Lívia Barts
Graphic designer, sketchnoter, visual researcher.
I have a background in humanities studies and in arts and design – and I am constantly searching for ways to combine the two, to support one with the other. For some years now I have been working as a graphic recorder and visual facilitator, where I could use drawing and design skills to strengthen communication, to summarize and highlight complex information, or to aid the structuring of a discussion in a consulting process. My favourite challenge as a designer is to create so called “one-pager” visual summaries of complex, lengthy, and often abstract contents, such as research and theory. And for a couple of years I was teaching a reading class at ELTE university, where we used an analogue (paper-based, hand-made and collaborative) text-visualization method to aid the comprehension of fairly abstract reading materials (mostly media, art, and film theory).
All in all, I like to draw, I like to think, and above all, I like to connect things and ideas that are often distant from each other.
ACADEMIA
2021
Postgraduate course in Curating, Urban Culture and Spatial Practices, ESAP (Porto)
2012-
PhD in Art Theory - Doctoral School of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, Budapest)
Fields of study: Art and media history and theory, aesthetics, visual culture and visual communication studies, cultural studies
Thesis topic: Interpretative visualizations in knowledge communication. With a practice-based research of an interpretative, collaborative, DIY text-visualization method developed during teaching 3 semesters of reading seminars with BA and MA students of the university.
2009-2012
BA in Graphic Design - Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME, Budapest)
Fields of study: Graphic design, basic programming, art history, art theory and art criticism
2004-2010
BA+MA in English Literature - Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, Budapest)
Fields of study: English literature, linguistics, history and art; literary translation
Teachers’ Training (not fully completed)
Fields of study: Psychology, pedagogy, teaching methodology.
STUDIES ABROAD
1/10/2017 - 31/1/2018
University of Porto, Faculty of Fine Arts, Research Institute in Art, Design and Society
Erasmus+ research scholarship
27/6 - 2/7/2016
The Lisbon Consortium (Lisbon, Portugal)
Transvisuality Summer School + Conference
20/7 - 31/7/2015
Utrecht University Summer School (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
The Making of Europe Summer school course
16/6 - 8/7/2014
Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung (Berlin, Germany)
Campus Hungary Short-term Research Scholarship
9 - 12/2011
Elisava Escola Superior de Disseny i Enginyeria (Barcelona, Spain)
Erasmus Scholarship
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2015/16 spring term, 2016/17 fall and spring term
Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Institute for Art Theory and Media Studies
Text visualisation - reading course
Methods for the graphic mapping of theoretical texts to aid reading comprehension. With Beja Margitházi for Media and Communication, Film and Aesthetics BA and MA students
September 2016
Hungarian University of Fine Arts (MKE), Budapest, Intermedia studies, guest lecturer
Sketchnoting and graphic facilitation techniques
2015/16 fall and spring term
Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Institute for Art Theory and Media Studies
Architecture and media environments
Joint course with architect Samu Szemerey for Media and Communication BA students
12/2014-1/2015
‘Pesti Bölcsész Akadémia’, open university program at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, lecturer for a 4-lecture courseLate-19th-century Western European visual culture
CONFERENCES
6-8/6/2019
40th APEAA (Associação Portuguesa de Estudos Anglo-Americanos) conference, University of Porto
Presentation: Illustration and a developing book market of late-18th century England
16-17/5/2019
3rd JRAAS Conference New Perspectives, University of Porto
Presentation: “Do you see what I mean?” – Interpretative text visualization to aid reading comprehension
7-9/6/2017
Lost In Translation? People, Technologies, Practices and Concepts Across Boundaries – University of Lisbon
Poster contribution: History of Red esCTS meetings
11/10/2016
Culture and Politics of Data Visualization – University of Sheffield
Presentation: Diagrammatic Visualizations in Text Interpretation
13/6/2016
(In)visible Cultures – King’s College, London
Presentation: Visualization as product and process in education
3/10/2015
2nd International Conference on Semiotics and Visual Communication – Cyprus University of Technology
Seduction vs. Perfection – visual cultures on the turns of two centuries
12/6/2015
Cultures in Disarray – King’s College, London
Do you see what I mean?' - Text visualisation project with the participation of design and theory students
30/4/2015
2nd International Forum for Doctoral Candidates – Humboldt Universität, Berlin
The modern pictorial language and early Hungarian poster art (1880s-1914)
13/6/2014
Creating Cultures – King’s College, London
Non-linear structures and their applicability in a possible syntax of visual communication
25/4/2014
Memory, Identity, History –Association of Hungarian Doctoral Candidates
Presentation (in Hungarian): Non-linear memory- and time-structures: Bergson, Proust, Benjamin
23/11/2013
Összkép –Association of Hungarian Doctoral Candidates
Presentation (in Hungarian): Pictorial places: abstraction and modern visual communication
3/4/2013
National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference (OTDK)
Presentation (in Hungarian): Screen-aesthetics. The aestheticism of the 21st century
EXTRACURRICULAR
Organiser of an experimental text-visualization project for the graphic visualisation of academic theoretical texts with the participation of design and theory university students.
Member of the “Turn-of-the-century Hungarian visual culture” research group at the Universiy of Szeged (led by Dr. Izabella Füzi)
Member of the Association of Hungarian Doctoral Candidates – Arts, Theatre and Film Studies Division
PUBLICATIONS
/Visualizing theory. The role of text-visualization in reading comprehension and critical thinking/
/Exhibition and communication: seductive framing in advertising from fin-de-siècle to the millenium/
Képi hely: Absztrakció és vizuális kommunikáció, in. Összkép szavakban, Budapest, 2014.
/Pictorial places: abstraction and modern visual communication/
Exhibition reviews (in Hungarian) at Kortárs Online
WORK
Please see the pages for more
2022-
Cooperation with Beta-i innovation consulting
Visual structuring, graphic summaries and designs for project presentations (Brisa innovation model, SOL, Vodafone Boost Lab, ATE, Blockchain.pt).
2022
Emergence Hackathon, University of Porto
Mentoring the BONDER team through the hackathon's five intensive days from first ideas to product delivery.
2019-2020
University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest
Speed drawing film series - image and animation design, studio drawing, editing, animation, post-production
2019
Hungarian Theatre of Cluj-Napoca
Dramaturg for the play “Alice in bed” by Susan Sontag, directed by Dorka Porogi
2019
Battle of Ideas Porto
Associate producer and organizer of the 8th BOA Porto at Maus Hábitos
since 2017
Valley of Arts Festival, Kerekdomb Festival, Örvényeshegy Picnic Festival
Chief graphic designer
since 2017
VTMSZ Association of Management Consultants in Hungary
Communication associate, graphic designer
since 2017
ReGraph Services, research visualization
Founder
since 2015
Grafacity.eu
Graphic recorder, visual facilitator
12/2013-2/2014
White Rabbit Entertainment, Advertising Agency
Graphic designer intern
11/2013-1/2014
Kunsthalle Budapest
Intern at the department of museum pedagogy
2013
Atrium Film-Theatre – Lajos Kozma. Sketches
Exhibition installation design and graphic design
2013
Tandem - Pictures of a Catalan family
Exhibition design, management and documentation
6/2012-11/2012
Loffice Coworking
Art management assistant
2012-2013
Kortárs Online (Contemporary Online)
Writer of exhibition reviews
2008-2009
Budapest City Hall
Assistant graphic designer in the City Image project