Dr Melanie Levick-Parkin
MFA Design Course Leader, Senior Lecturer Design
Summary
After abandoning a teenage crush on photography, I studied visual communication and graphic design, then re-incarnated an advertising creative for a number of years, before sidestepping into an academic career. My research interests revolve around Design Anthropology, Co-design and other participatory approaches, which I am exploring in relation to projects focusing on heritage, archaeology and cultural tourism, with a feminist, post-colonial lens. My doctorate at the University of Sheffield focuses on female making practices and I am involved in a variety of research projects ranging from explorative visual communication projects, to teaching enhancement project and the EU funded meSch Project.
About
The theme that links all of my endeavours is my interest in creative communication strategies, which take advantage of any media you can lay your hands on, and finding people and their ideas, alive or deceased, very interesting indeed.
I have presented numerous papers and held workshops at a broad range of conferences in relation to Art and Design pedagogy, Participatory Design, Design Anthropology, Service-Design, and Creative Entrepreneurship. I am an external examiner and advisor, and have been a link tutor for Partner Programmes. I have been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for over ten years, am a member of the Classical Association and the EAA, as well as acting as a committed lion tamer to my four lovely sons.
On a more personal note I am passionate about Cretan culture and history, and am always looking for projects that aim to sustainably engage a wider audience with its treasures to the benefit of the local communities and their heritage.
Specialist areas of interest
Design Anthropology, Design for Heritage and Archaeology, Co- and Participatory Design Practices, Art and Design pedagogy, Service-Design, and Creative Entrepreneurship
Teaching
Subject area
Visual Communication
Courses
BA Graphic Design and MA Design
Modules
Translate & Transmit, Graphic Design in Context, MA Project
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
How Women Make – Investigating process, motivation and agency in female making practice through Design Anthropology. Doctoral Studies at the Department of Education University of Sheffield. (2015 - Present)
Visual Translations of ancient heritage – re-contextualising ancient European script through contemporary visual communication methods and media. ADRC Sheffield Hallam Art and Design Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Centre (2014 - Present)
Theories made Practice – Using Design Anthropology to enable creative students to interrogate their making processes. Teaching Enhancement Project funded by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ STA LTA (2015 - Present)
The un-closed visual communication circle – Theorising existing visual communication metaphors in design teaching. Teaching Enhancement Project funded by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ STA LTA (2015 - Present)
Making the transient permanent – exploring the translation of personal data into material forms via the 3D printing of memory objects. ADRC Sheffield Hallam Art and Design Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Centre (2014 - 2015)
What we talk about when we talk about entrepreneurship - Investigating the relationship between Creative Entrepreneurship and Employability in the minds of Students and Staff engaged in enterprise teaching and learning. Teaching Enhancement Project funded by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ STA LTA (2014 - 2015)
Ï㽶ÊÓƵer meSch EU Project - Material Encounters with Digital Cultural Heritage
ADRC Sheffield Hallam Art and Design Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Centre (2013 - Present)
Ï㽶ÊÓƵer Imagine Connectivity Project
Create & Connect: Connecting female artisan craft producers in Zanzibar with tourist markets through Participatory Action Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Design Thinking methodologies.
ADRC Sheffield Hallam Art and Design Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Centre (2013 - 2014)
Publications
Journal articles
Millar, G., Volonterio, M., Cabral, L., PeÅ¡a, I., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2024). . Qualitative Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, 25 (2).
Levick-Parkin, M., Stirling, E., Hanson, M., & Bateman, R. (2020). . Global Discourse An interdisciplinary journal of current affairs.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2020). . PAD. Pages on Arts and Design, 18, 329-366.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2017). . GENDER : Zeitschrift fur Geschlecht, Kultur und Gesellschaft, 9 (3), 11-25.
Mcentaggart, P., Levick-Parkin, M., & Wood, J. (2016). . Making Futures, 4.
Hanson, M., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2016). . Making Futures Journal, 4.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2014). . Industry and Higher Education, 28 (3), 163-169.
Conference papers
Stirling, E., Freeman, E., Levick-Parkin, M., Bennett, C., Wakeford Holder, A., Boon, M.K.T., & Smith, S. (2025). . AMPS Proceedings Journal Series, 1 (40.1), 485-492.
