Academic History

Jan 2020 – Present (Associate Professor Communication Design), Northumbria University. Aug 2020 – Jan 2021. Strategic lead for: Honours Degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, MA Communication Design.

Jan 2016 – 2020 (Head of Communication Design), Glasgow School of Art. Strategic lead for: Honours Degree in Communication Design (Illustration, Photography and Graphic Design) Glasgow and our Singapore campus, the 2 year MDes in Communication Design and the 1 year MDes in Illustration / Photography / Graphic Design.

Sept 2013 – Dec 2015 (Programme lead for Communication Design), Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), Dundee University. Strategic overview for Honours degrees in Illustration, Animation and Graphic Design and an MSC in Animation and Visualisation.

2004 – 2013. Course Director BA / BDes (Hons) Illustration, DJCAD, Dundee University. 2007 – 2009. Deputy Head, School of Media Arts & Imaging, DJCAD, Dundee University. 2000 – 2004. Ph.D., Department of Visual Communication, Glasgow School of Art. 2000 – 2003.Lecturer / Job-share Course Director BA (Hons) Illustration, Glasgow School of Art.

Other Appointments and Affiliations

2022. External Advisor, periodic review BA (Hons) Graphic Communication, Central St Martins.

2021 – 2022. Committee for Participatory Design Conference 2022 with Rachel Clark (Newcastle University), John Vines (Edinburgh University). Co-Chair Situated Actions with Cally Gatehouse (Northumbria University). Curator SAW Gallery: Situated Actions

2021 - 2022,  Co-Editor, Live Visuals: History Theory Practice (Routledge).

2018. External panelist for London College of Communication School of Design - Quality Review (Feb - May 2018).

2018- 2021. International Design Competition judge for The Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design and Arts (NSUADA), Russia.

2014 - 2017. External Examiner, Royal College of Art, MA Communication Design

2012 - 2016. External Examiner, University of Brighton BA/MA (Hons) Illustratio

2012 - 2016. Peer reviewer for the journal VaroomLab

2011 - 2015. External Examiner, Falmouth University, MA Illustration: Authorial Practice

2010-12. External Examiner, Newcastle University MRES in Digital Media

2011.Chair “Without Sin: Taboo and Freedom Within Digital Media” ISEA 2011

2010. Co-Chair, Transdisciplinarity strand at Digital Art Weeks 2010 Symposium in Xian, China.

200. Referee committee: “Game-Art-Interface Cybergames” Murdoch, Australia.

2006. Referee committee: “Digital Arts and Culture” Perth, Australia.

2006. Jury for the “The Glasgow 1999 Design Medal”

2003. Chair and curator of the readings session “ACM Hypertext 03” Conference. Nottingham Trent University.

Prizes, Awards and other Honours  

2022. Alt-w Cycle 14 New Media Scotland for “Magna Marina”.

2018. Storyhouse, Chester public art commission, premier date May 2021.

2013. Canongate’s Future 40, composed by my professional peers, a list celebrates the best of contemporary Scottish storytellers.

2013. ALT-w Award, New Media Scotland for “Front.”

2008. Media Art Award, Visionary Landscapes Conference, Electronic Literature Organisation bursary. Vancouver, USA

2006. Electronic Literature Organisations  “Collection 1.” Peer reviewed digital archive. 1 of 60 International artists selected.

2004. By royal invitation “Best of British Design” reception, Buckingham Palace.

2003. Streaming media section winner Australian Centre for Moving Image Prize (acquisition to the public programs permanent collection).

2003. ALT-W Award, New Media Scotland / Scottish Arts Council “Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw”.

2003. Finalist in the Barcelona Online Flash Film Festival.

2002. New Project Bursary, Centre for Contemporary Art Glasgow.

2001. Emmy Nominee for the Rosie O’Donnell Show, with BullseyeArt, NYC.

Selected Conference, Festival Contributions

2023. “Social Semiotics” for Illustration Studies: New Approaches, New Directions conference (the 6th Illustr4tio conference),” Birbeck London

2021. “Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw” in AfterFlash exhibition at 2021 Electronic Literature Organization Conference and Media Art Show (virtual).

2015. “Front” The End(s) of Electronic Literature, EL0 2015 Conference – ‘Interventions: Engaging the Body Politic’ exhibition at Visningsrommet USF.

