The Binks Hub is delighted to announce the publication of A Field Guide to Artist–Researcher Collaborations, a new Open Access book designed to support more ethical, effective and equitable working relationships between academic researchers and creative practitioners.
Written by Binks Hub Research Fellow Jimmy Turner in close collaboration with artist Jean McEwan, broadcaster Susan Morrison and researcher Rhiannon Bull, and shaped by contributions from twenty-two artists and creatives, the interactive Field Guide explores the complex terrain of co‑creative research. Rather than offering a prescriptive how‑to manual, it functions as an exploratory tool, encouraging readers to reflect, annotate and actively engage with their own collaborative practices as they navigate unfamiliar ground.
It is a product of collaboration in its own right, bringing together lived experience and practical insight to address the common challenges that arise when working across academic and creative contexts. Key themes include: fair pay, power structures, communication, mutual respect, and navigating the different norms and expectations of artistic and academic worlds.
Published by the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Diamond service, the Field Guide is freely available to download in three formats: an artistically-rich original version; a screen‑reader‑accessible ‘lite’ version; and a separate booklet of creative interventions. These additional formats were developed in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh Library to support accessibility and reuse.
The Field Guide is intended for anyone interested in co‑creative research practices, including artists, researchers, students, and those working at the intersection of academia, policy, and the creative sector. Readers are encouraged to engage with the guide flexibly, drawing on the sections most relevant to their own projects, with the aim of supporting collaborations characterised by care, clarity, and shared understanding.
The Binks Hub is a research hub based in Edinburgh Futures Institute connecting academic researchers, community members, practitioners and policy-makers in using creativity and the arts to co-create research that makes a difference to people’s lives.
Download A Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations here
Read more about the journey behind the field guide here.Visit the Binks Hub website here
