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Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opens at Ulster University, Belfast

January 18, 2022/in News /by Eva Grosman

Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opened today at Ulster University, Belfast. It is curated by Catherine Flood and designed by Vipul Sangoi […]

Funded PhD Opportunity: Exploring the Public Leadership Constellation – A Responsible Leadership Perspective

December 21, 2021/in News /by Eva Grosman

The Department for the Economy (DFE) has announced that it will be providing funding for a three-year research study of Leadership (PhD) under the supervision of Professor Karise Hutchinson, a […]

Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opens at Ulster University, Belfast

January 18, 2022/in News /by Eva Grosman

Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opened today at Ulster University, Belfast. It is curated by Catherine Flood and designed by Vipul Sangoi […]

Funded PhD Opportunity: Exploring the Public Leadership Constellation – A Responsible Leadership Perspective

December 21, 2021/in News /by Eva Grosman

The Department for the Economy (DFE) has announced that it will be providing funding for a three-year research study of Leadership (PhD) under the supervision of Professor Karise Hutchinson, a […]

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Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opens at Ulster University, Belfast

January 18, 2022/in News /by Eva Grosman

Lost Treasures of the Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980 – 1989 exhibition opened today at Ulster University, Belfast.

It is curated by Catherine Flood and designed by Vipul Sangoi from the V&A Museum Collection. On until 12 March 2022. Birley Building (School fo Art), Ulster University, Belfast. FREE admission.

The graphics and posters displayed in this exhibition bear witness to the creative energy of the Solidarity movement that was able to mobilise people from all walks of society throughout Poland in the 1980s.

Solidarity (Solidarnosc) was founded in September 1980 after a wave strike action in the Gdansk shipyard. It was the first free trade union in an Eastern Bloc country and became the leading political force opposing the communist regime in Poland. Up to 10 million people participated in Solidarity, making it one of the biggest social movements of the 20th century.

Graphics played an important role in building and sustaining the movement. In the face of censorship and state-controlled media, simply-made banners and printed materials such as posters were a vital means of free expression and communication. Collectively they created a powerful repertoire of images that drew on deeply-rooted symbols of Polish resistance. These posters were designed quickly in response to events. Most were printed in one or two colours due to limited printing resources and their DIY aesthetic added to their sense of credibility. Using imagery that evoked a wealth of shared meanings and emotions for people across Polish society they helped establish a powerful visual language for the movement.

Most graphics were produced at a grassroots community level on small underground presses by designers and ordinary citizens working together with few resources. After Solidarity was outlawed in December 1981, people risked arrest and imprisonment to make and circulate them. Eventually, the Polish government was forced to concede to the first (partly) free elections to be held behind the Iron Curtain since 1946. The overwhelming victory of Solidarity at the ballot box on 4 June 1989 signalled the end of Communist Party rule in Poland and was a crucial stage in the transition towards democracy in Central and Eastern Europe.

Presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute and Ulster University Arts.

Funded PhD Opportunity: Exploring the Public Leadership Constellation – A Responsible Leadership Perspective

December 21, 2021/in News /by Eva Grosman

The Department for the Economy (DFE) has announced that it will be providing funding for a three-year research study of Leadership (PhD) under the supervision of Professor Karise Hutchinson, a member of the Business Management Research Institute at Ulster University and CDPB’s Fellowship Advisory Board Member.

“Exploring the Public Leadership Constellation – A Responsible Leadership Perspective” will be conducted under the remit of Business and Management Studies, and supervised by Professor Hutchinson, Dr Ian Smyth, Interim Associate Head of Department within the Department of Management, Leadership and Marketing, and Professor Mike Hardy, of the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at the University of Coventry.

The overall aim of the study is to explore the building of a new public leadership constellation in a post conflict society through the lens of leadership responsibility. Specifically, the objectives are to understand how place, i.e., a post conflict society, influences the building of a new leadership constellation and relationship dynamics between public leaders; how leadership interactions across different sectors and institutions impact upon leadership responsibility at internal (individual leader mindset) and external (relationship dynamics) levels.

The research approach of this study is defined as ‘Mode 2 research’ (Gibbons et al. 1994; Hartley, 2018) – where the idea emerged from the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building Fellowship programme developed for 24 cross-sectoral leaders spanning political, civic and business society spheres. Adopting a case study research design, data collection will include observation and interview reporting on the process and impact of the learning undertaken by Fellows during the programme. The evidence will inform the development of a new model of public leadership constellation and responsibility.

The research study (PhD) position will be part-time, and the DFE’s funding will cover tuition fees at the home rate and a maintenance allowance of £16,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance). This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

To find out more about this exciting opportunity, including eligibility criteria for the study and scholarship, please visit: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/1043289

Key dates:

Submission deadline – Monday 28th February, 2022
Interview date – mid March 2022
Preferred student start date – mid September 2022

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