What happens when you take students outside of the classroom to make a collective piece of art focusing on how the unit has changed their worldview?
To find out, I recently collaborated with Ellie Shipman, visual and participatory artist, and Bristol Common Press, the University’s historic printing press, to host a letterpress workshop celebrating the third year unit Philosopher Queens, running at the School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies (SPAIS) since 2021.
Philosopher Queens is based on book of the same name co-edited by Rebecca Buxton and Lisa Whiting, and focuses on the problematic nature of the discipline of philosophy. This discipline is usually very Western and male dominated – relying on the ‘canon’ or list of most important thinkers (who all happen to be men!). Think Plato, Marx, Locke, and Nietzsche…
Philosopher Queens critically interrogates why women and non-Western thinkers have historically been erased from the canon, openly discussing racism and sexism in the discipline.
Together, we rewrite the history of philosophy, and in doing so create a meaningful space to share our own lived experiences, including those of being a student, or in my case academic and teacher, of philosophy. We discuss issues like overt classism, gatekeeping of what counts as philosophy, and feeling imposter syndrome, all of which can lead to students dropping the discipline altogether.
What happens in these seminars feels like magic – and I wanted to capture this in a meaningful way, to celebrate the upcoming five year anniversary of the first Philosopher Queens cohort. Students open up in ways that is not always possible at university, and form meaningful relationships with their classmates by being vulnerable as a collective.
Together with the two editors of Philosopher Queens, Ellie arranged for six of the students and me to meet at the Bristol Common Press. She tasked us with sharing meaningful words that reflect the impact of the course on our worldview of what it means to be a woman in philosophy.
After an in-depth discussion, the students chose the following words:
- Philosopher – because they all now saw themselves as philosophers, having learned the boundaries of what counts as philosophy are artificial
- Vulnerability – reflecting that the students achieved the opposite of what we might see in typical philosophy classrooms, which requires rationality and detachment from emotions
- Soul love – an idea from one of the Philosopher Queens, Hypatia, about a special bond students of philosophy develop for one another because they bare their innermost beliefs
- Transgressive – an idea from one of the Philosopher Queens, bell hooks, who writes about teaching in a non-hierarchical manner to push against typical classroom boundaries, which allows students to challenge racism, sexism, classism and other forms of oppression
- Storytelling – the students really valued using their lived experience as evidence throughout the course, especially in their essays
- Forum – an ancient philosophy concept about a special place to conduct philosophy, in our case the humble seminar rooms at the University of Bristol
As the students discussed the impact of the unit and the book Philosopher Queens, the authors and I became quite emotional. They hadn’t imagined such a profound impact when they wrote the book, and I had no idea how much teaching a subject that I ‘only’ had lived experience of rather than ‘academic expertise’ in would change my practice and create a unique learning space.
Not being the expert in the room allowed me to teach in a non-hierarchical manner, and sharing my own lived experiences of being a woman in philosophy encouraged the students to speak up, too.
Once we had decided on the words, the real hard work began, because we not only had to select fonts and find all the (mirrored!) letters for our words but also get them to sit well within the press. This requires finding lots of tiny little slivers of wood and metal to get the letters to sit just right. It was quite something watching a group of cerebral philosophers doing this task!
Next, we had to do a few iterations – it turns out rolling paint onto the letters and operating the press is quite delicate. We had a lot of fun trying to get the ‘perfect’ print, and the students enjoyed being challenged in a completely different way than they were used to in our seminars.
In the end, we’re left with a beautiful memento, which the students who participated will be gifted on the evening of their graduation. I hope they hold onto it – I will definitely be keeping mine displayed in my office to look back fondly on this day.
The best version of the print will be turned into an on A0 poster, which will be framed on the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus hoardings, after which it will be looking for a permanent home on campus.
This project was part of Charting Change, a two-year public art programme led by Ellie Shipman, and Jack Stiling. Working with artists, local people, community and industry partners and researchers, they are creating a series of temporary artworks and events which will inform the design of a permanent textile artwork – a series of 14 handwoven wool panels made by local women-led businesses – for the Story Exchange, a public circular seating area in the new campus opening September 2026.
To see the project as an Instagram reel, click here – https://www.instagram.com/p/DKvzhNDIBGZ/
The commission is part of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus public art programme led by the Contemporary Art Society *Consultancy. It is one of three major new public art commissions that are taking place across the city in the lead up to the new campus opening next to Temple Meads in 2026. For more about the public art programme see the University’s public art website . To stay updated and for opportunities to get involved, follow Public Art at the University of Bristol on Instagram.