2015. “Borderline” The End(s) of Electronic Literature, EL0 2015 Conference – Hybridity Performances and Screenings. Østre. Address: Second Floor, Østre Skostredet 3, 5017 Bergen)

2012. “Borderline” ELMCIP Performance writing. Arnolfini, Bristol with Falmouth University.

2012. 1 of 8 international practioners, “See Into the Trees”, triptych of laser cut Perspex new commission for Alt-W Shortcuts, Travelling Gallery, various locations through Scotland. Supported by Creative Scotland and Edinburgh Council. Audience 6-700 children.

2007. The Scottish Show 07. 1of 34 national design practitioners. Exhibition Catalogue and participation into the design enquiry supplement. 2 Images, A4 Page, 500 words ISBN: 1 905061 12 9

 2005. Scottish Show Comes Home. 1of 13 national design practitioners. The Lighthouse Museum, 70 Mitchell Street, Glasgow. Supported by The Scottish Executive

2004. 1 of 12 national design practioners, “Scottish Show” supported by The Lighthouse Museum, Studio Zeta, Via Friuli, Milan and (22.0.2204-26.9.2004) at New Oxford Street London. Supported by The Scottish Executive & DesignersBlock,

Invited Talks

2022. “Design and Live Visuals,” MA Communication Design, Northumbria University.

2022. “Critical Interactive Narrative,” MA Communication Design, Northumbria University.

2021. “AR for Designers,” MA Communication Design, Northumbria University.

2021. Typography Seminar, Chair/ organiser. Northumbria University.

2020."A Toast to the Flash Generation," Dec 31, virtual artists talk, invite from the Electronic Literature Organisation Repository curatorial team.

2019. “Front & Data” for Creative Infomatics Lab 2, Lavatown, Edinburgh.

2019. “Narcissist Reconfigured” at GSA Design Domain Symposium, Cineworld.

2018. “Design and Epistemology” at Northumbria University

2017. “This is not a Game” and “Beyond Fun” Goethe Institute Novosibirsk, Russia

2014. Chair’s Introduction “Without Sin,” Freedom and Taboo In Digital Media, day symposium, Visual Research Centre / Centre Space, University of Dundee.

2011. &Now 2011 Festival, University of San Diego, presentation: “Without Context: the implications of the born digital for Digital Humanities.”

2010. Digital Art Weeks 2010 Symposium, Xian Academy of Fine Art, China.

2010. UPLAY Workshop, ISEA 2010. Presentation: “Pervade”

2009. AHRC funded Collaborative Research Training project on research development, digital media art and curating at CultureLab Newcastle University. Presentation: “Practice-led methods for PhDs – Interaction and Narrative”

2008. CultureNet, Capilano University, British Columbia, Canada. Presentation: “Digital Literature and Me”

2008. Department of Linguistic, Literary, and Aesthetic Studies and Digital Culture Research Group at The University of Bergen, presentation: “Dissonance in Multi-Semiotic Landscapes”

2004 – 2008.MPhil Art and Design in Organisational Contexts, Glasgow School of Art. Presentation: “Digital Media Research”

2007. (ME)DIA: Networked Societies and the Creative Personal, Glasgow School of Art. Presentation: “Reflections on practice and research.”

2007. Graduate Research School, Edinburgh College of Art. Presentation: “Practice-led Doctoral methodologies”

2005. Panellist on the Narrative forum, Flash In The Can: Design and Technology conference, Toronto. Presentation: Narrative and Interaction

Postgraduate Research

2022 - present. Chair Phd Progress Panel Ms Faye Green “Trauma, textiles and technologies: participatory sewing of electronic textiles as a metaphor for post-traumatic healing”

2021. Ph.D External Examiner, Mr Crystian Cruz: “Censurativa: creative responses to censorship during the Brazilian dictatorship (1964 -1985), University of Newcastle Australia.

2021- present. Chair, PhD Viva Ms Kiersten Hay: “Growing Together: Designing Digital Social Support Services Alongside Woman Living with HIV in the UK”

2021- present. Chair Doctoral-Progress Panel Ms Cayla Key: Reimagining Home IoT Through a Care Perspective

2021-present. Chair Doctoral l-Progress Panel Ms Roxanne Bottomley: Fandom, Feminism and Football

2020. External Examiner Mock Viva: Dr Cally Gatehouse: The Speculative Gaze: Design Research as Diffraction

2020 - present. Full-time doctoral student, Ms Emma Tominey: “Using Collaborative Research to Interrogate the Cultural Value of UK Independent Publishing”

2011 – 2015. Dr Damon Herd “Authenticity in auto/biographical comic books – does it matter?” 2nd supervisor.

