Documenting Minority Experiences in Engineering
Mural for University of Bristol Engineering DepartmentBrief:
The mural should reflect the university’s values and faculty vision as well as create a sense of identity and belonging for the people that use the building on a regular basis.
Our staff and student’s work has a positive impact on society and the environment. We would like to commission an artwork that celebrates our community and the work that they do. While avoiding obvious references of engineering or computing imagery i.e. cogs, binary, computers etc.
My proposal:
I was interested to make an artwork that didn’t focus so much on the ‘positivistic’ and solutions-focussed nature of STEM. Rather, I wanted to make an artwork based on conversations with people who sat in the margins of the field - to see if their perspective could offer something new.
Across the span of two weeks I met with students, post-docs, and staff from minority backgrounds. I was curious to hear: Does their experience offer a different understanding to a linear way of thinking? Have they ever thought about leaving? Why yes/why no? Was there anything they had to negotiate to be part of this discipline (that, might be in opposition to a rational, problem-solving, task-oriented discipline?)
From these interviews, I identified commonalities and tensions, from which the final design was inspired. I wanted to highlight the hopes, fears, joys, and failures of working in engineering.
Concept
Using separate panels, I wanted to make space to show the gaps and connections of these narratives. The final design creates a colourful tapestry of differing perspectives, whilst also painting a hope for the future of engineering.
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Interview highlights: :
