Dr María Mencía
Faculties, deparments and locations
- Kingston School of Art
- Department of Journalism, Publishing and Media
- School of Creative and Cultural Industries
- Penrhyn Road
Associate Professor, PGR Coordinator Department of Journalism, Publishing and Media, Course Leader BA Media and Communication
- Email:
- m.mencia@kingston.ac.uk
About
I am an artist-researcher in media arts and digital poetics and the Course Leader of the BA in Media and Communication.
My doctorate was one of the first practice-based research in the field of electronic poetry and language-art (2000–2003). My research is at the intersection of language, art and digital technology. It explores the poetic /aesthetic space found in between the visual, the aural and the semantic in multimodal textualities. It is in this oscillation 'between text and image' or 'sound and image' 'code and image' – in the shifting between these ways of expression – where I argue the poetic aesthetic space appears. My practice has been exhibited worldwide, and is published in the Electronic Literature Collections ELC1 and ELC4, Anthology of Electronic Latin American Literature Lit(e)Lat and the ELMCIP Anthology of European Electronic Literature.
Prizes
- The Robert Coover Award for a Work of Electronic Literature, 2nd Place, 'The Winnipeg: The Poem that Crossed the Atlantic', (August 2018).https://eliterature.org/2018/08/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2018-elo-prize/
- The N. Katherine Hayles Award for Criticism of Electronic Literature,2nd Place for my publication '#WomenTechLit', (Computing Literature, West Virginia University Press, 2017) (July, 2017). http://dtc-wsuv.org/elo-prize/past-winners/ and https://eliterature.org/2018/08/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2018-elo-prize/
- 'Gateway to the World': a data visualisation poetic piece selected as example of good practice in digital literature by KVB boekwerk (the Dutch knowledge and innovation platform for the book sector) and the Dutch Foundation for Literature, 2017 https://www.kvbboekwerk.nl/?s=digital+literature
Research grants
- AHRC grant 2018-2021, 'Memory, Victims, and Representation of the Colombian Conflict' focusing on women's voices to collaborate with Prof Claire Taylor from Liverpool University and project partners from Grupo de Investigación COMBA I+D, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Universidad de Vigo, España- Pedagogical and Technological University. Other grants to conduct research at international institutions include:
- Information Studies & Digital Design, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Laboratory: COSTECH Technologies and Human Sciences (TSH) Department, University of Technology of Compiegne (France)
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Melbourne, Australia (AHRC Small Grants);
- The University of Sydney, Australia (TIES Grant) and Media Research Lab -New York University, NY, USA (Promising Researcher Fellowship by Kingston University.
- Co-investigator "Translating Electronic Literature: A Transatlantic Program in Collaborative Digital Humanities" (2017-2018), a research project funded by the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (FMSH) and the Andrew Mellon Foundation.
I am frequently involved in international events, including 17 keynote presentations and I have taken part in nearly 70 conferences, curated exhibitions and led pedagogic, programming research clusters and research projects in collaborative practice.
I am one of the executive members of the Electronic Literature Organisation Board of Directors (ELO) and book editor for the "Electronic Literature" series with ELO- Bloomsbury Press.
Qualifications
- PhD, Digital Art and Digital Poetics practice-based research, Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts, London, UK
- MA, History and Theory of Art Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, UK
- BA, Joint Honours in Fine Art and Design, Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK
- BA, English Philology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain, UK
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Domains
I have taught media and communication for many years. My key contribution has been my expertise in integrating practice-based research, creative digital media practice and pedagogy. I lecture and lead modules in digital media production, interactive creative media, theories of media and research practices. My input in teaching and learning has also been informed by my participation in international institutions for many years, as external examiner in similar BA programmes and as an adviser for the validation of design courses outside Kingston University, for which I have provided and input into curriculum development and syllabus revision.
I have combined my lecturing with fellowships, funded by external councils to collaborate with international universities: New York University, The University of Sydney, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Australia, the Universidad Nacional Autonomy de Mexico (UNAM) Mexico, the Laboratory: COSTECH Department, University of Technology in Compiegne, France.
