Dr Alessandra Campoli

Lecturer In Design

alessandra.campoli@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

I joined the Open University as a Lecturer in Design in 2021.

Previously, I was a lecturer in Art and Design at the University of the Highlands and Islands. I also worked as an Academic Development Lead for the Interactive Design Institute (Edinburgh) and a Researcher for the EV-K2-CNR Committee (Italy/Nepal).

Along with my scholarly activity, I am a creative practitioner working with photography and mixed media.

Research interests

Visual Cultures, Social and Climate Justice, Sustainability and Creative Practices, Regenerative Cultures, Humanitarian Design, Creative Research Methods, Photography, FabLabs, Nepal.

Current Research Projects

2024 ongoing ‘STEAM Education Nepal’: Strengthening Young Nepali Girls Through Access to STEAM Educational Programmes. A two-year Open Societal Challenge pilot project in collaboration with FabLab Nepal and Impact Hub Kathmandu. The project aims to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics) education for Nepalese students from low-income families enrolled in Community and Government (CG) schools in the Kathmandu Valley, with a focus on girls and through the production of a portable ‘STEAM Education Kit’ and STEAM teacher training for CG school teachers.

Past Research Projects

2022-2023 FabLab Nepal: Challenges and Opportunities of the First Emergency-Driven FabLab in the Global South. The project was born as a seed project aimed at identifying the challenges and opportunities of a recently created FabLab in one of the most underdeveloped countries in the Global South.

2020-2023 Persephone has crossed the border: Myth, Migration and the Sense of Belonging. A creative project focused on investigating how ancient myths, collective memory and creative practices can give us an alternative lexicon to discuss border crossing, migration, societal challenges and the idea of ‘home’.

2019-2021 Breathe. A Creative Investigation into Carbon Sinks in the Age of Climate Changes. The project, developed in collaboration with the UHI Environmental Research Institute (Thurso), explores the importance of the peatland in the North of Scotland as a carbon sink. It combines creative and visual research with multidisciplinary scholarly enquiry.

2012-2014 Edges. A creative project investigating liminal spaces and the impact of traditional lore and legends on the perception of contemporary urban spaces. Partnerships include Creative Scotland, COFA (College of Fine Arts) Sydney, and Silpakorn University Bangkok.

2008-2012 Haunted Tropicality: Gothic Motifs and Melancholic Imagery Toward an Aesthetics of Darkness. The project was funded by the University of the West of Scotland and partnered with Silpakorn University (Bangkok).

2005-2008 Creative Practices and New Aesthetics in South Asia. This project investigated the social impact of creative projects in South Asia, focusing on the Himalayan Regions. It was funded by the Ev-K2 Committee (Bergamo, Italy), the Italian National Council of Scientific Research (CNR), and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.