S N School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad

25/06/2021

Deepika Ratan gets an honorary mention for the Urban Communication Foundation / IAMCR Urban Communication Research Grant for 2021

Deepika Ratan, a PhD Research Scholar working under the guidance of Prof Vinod Pavarala at the Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad has been awarded the 'UCF/IAMCR Urban Communication Research Grant Honorary Mention for 2021' for her project: "Role of Communication in Production of Space: An ethnographic study of a working class migrant community in Hyderabad, India"

The selection committee includes noted scholars such as
Janet Wasko (Chair), University of Oregon, USA
Susan Drucker, Hofstra University, USA
Gary Gumpert, Urban Communication Foundation, USA
Cees Hamelink, Netherlands
Nico Carpentier, Charles University, Czech Republic

Her proposal foregrounds Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space to understand the role of communication in the processes employed by a working class Odiya (people of eastern Indian state, Odisha) migrant community for producing and negotiating space in an urban setting.

The work done by her will contribute to understanding the dynamics between migrant communities and the cities they move to, by highlighting the phenomenological aspect of production and negotiation of spaces that manifest themselves in a range of, sometimes subtle, communicative forms.

By adopting ethnographic approach, this study highlights that community development is the main fulcrum through which the community produces and reproduces space. Among the various aspects of community development, this study focuses on three strands which are communicative in nature and scope. They are i) Cultural performativity, ii) Community narrative and iii) Community communication hotspots.

This study is an on-going doctoral research project which seeks to examine the complicated, yet intertwined, relationship between migration, communication, and the production of space in an urban landscape.

The awards will be formally granted during IAMCR's 2021 online conference from 11-15 July 2021 hosted in Nairobi

Funded by the Urban Communication Foundation, the annual $1,750 research grant supports communication and media research that advances our understanding of the growing complexity of the urban environment. It is predicated on the assumption that communication scholars have a valuable contribution to make to understanding the urban landscape. https://iamcr.org/awards/ucf21

04/09/2020

The MFA degree in any Visual Arts Program culminates in the Annual Display of the works of the outgoing batch of students. It is a much-awaited event. marked by days and weeks of labor, anxiety, excitement and effort by students and faculty alike. The annual display showcases the struggles and achievements of the students and documents the journey of their artistic and intellectual arrivals. The catalog that sometimes accompanies the display is a record of the students· creative and research outputs. and artist statements.

This year was unprecedented in the world. COVID-19 descended upon us with a brutal suddenness that has left us without answers or directions. We were stopped in our tracks. we are increasingly left to live and function with unending uncertainties. For the post four months. COVID-19 has overruled everything under the sun. All our plans, dreams and desires have been put on hold. During this time, we have come to realize that Cyberspace is the only place in which we can continue to converse and function safely with each other. So, students and faculty of the Deportment of Fine Arts have continued to communicate and reach out to each other through online ports and have stepped outside and beyond conventional working and conversation habits.

It was the idea of the outgoing batch of our students to bring out on e-catalog to showcase some of their best works. The disappointment of not having the opportunity to have the traditional Annual Display was (and is) real. For all of us. But that students have chosen to channel their disappointment and instead work towards showcasing their works via the virtual medium is admirable. This e-catalog will therefore remain o very special to all of us. It speaks to the tenacity of our students, to their enthusiasm and hard work in the face of disappointment. and their ability to quickly adopt to a changed reality. It is a testimony to their spirit and resilience that we admire so much, and the memory of which will always remain with us. however, for they go.

For viewers. the catalog is designed in two ports. The first port showcases the students’ statement of their artworks and research projects. The second part celebrates the times spent in our department and on this campus over the past two years We in the Department of Fine Arts wish to nurture and celebrate this spirit of enthusiasm, creativity, drive and flexibility in our students. On behalf of the faculty and staff of the Department of Fine Arts. I sincerely wish the outgoing students of the 2020 batch all the very best & success with their future endeavors.

Suresh B V
Professor and Head
Department of Fine Arts

17/07/2020