The Binks Hub blog

We share the latest news and resources on participatory, arts-based research. If you’re interested in contributing a piece for us to publish on our blog, please just send us an email for more information.

Image from above of several piles of the field guide

A Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations

April 20, 2026

A guest blog from our Research Fellow, Jimmy Turner. Sometimes in academia you find yourself working on a project that really captures your soul, and

Exploring research co-production with co-productive values

March 17, 2026

A blog from our PhD Researcher, Helen Berry. This post is based on an eight month long collaboration between Helen and Community Knowledge Matters, a

Celebrating Friendship

February 10, 2026

A blog from our Co-Director Autumn Roesch-Marsh. Lean on me, when you’re not strongAnd I’ll be your friendI’ll help you carry on – Bill Withers,

Reframing Criminal Justice Professional Development

January 27, 2026

The half-day seminar, ‘Reframing Criminal Justice Professional Development’, was organised by the Binks Hub and REALITIES team and took place on 3rd December 2025. The

The Binks Hub Creative Research Methods Reading Group 2026

January 26, 2026

Our popular reading group, hosted by The Binks Hub and led by Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh and Jimmy Turner, is back for the new academic year.

Poetry, multiple sclerosis and me: novel ways to share lived experience of neurological conditions

January 19, 2026

A guest blog by Dr Georgi Gill, visiting fellow at the University of Edinburgh. This blog is in part drawn from Georgi’s introduction to poeMS:

From Garden to Well-being: Reflections on Horticultural Interventions in Scottish Care Homes

January 12, 2026

A guest blog from Zoey Wang, a graduate of MSc Global Mental Health and Society at the University of Edinburgh. When I first started writing

The Art of Assembly: Collage as a Research Method

December 15, 2025

In Autumn 2025, the Binks Hub partnered with artist Clementine Carriere to deliver a vibrant four-part collage workshop series at Edinburgh Futures Institute. The sessions

Cultivating Contraceptive Dialogues through Poetry

December 5, 2025

A guest blog from Marie Larsson, a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. After curating my first poetry exhibition I have a deep, new-found

Working Creatively with Children and Young People from Minority Ethnic Backgrounds

November 25, 2025

A blog by Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh On 10th November 2025, the Binks Hub ran a workshop at Moray House School of Education on the topic

Slow Research as Radical Love, Rest and Resistance in Black British Women’s Film

November 17, 2025

A guest post from anna osarose, a PhD student at the University of Surrey. When I first encountered Maureen Blackwood’s short film Home Away from

An Ode to the Riskiness of Relationality

October 31, 2025

A guest blog from Charlotte Day, a student of the MSc in Global Mental Health and Society at the University of Edinburgh. If it were

Planetary Health is Public Health: Reimagining the Future Together

October 28, 2025

On Wednesday 1st October 2025, the Binks Hub extended an invitation to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in re-imagining fresh futures by posing the question:

Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?

October 28, 2025

On the 3rd September 2025 at InSpace in central Edinburgh, the Binks Hub staged its largest exhibition yet, Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?

Our Creative Research Methods Reading Group is back!

September 15, 2025

Our popular reading group, hosted by The Binks Hub and led by Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh, is back for the new academic year. We are pleased

Building Relational Practice into Systems: Reflections from Queensland and the Binks Hub

May 6, 2025

A blog from our Co-Director Emma Davidson. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of visiting the University of Queensland as part of their symposium

The Art of Slow Research: Why Taking Our Time Matters

May 2, 2025

A blog from our Co-Director Emma Davidson. This post is based on a presentation Emma gave at the Social Policy Seminar on 21st March 2025,

Friendship Focused Support Research – Practitioner Survey call-out

March 31, 2025

Understanding friendship support for care experienced people Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum (Staf), in partnership with a team of care experienced researchers, throughcare and aftercare

Weaving Stories, Stitching Change: Creating a Digital Quilt with the Poverty Truth Community

March 17, 2025

Over the past year, the Binks Hub has been working in partnership with the Poverty Truth Community (PTC) to co-create a digital quilt – one

Childlight Global Data Fellows Residency 2025: Collaboration with the Binks Hub

March 4, 2025

A guest blog from Robin Alexander, the Global Data Fellows Programme Manager at Childlight. The Childlight Global Data Fellows (GDF) Residency is a flagship initiative

The Poetry for Wellbeing Project

January 6, 2025

A guest blog from Marissa Salvaterra, a student of the MSc in Global Mental Health and Society at the University of Edinburgh. I initially pursued

Poetry for Change and Activism

December 17, 2024

‘Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change’ –

Our Experiences, Our Voices, Our Stories

October 29, 2024

A blog post by Autumn Roesch-Marsh, Co-Director of the Binks Hub, and Christina McMellon, Senior Research Fellow. Today we had the privilege of going out

The Method in the Methodology: An Actor’s Journey into Ethnographic Research

October 29, 2024

A blog post from Amrita Puri, actor and student of the MSc in Global Mental Health and Society at the University of Edinburgh. Apprehension flooded

