Dr Tahera Aziz

I am a Senior Lecturer in Digital Design in the School of Arts and Creative Industries, originally studying Fine Art (Combined and Media) at Sheffield Hallam University. I have had a longstanding creative and socio-political interest in identity, migration and racism, examining how contemporary and historical events arising as a result of migration impact on the individual to shape their identity and experiences. I have harnessed creative technologies to investigate social injustice, latterly focusing on the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence and the potential of 'immersive' (surround) sound as a medium for storytelling.

My research practice is located at the intersection of sound, storytelling and interactivity in the recontextualisation of the media and public debates surrounding the Stephen Lawrence case and the public inquiry into the police handling of his murder, as detailed in the Macpherson Report (1999). With AHRC funding through the Practice-led and Applied scheme, I developed a prototype for an ‘immersive’ multi-channel sonic environment by adapting the narrative format of the ‘violence hub’ (Murray, 1997) to place the violent racist attack at the heart of a sonic hub, thus enabling the audience to explore a reconstruction of events from different perspectives (i.e. the victims, bystanders, police, etc.). The sonic prototype formed the basis for a new art installation, [re]locate, which was produced with funding from the Arts Council of England and toured nationally in the UK. I am currently exploring the possibility of building upon this earlier research through an impact project, using this experiential artwork as a catalyst for stimulating creative dialogue with young people about contemporary racism, and to encourage them to become anti-racist champions in their schools and communities.

Member of the University Staff Circumstances Group for REF 2020
Co-lead for the ACI Athena Swan Award application 2022/23

Digital Storytelling Design Thinking Experiential Design Art and Design Principles Collaborative Practices