Dr Jenny Holt, SFHEA Deputy Head of SODA

I am Deputy Head and Reader at the School of Digital Arts, and a researcher in film practice and pedagogy. My practice-led research primarily focuses on dialogues between concepts, processes and poetics of artist-documentary film and landscape, environment and work. Recent films include explorations of landscape and labour of young people working in shepherding, forestry and farming in the English Midlands; tensions between working life and tourism in the Lake District; the urban-rural interface of a Halifax housing estate, and the play of forces at the highest point of the M62 motorway.

Current research explores multispecies industries of landscape-scale forest regeneration located within the bounds of a ground-breaking rewilding initiative in the Highlands of Scotland, investigating how film can be used to resituate human endeavour within the relational flow of life in in the context of rewilding’s ‘future nature’ approach to ecosystem restoration.

I have a keen interest in film practice pedagogies in the art and design context including the development of critical praxis, collaboration and student-led research strategies. This synergy between practice, research and education as an interdependent critical culture helps to inform SODA’s emphasis on innovative storytelling, original voice and cultural relevance across an expanded audio-visual film and screen landscape.

As a TV production freelancer for UK production companies I produced, directed and shot documentaries and factual programming for national broadcasters including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. My recent work has screened at film festivals and in gallery contexts in national and international locations.

I am an experienced PhD supervisor and examiner, with particular interest in film practice as research and happy to discuss potential PhD research proposals.

Contact

j.c.holt@mmu.ac.uk

jennyholtfilm.com

Office

School of Digital Arts DA.3.04

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Research

Exhibitions

Holt, J., 2016. Uplands, Ethnografilm, Paris, April 2016.

Holt, J., 2015. Uplands, London Short Film Festival, January 2015.

Holt, J., 2012. Not giddy yet aerial, London International Documentary Festival, The Roundhouse, London, May 2012.

Holt, J., 2011. Not giddy yet aerial, The Wordsworth Museum, Grasmere, Cumbria, Feb-March 2011.

Holt, J., 2010. Work, Rogue Gallery, Manchester, March 2010.

Holt, J., 2009. 26th Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival, Kassel, Germany, November 2009.

Holt, J., 2009. Art School: Contemporary Reflections, Holden Gallery, Manchester School of Art, March 2009.

Holt, J., 2009. Mehrwert Kunst, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Contemporary Art Gallery, Frankfurt, Germany., Nov 2009.

Holt, J., 2008. 'Mill' & 'Catchpoint', Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax, June 2008.

Holt, J., 2008. 5th London Short Film Festival, ICA, London, Jan 2008.

Holt, J., 2008. London International Documentary Festival, British Museum, London, April 2008.

Holt, J., 2007. 'All Go Digital' (China Project, MIRIAD), Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China, May, 2007.

Holt, J., 2007. 24th Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival, Kassel, Germany, Nov 2007.

Holt, J., 2007. 5th Tirana International Film Festival, Albania, Nov 2007.

Holt, J., 2007. Detroit International Film Festival, Museum of New Art, Detroit, USA, March 2007.

Holt, J., 2007. Manchester International Festival, 'Zoom' Programme, Cornerhouse Cinema, Manchester, Sept 2007.

Holt, J., 2007. Spectre vs Rector, Residence Gallery, London, October 2007.

Artefacts

Holt, J., 2024. 'Arboreal'.

Book Chapters

Holt, J., 2022. 'Labour & Landscape in Rural Northamptonshire'. In Art & the Rural Imagination, More than Ponies.

Media

Holt, J., 2024. 'Crossing'.

Holt, J., 2024. 'Uplands'.

Holt, J., 2020. 'The Great Bear'.

Holt, J.C., 2019. 'Caught in the Fabric of World'.

Journal Articles

Holt, J., 2021. 'Designing filmmaking: shaping first-year curriculum for transition, progression and effective collaboration', Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, 20 (2), pp. 185-200.

Holt, J., 2013. 'Historical Landscape and the Moving Image', Cultural History, Vol 2, No. 2, 182-198.

Holt, J., 2013. 'Historical Landscape and the Moving Image', Cultural History, 2 (2), pp. 182-198.

Conference Papers

Holt, J., 2024. 'Forest Ecologies: Multispecies storytelling and industries of rewilding', Asia-Norway Environmental Storytelling Network Conference: Storytelling for Environmental Futures, Stavanger, Norway, 6/8/2024 - 9/8/2024.

Holt, J., 2024. 'Labour, landscape and arts of noticing: forest ecologies and industries of rewilding the Caledonian forest', MeCCSA Conference 2024, Manchester Metropolitan University, 4/9/2024 - 6/9/2024.

Holt, J., 2021. ''Rainforest restoration in the Scottish Highlands: practice-led film research', eco-media lll, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Holt, J., 2021. 'Audio-visual criticality: video essay as a tool to address diverse educational needs of filmmaking students', Media Education Summit, University of Leeds.

Holt, J., Baron, R., 2021. 'Imagined Village: a virtual creative collaboration between film students in the UK and the USA', GLAD Higher Education conference: Responding-Reframing-Rethinking, Nottingham Trent University.

Holt, J., 2020. 'New narratives of labour and landscape in rural Northamptonshire: The Great Bear', Art and the Rural Imagination Conference, Arts University Bournemouth.

Holt, J., 2020. 'The Great Bear and research in farming poetics', Working Together symposium on artistic research, Swedish Research Council, Stockholm.

Holt, J., 2017. 'Uplands: Caught in the Fabric of World', New Perspectives on Northern England's Wild Places Symposium, York St John University.

Presentations

Holt, J., 2012. 'Historical Landscape & the Moving Image', 'Envisioning Landscapes: Adaption & Renewal' Conference, University of Liverpool, June 2012.

Holt, J., 2010. 'The Palette of Real Life: Documentary as Art Practice', Documentary Now: A Conference on the Contemporary Contexts and Possibilities of the Documentary, Birkbeck College London, January 2010.

Other Outputs

Holt, J. and others, ITV, 2004. 'Taxi Nights', Producer, Director, Camera. Observational documentary series about Manchester's taxi trade. ITV1.

Holt, J. and others, ITV, 2003. 'To Kidnap A Princess', Associate Producer..

Holt, J. and others, Granada Television, 2002. ''World Birthday'', DV director. Documentary film covering births taking place across the world simultaneously. Discovery Channel.

Holt, J., 2002. 'From Top To Bottom', Producer/Director, Camera. 3 short documentary films looking at the invisible workforce of cleaners. Channel 4.