Lecturer in Digital Art
Smin Smith (they/them) is a science fiction artist and researcher. They are currently a Lecturer in Digital Art at UCA Farnham.
Bio
Smin’s artistic practice includes zine publishing, photography, styling and writing. They are the founder and editor of ‘Science Fiction Art & Fashion’ (FKA Vagina Dentata Zine), a publication which celebrates still-image science fiction from marginalized artists. Smin’s work has been featured in i-D, Dazed, Dazed Beauty, It’s Nice That and VOGUE Italia, and exhibited in zine collections at Somerset House, Tate Modern, V&A, The National Trust, and BFI Southbank.
Smin is currently undertaking a written PhD in the School of Fine Art, Photography and Visual Communication. Their doctorate project, titled ‘Queer Feminist Science Fiction Art’, addresses contemporary artworks as forms of science fiction. They currently hold a BA (Hons) in Fashion Promotion and Imaging.
Smin was previously a Lecturer in Fashion Styling and Communication within UCA Epsom’s Business School for the Creative Industries. They have taught on various MA, BA and FE courses at UCA including BA Fashion Promotion & Imaging, BA Fashion Branding & Communication, BA Graphic Design, and the Foundation Diploma in Art, Design & Media Practice.
Research statement
Smin is a researcher in science fiction studies, specialising in science fiction art critique. Their academic research contextualises contemporary queer / trans / feminist artworks within science fiction traditions, communities and discourses. Their research interests include worldbuilding, co-authorship, immersion, interdisciplinarity, repro-utopian feminism(s) and family abolition.
Smin is a member of the Beyond Gender Research Collective, a group of researchers, activists and practitioners who see science fiction as a means of imagining new worlds and ways of being. Beyond Gender operates as a horizontal network of comrades, a community of care, and an ongoing experiment in collaborative writing.
Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy
- Teaching and Learning Development Research Grant (2019)
- PhD Fee Bursary (2018 – 2023)
- Shortlisted for the Very Styling and Creative Direction Award, Graduate Fashion Week (2016)
- Ede and Ravenscroft Scholarship (2015)