assess the impact of these different modes on the central claims made for youth media as a means of developing skills, critical media literac(ies), and encouraging youth “voice.” Although youth media organizations struggling with sustainability often conflate these practices, these approaches lend themselves to achieving diverse aims and thus differences could be better delineated by facilitators and by funders in order to realize the ambitions proposed by youth media projects

How parents make the future

Alicia Blum-Ross looks at children’s digital ‘future’, and the ‘intense anxiety’ experienced by some parents in finding a balance between maximising their children’s opportunities and future prospects, and limiting, for example, their ‘screen time’. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

Five tips for doing research with schools, charities and NGOs

Conducting research on children, young people and learning often requires access to and help from schools, charities or NGOs. Alicia Blum-Ross draws on both struggles and success from previous projects with learning institutions and presents five key strategies to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

Decoding the ‘hour of code’

Today marks the last day of the week of Hour of Code, an international programme to give children and young people a brief taste of the basics of coding. Alicia Blum-Ross draws on the Parenting for a Digital Future research project and discusses education technologies, their impact on learning and the thin evidence of outcomes. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

Headphones in or out? (De)prioritising the social in digital media and learning

Alicia Blum-Ross reflects on recent ethnographic fieldwork for the Preparing for a Digital Future project, as she noticed striking variations in how social interaction, teamwork and collaboration are faciliated and encouraged in various digital media youth projects in the UK. She wonders whether young people’s headphones are literally or metaphorically in or out impact on their learning. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project