Reflections on ‘Alternative Futures – Who Decides?: A story of lived experiences told through art’

October 15, 2024

Earlier this month we ran an exhibition at Dovecot Studios in collaboration with The Ripple, showcasing artworks made by the people of Restalrig, Lochend and

Join our Creative Research Methods Reading Group

August 27, 2024

A new reading group hosted by The Binks Hub and led by Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh. This reading group, open to all, will focus on creative

Engage and Innovate: the Binks Hub and Edinburgh Futures Institute

August 5, 2024

In Summer 2024, Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) officially opened its doors to the public after several years of intense, multi-million-pound redevelopment and restoration. It gives

Building community within the university through art and the Spirit Case

July 16, 2024

A blog post from Dr Jimmy Turner, Research Fellow of the Binks Hub. In this post I would like to introduce you to one of

What does urban play mean beyond the playground?

June 25, 2024

A blog post from Anna Tudos, one of the recipients of the Binks Hub 2022 scholarships and a graduate of the MScR Health Humanities and Arts

Supporting critical conversations and community centred on participatory research practice

June 18, 2024

A blog post from Helen Berry, Binks Hub doctoral researcher. At the end of March 2024, the Binks Hub partnered with the Third Sector Research Forum

Exploring past, present and future with the Ripple Project

June 17, 2024

This Saturday 15th June, the communities of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny, together with the Ripple Project and the Binks Hub, were proud to launch their

Call for participatory artist for “Modelling the Future” 3D project

March 21, 2024

The Ripple Project and the Binks Hub are looking for a participatory artist who has experience working with communities to join their “Modelling the

A warm welcome to our new Binks Hub advisory group

January 31, 2024

We are absolutely thrilled to introduce you to the new Binks Hub advisory group. Bringing together a combination of artists and individuals from community, governmental

Binks Hub sponsorship of ICRCM 2024

December 11, 2023

We’re very pleased to announce that the Binks Hub will be sponsoring the 2024 International Creative Research Methods Conference (ICRMC), organised by Helen Kara. After

UNESCO Week of Sound 2023

December 11, 2023

Earlier this year, we partnered with Edinburgh College of Art and the Reid School of Music on the 2023 UNESCO Week of Sound. We ran

Can group drumming practices with young people prevent and treat trauma?

October 25, 2023

A blog post from Prof. Catherine Maternowska, Honorary Professor of Violence Prevention for Young People at the University of Edinburgh. On a chilly Sunday morning

Our new PhD student: Exploring co-produced research at the Binks Hub

October 18, 2023

A warm welcome to our new Binks Hub PhD student Helen, who has written this blog post to introduce the research she’ll be conducting for

Co-creating story-rich communities: Alette Willis on the power of story for a more sustainable and flourishing life

August 23, 2023

Interview and article by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack as part of our series on human flourishing, following our human flourishing symposium in June

Vulnerability for Inclusive Flourishing: understanding the marketplace through the art of the disabled community

August 23, 2023

Interview and article by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack as part of our series on human flourishing, following our human flourishing symposium in June

Beyond Small Talk: Lisa Howard chats about Edinburgh’s Public Living Room as a space for flourishing

July 18, 2023

Interview and article by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack as part of our series on human flourishing, following our human flourishing symposium in June 2023. How

Centering Young Voices: postgraduate student Mallory Hybl on flourishing in young people

July 11, 2023

Interview and article by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack as part of our series on human flourishing, following our human flourishing symposium in June 2023. The

“Day-to-Day Existence”: Scottish Storyteller Jess Smith on Human Flourishing

July 6, 2023

Interview and article by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack as part of our series on human flourishing, following our human flourishing symposium in June

Binks Hub and Citadel Youth Centre collaborate on youth-led practice

June 23, 2023

Blog post by Binks Hub student intern Brigid McCormack On May 31st, the Citadel Youth Centre and the Binks Hub joined forces on their “New

The Binks Hub Human Flourishing Symposium 2023

June 23, 2023

Our mission at the Binks Hub is to co-create research for human flourishing. And as we move into our second year of work, we’re keen

Binks Hub launch of a new “Poetry for Wellbeing” toolkit for social workers

May 24, 2023

A collaboration between Binks Hub co-director Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh, Dr Arianne Critchley (University of Stirling), Sam Tongue (the Scottish Poetry Library), the Scottish Association for

Binks Hub co-director wins 2023 Qualitative Book Award

March 30, 2023

Congratulations to Binks Hub co-director, Marisa de Andrade, for jointly winning the 2023 Qualitative Book Award for her most recent book! The award recognises a

New ‘citizen researcher’ training for volunteers with People Know How

March 30, 2023

We’re pleased to be partnering with charity People Know How on a new research project looking at their digital inclusion work – a research project

New Binks Hub Project – INCLUDED: exploring ways to include people with advanced dementia as co-researchers through the arts

February 13, 2023

The Binks Hub is pleased to announce our participation in the INCLUDED Project, which will investigate the ways in which we can facilitate the participation