Courses taught
Currently, I am the co-investigator in a project funded by an AHRC standard grant, titled: 'Memory, Victims, and Representation of the Colombian Conflict' collaborating with Prof Claire Taylor from Liverpool University. It focuses on exploring and incentivising new means of awareness with regards to the self-representation of women victims of the Colombian conflict through storytelling and different creative practices. As co-investigator, my role has been leading workshops with the aim to collect materials to create a documentary website and an online digital artwork. The aim of the workshops and overall project was to give voice to the women victims who were participating and construct a collective memory, a memory where they felt represented. https://www.voces-invisibles.com/
My practice-based research is at the intersection of language, art and digital technology. It explores inter-linguistic and multimodal digital textualities, digital media grammars, virtual poetic spaces and the reader's/viewer's engagement in an experience of shifting 'in' and 'out' of language by looking 'at' and looking 'through' transparent and abstract landscapes of text and linguistic soundscapes.
It draws from conceptual art, avant-garde poetics, remediating concepts of reading and writing (from the print, to the screen to installations spaces) and exploring digital media grammars (voice activation, use of webcam, use of mouse, acts of revealing, triggering, cut and paste, dragging) for interactivity, aesthetics, creation of virtual poetic spaces, engagement and meaning production.
It is trans-disciplinary, bringing together different cultural, artistic and literary traditions such as: fine art, linguistics, translation, visual, concrete and sound poetry, with digital poetics, electronic writing, creative programming, interaction and interface design, new media art theories and practices. My practice includes interactive digital media installations, performances, web-based works, sound-generated poems, interactive generative narratives and data visualisation poetics. The themes are varied with an interest in the relationship between experimentation, social issues (issues of power, territory, displacement, personal and historical memory, gender, and violence) art and literature and I am very interested in producing site-specific pieces. Thus, my research outputs cover a selection of theory and practice as exemplified by the publications outlined. http://www.mariamencia.com/documents/MARIA%20MENCIA_publications.pdf
Research student supervision
- Charlie Wilson, Disability and the Media.
- Myrto Farmaki, The Science of Ghosts:Breaching the Psycho-Cinematic Frame, TECHNE Grant
- Jieyi Sun, Virtual Jewellery
- Daniele Giampà, Beyond the boundaries of the e-book. Aesthetics of post-digital print
Specialisms
- electronic literature, electronic poetry, digital writing
- media arts, creative interactive media, internet art
- practice-based research
- fine art
Publications
#WomenTechLit
(2017). Morgantown, U.S.: (West Virginia University Press)
Creative manual for repurposing in electronic literature
(2015). Kosice, Slovakia: (Dive Buki)
Why #WomenTechLit? Because…
Mencia, Maria, 2021, Interférences litteraires/literaire interferenties (25), pp 142-157
Co-creation, digital art and agency : experiences from a co-created digital artwork project in Colombia = Co-creación, Arte Digital y Agencia : experiencias de un proyecto de co-creación de obras de arte digital en Colombia
Taylor, Claire, Mencía, María, Asorey-Cacheda, Rafael and Zúñiga-Cañón, Claudia, 2021, Quaderni Culturali (3), pp 31-42
Multimodal textualities : poetic aesthetic digital space
Mencía, María, 2020, Romance Notes (60), 1, pp 179-186
The Winnipeg : the poem that crossed the Atlantic
Mencia, Maria, 2019, Hyperrhiz : New Media Cultures (20)
Electronic literature translation : translation as process, experience and mediation
Portela, Manuel, Mencia, Maria and Pold, Soren, 2018, Electronic Book Review
Gateway to the world : data visualisation poetics
Mencia, Maria, 2016, GRAMMA : Journal of Theory and Criticism (23), pp 145-157
Connected memories : contextualising creative research practice
Mencia, Maria, 2011, Journal of Writing in Creative Practice (4), 1, pp 37-51
