The Inspire Project: Sian Highwood
April 12, 2023
Inspire Portrait and Interview by Ginger Liu
INSPIRE seeks to capture photographic portraits of the York St John’s PGR community, accompanied by short interviews about who inspired you on your postgraduate journey.
Tell me about your background and what you do if you work, the area you live in, etc.
I live in South London and have done so all my life, except for the three years I was in Manchester for my first degree, a BSc (Hons) in Textile Design and Design Management. The local area benefits from several parks and great public transport, and I benefit from having longstanding friends and family around me.
What is your Ph.D. about, what year, and why York SJ?
This is my second year of a 6-year part-time PhD in Fine Art at York St. John. My PhD is about materialising the situation of parental suicide as experienced several years after the initial trauma. It is looking at the response to the trauma after the bereaved teenager has gone on to have children of their own and who have reached the age they were when the parent died. This project came to me through talking about a piece of my artwork to someone and realising the strength of emotion it engendered in both me and the viewer.
I am motivated to complete this project as I believe it may contribute to the existing knowledge around the area of parental suicide especially the relatively under researched area of long-term bereavement of teenagers from parental suicide. The project stems from a personal experience and I would like to think it may help those in a similar position or the people that support them.
York St. John was brought to my attention by someone that had also studied for a PhD from this university, and they told how welcoming and supportive it is. This has been the case and every interaction with a member of staff has been a positive one. I would certainly advise anyone considering further study to actively pursue it, and to find the institution that best matches you in terms of ethos and commitment to your area of research.
What is your PGR journey? What steps did you make, hardships, hurdles, dreams, and reasons why you wanted to be a PGR?
Getting my first degree brought a huge sense of achievement. I clearly remember the joy I felt at attaining something that was so special because I knew only one other person, at that time, that had a degree. Undertaking a masters 40 years later was a similarly happy experience and led me, amongst other reasons, to continue into a PhD.
Who inspired you to study for PGR and why?
I am motivated to study by family and friends. I look around me and see people learning and contributing all the time. They may be studying themselves, retraining, relocating, starting businesses, supporting family, volunteering, or managing life after bereavement, yet always making time for others. Sometimes the learning is passive, other times they are actively seeking new knowledge and experiences. We have one life and we choose how we live it and have a responsibility to both ourselves and to the wider community. This is my choice at this moment in time, and I love what I am doing and where I am doing it.
A brilliant article and refreshingly different in talking to someone who can inspire both her own generation and those who follow. The subject of her PGR is so courageous. To tell it through artistic interpretation is truly revolutionary. I look forward to following her journey. Thank you for bringing this story to life with sensitivity and engagement. Really enjoyed the read.