Stirling, E., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2020). Agent Makers: The City as an Agentic Heritage Interface. In CONNECTIONS: EXPLORING HERITAGE, ARCHITECTURE, CITIES, ART, MEDIA. Conference, Canterbury, Virtual. Amps (Architecture, Media, Politics and Society)
Levick-Parkin, M., Stirling, E., Hanson, M., & Bateman, R. (2017). . In Making and Unmaking the Environment : Design History Society Annual Conference, University of Oslo, 7 September 2017 - 9 September 2017.
Stirling, E., Hanson, M., Bateman, R., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2017). . In International Visual Methods Conference, Singapore, 16 August 2017 - 18 August 2017.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2017). . In Jonas, W., & Erlhoff, M. (Eds.) New Experimental Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in Design / NERD, Braunschweig, Germany, 15 June 2017 - 16 June 2017. Braunschweig: Birkhäuser BIRD Board of International Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in Design
Levick-Parkin, M. (2016). . In Europe in Discourse: Identity, Diversity, Borders, Athens, 23 September 2016 - 25 September 2016.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2015). . In Pillatt, T., Moore, K., & Johnston, B. (Eds.) CHAT Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory, Sheffield, 30 October 2015 - 1 November 2015.
Levick-Parkin, M., & Carroll, K. (2015). . In Material Culture in Action: Practices of making, collecting and re-enacting Art and Design, Glasgow School of Art, 7 September 2015 - 8 September 2015.
Levick-Parkin, M., Flouda, G., & Wood, J. (2015). . In EAA European Association of Archaeologists Conference, Glasgow, 2 September 2015 - 3 September 2015.
Hanson, M., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2015). . In Discourse, Power and Resistance15 (DPR 15th annual conference), Goldsmiths University of London, 15 April 2015 - 17 April 2015.
Levick-Parkin, M., Mcentaggart, P., Gwilt, I., & Wood, J. (2015). . In The Pararchive Project Open access community storytelling and the digital archive, University of Leeds, 27 March 2015 - 28 March 2015.
Levick-Parkin, M., & Hanson, M. (2015). . In Design Anthropology Seminar 3: Collaborative Formation of Issues, Moesgard Museum Aarhus Denmark, 22 January 2015 - 23 January 2015.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2014). . In 8th AMA SERVSIG International Service Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Conference 2014, Thessaloniki, Greece, 13 June 2014 - 15 June 2014.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2013). . In SY-Cultour: Cultural values and tourism development in rural areas, Heraklion Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 17 October 2013 - 18 October 2013.
Levick-Parkin, M. (2013). . In NHIBE 8th International Conference: "New Horizons in Industry, Business and Education", Chania Crete, 30 August 2013 - 2013.
Corazzo, J., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2013). . In Higher Education Arts and Humanities Conference, Brighton, 5 May 2013 - 6 May 2013.
Book chapters
Mcentaggart, P., Gwilt, I., Levick-Parkin, M., & Wood, J. (2020). Enhancing museum visits through the creation of data visualisation to support the recording and sharing of experience. In Communities, Archives and New Collaborative Practices. (First). Policy Press
Levick-Parkin, M. (2018). . In Erlhoff, M., & Jonas, W. (Eds.) NERD – New experimental research in design: Positions and perspectives. (pp. 55-81). Berlin: De Gruyter:
Levick-Parkin, M. (2015). . In Kuhlke, O., Schramme, A., & Kooyman, R. (Eds.) Creating Cultural Capital : Cultural Entrepreneurship in Theory, Pedagogy and Practice. (pp. 178-188). Pioneering Minds Worldwide
Exhibitions
Levick-Parkin, M. (2016). . British School at Athens.
Levick-Parkin, M., Flouda, G., Wood, J., Mcentaggart, P., & Hatfield, H. (2016). . Archaeological Museum Heraklion.
Presentations
Stirling, E., Levick-Parkin, M., Wakeford Holder, A., Freeman, E., & Bennett, C. (2023). Reimagining the Garden City, Pride in place through cultivating climate action. Presented at: Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference 2023, London
Hanson, M., & Levick-Parkin, M. (2014). . Presented at: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2014, RGS, London, 2014
Other activities
External Examiner
External Advisor
Reviewed Journal Articles and Conference submissions.
Postgraduate supervision
Currently supervising several design and art based PHDs. Specifically interested in supervising PHDs exploring Design Anthropology, Making Practices and Heritage, and concepts of Design Justice.
Completed PHD Supervisor Training