From the page to the screen to augmented reality: new modes of language-driven technology-mediated research
Mencia, Maria, 2011, Journal of Writing in Creative Practice (4), 1, pp 3-7
The Winnipeg : The Poem that Crossed the Atlantic
Mencia, Maria (2021). In: Berens, Kathi Inman, (eds.), Murray, John, (eds.), Skains, Lyle, (eds.), Torres, Rui, (eds.) and Zamora, Mia, (eds.), Electronic Literature Collection (Volume 4). Electronic Literature Organization
Creative process : interweaving methods, content and technology
Mencia, Maria (2017). In: Cortes Maduro, Daniela, (ed.), Digital media and textuality : from creation to archiving. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript, pp 133-150
Introduction to #WomenTechLit
Mencia, Maria (2017). In: Mencia, Maria, (ed.), #WomenTechLit. Morgantown, U.S.: West Virginia University Press, pp xiii-xx
Transient self-portrait : the data self
Mencia, Maria (2017). In: Mencia, Maria, (ed.), #WomenTechLit. Morgantown, U.S.: West Virginia University Press, pp 189-209
#WomenTechLit
Mencia, Maria (2017). In: Mencia, Maria, (ed.), #WomenTechLit. Morgantown, U.S.: West Virginia University Press, pp Xiii-XX
Connected memories
Mencia, Maria (2015). In: Mencia, Maria, (eds.) and Husarova, Zuzana, (eds.), Creative manual for repurposing in electronic literature. Kosice, Slovakia: Dive Buki, pp 32-35
Upsidedown chandelier
Mencia, Maria (2015). In: Mencia, Maria, (eds.) and Husarova, Zuzana, (eds.), Creative manual for repurposing in electronic literature. Kosice, Slovakia: Dive Buki, pp 78-81
Excerpts from "From digital poetry to digital art: image-sound-text, convergent media, and the development of new media languages"
Mencia, Maria (2014). In: Elkins, James, (ed.), Artists with PhDs : on the new doctoral degree in studio art. Washington, U.S.: New Academia Publishing, pp 419-428
New Media ArtPoetry: A reflection on practice
Mencia, Maria (2011). In: Masucci, Lello, (eds.) and di Rosario, Giovanna, (eds.), OLE Officina di Lettertura Elettronica. Naples, Italy: Atelier Multimediale Edizioni, pp 332-347
Birds singing other birds' songs
Mencia, Maria (2006). In: Hayles, N. Katherine, (eds.), Montfort, Nick, (eds.), Rettberg, Scott, (eds.) and Strickland, Stephanie, (eds.), Electronic Literature Collection (Volume 1). Electronic Literature Organization
E-Lit practice and pedagogy : interweaving methods, content and technology
Mencia, Maria(2016). In: ICDMT 2016 : International Conference on Digital Media and Textuality, 03 - 05 Nov 2016 :Bremen, Germany
LitArt : Poeticas Digitales : Creacion e Investigacion
Mencia, Maria(2016). In: Paraules pixelades : La literatura en l’era digital, 28 Jan - 10 Apr 2016 :Barcelona, Spain
ReadWrite digital textualities: searching for new languages
Mencia, Maria(2012). 16 - 18 Jul 2012 : Bath, U.K.
New Media Art/Poetry: A textu(r)al surface
Mencia, Maria(2011). In: E-Literature and New Media Art, 22-23 Sep 2011 :Ljubljana, Slovenia
The surface materiality: performing generative writing
Mencia, Maria(2011). In: e-poetry 2011: International Digital Language, Media, Arts Festival, 18 - 21 May 2011 :Buffalo, U.S.
Open meaning in digital writing
Mencia, Maria(2011). In: Open Media Research Seminar series, 8 Feb 2011 :Coventry, U.K.
Connected memories : addressing questions and issues that evolve around the use of technology as a participatory and inviting medium to perform and share stories with other participants
Mencia, Maria(2009). In: The network as a space and medium for collaborative interdisciplinary art practice, 08 - 10 Nov 2009 :Bergen, Norway
Connected memories
Mencia, Maria(2009). In: ISEA2009: 15th International Symposium on Electronic Art, 26 - 29 Aug 2009 :Belfast, Northern Ireland
Generating Chirography in an electronic surface
Mencia, Maria(2002). In: Digital Surface: Approaches to current research in contemporary art practice, 27-28 June 2003 :Tate Britain, London, UK
Repurposing in electronic literature
Mencia, Maria and Husarova, Zuzana (2013).
UpsideDown Chandelier
Mencia, Maria, Naji, Jeneen, Wilks, Christine and Husarova, Zuzana (2013).
The Alphabetic
Mencia, Maria and Raskob, Evan (2011).
Generative poems
Mencia, Maria and Szekely, Alexander (2010).
Reading rebooted
Mencia, Maria (2009).
Another Kind of Language
Mencia, Maria (2002).