Malcolm Clements

Background

About Malcolm Clements

Malcolm lectures in visual culture/material culture at undergraduate level, and design research methods and critical thinking on a range of postgraduate programmes. He was the Coordinator for Contextual Studies, and the Scholarly Activity & Research Coordinator at The Northern School of Art, the latter focusing on staff research, and student engagement. As the only design historian at the NSoA, he was instrumental in the development of the subject, and was responsible for the writing of, and validation of the MA Design History. The MA was created and written in order to take advantage of his extensive knowledge of the subject, the use of his own design archive, and his industrial contacts. Malcolm was the curator of the Design Study Archive (a large collection of design and costume/textiles, which was used in his teaching and in student research (this has now been broken up and the vast majority is no longer held at the NSoA). He was instrumental in creating PAD (Perspectives in Art & Design); an online platform for the publication of staff and student research. Malcolm specialises in the architecture, interiors and decorative arts of the period 1700-1950. Although focusing in this area, particularly in regards to space, place, gender, and display, he also has extensive knowledge in the social and cultural meanings of design and display, and the creative language of sexuality. He has interests in the decorative arts of the Japanese Meiji period, and of sub-cultural identity in Tokyo street style. Current research includes homosexuality, clothes, & the subversion of the male heteronormative; ‘Islamophobia’ and the eighteenth-century Turquerie, and the use of narrative illustrations on 1950s design. Malcolm is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and has been an external examiner at a number of institutions for over 15 years. He has delivered a number of conference papers, notably: ‘Makers, Buyers and Users: The Language of Design in Eighteenth-Century Elite Houses: 1760-1780’ The Northern School of Art, July, 2016 ‘The Politics of Display in the Eighteenth Century Country House: 1750-1770’ University of York Research Symposium, October 2015 ‘The Silver Age of Illustration?’ Festival of Illustration Symposium, Hartlepool, 2014 ‘Creating a Culture of Honesty and Prevention: Textual and Visual Plagiarism’ JISC 4th Biennial Plagiarism Conference, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, 2010 ‘Developing a Theory and Practice Relationship in Art & Design’ and ‘What is Theory & Practice?’ Miguel Hernández de Elche, Altea, Spain, 2010