2014. Ph.D, External Examiner, Ms Ching-Yu Chang, Edinburgh College of Art

2006 - 2012.  Dr S. O’Callaghan “Graphical tagging & (re) materialisation of the art object.” 2nd supervisor.

2015. Ph.D Internal Examiner, Ms Iwona Hrynczenko “A Practice Based Investigation of Human Expressive Movement and Gesture.” DJCAD.

2009. Invited expert reader for Doctoral Student Neil McLeod, Falmouth University, PhD title: “Narrative in the Margins”

International Collaborations

Dr Lanfranco Aceti, Boston University, Dichtung Digital (Brown University, R.I. USA), Leonardo  / M.I.T Press (Mass USA), ETC Press/ Carnegie Mellon University (USA), Digital Art Weeks (ETH, Zurich), Electronic Literature as a Model of Creativity and Innovation in Practice - Bergen University & Falmouth University College, Edinburgh Art College, Newcastle University, Social Computing Department, for the 29th CHI conference, New Media Scotland (Scotland),The Ludic Society (Switzerland), Electronic Literature Organization (USA). 

Public Exhibitions, Festivals

2021. “To Have & To Hold” physical and AR - guest artist at the SSA Annual exhibition at Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.

2018. “Borderline” AHRC Showcase for the London Design Festival

2014. Organiser and chair “Without Sin: Freedom and Taboo in Digital Media”, Day symposium at VRC Centre Space, University of Dundee. Speakers included: Dr Lanfranco Aceti, Design Prof Johnny Golding, Dr Sheena Calvert (University of Westminster) along with Dundee researchers Dr Cornelia Solfrank, Dr Sandra Wilson, Dr Simone O’Callaghan and Zoe Irvine.

2013-14. “Front” creative practice, commissioned by ALT-W, funded by Creative Scotland, Scottish Government and Project Ginsberg, launched at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival August 2014

2011-13.“Borderline” creative practice, performance/ exhibition, commissioned by ELMCIP/HERA, “Data Abstraction to Cinematic Mashup – Visual Languages in Game-Based Live AV performance.” AHRC Real-Time Visuals Workshop 1, Culture Lab, Newcastle University, Feb. 26, 2013. Keynote performance at the International conference Remediating The Social Inspace, University of Edinburgh, Nov. 1, 2012. Performance Writing Weekend, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, May 2012 (preview performance).

2012. 1 of 8 international practioners, “See Into the Trees”, triptych of laser cut Perspex new commission for Alt-W Shortcuts, Travelling Gallery, various locations through Scotland, Supported by Creative Scotland and Edinburgh Council.

2010. “Contemplating Flight  / Fuga” creative practice/ performance (30.10) for the third International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, Napier University), in Inspace, University of Edinburgh.

2008. “Contemplating Flight“ creative practice / exhibition, Media Arts Show, Visionary Landscapes Conference, Electronic Literature Organisation, Vancouver USA.

2008. “Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw” creative practice/installation, ALT-W Retrospective, The Centre for Contemporary Art Glasgow.

2007. The Scottish Show 07. 1of 34 national design practitioners.  Exhibition Catalogue and participation into the design enquiry supplement. 2 Images, A4 Page, 500 words ISBN: 1905061 12 9 

Leishman, D. (May - Aug 2007). “Avis Ana” creative practice in the Six Cities Design Festival Keynote exhibition. The Lighthouse Museum, 70 Mitchell Street, Glasgow

2005. Scottish Show Comes Home. 1of 13 national design practitioners. The Lighthouse Museum, 70 Mitchell Street, Glasgow. Supported by The Scottish Executive

 2004. 1 of 12 national design practioners, “Scottish Show” supported by The Lighthouse Museum, Studio Zeta, Via Friuli, Milan and (22.0.2204-26.9.2004) at New Oxford Street London. Supported by The Scottish Executive & DesignersBlock,

2003. “6amhoover.com”, Boston Cybertarts Festival, M.I.T Media wall, Boston MA, USA.

2003. 1 of 5 international exhibitors.  “Red Riding Hood” at the Web Racket: Contemporary Interactive Web Art exhibition DeCordova Museum/Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Gallery, Boston, USA.

2002. “6amhoover.com” Re-Animate Web Festival, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, EU.

2002. ”Hypnogogia: Two Waking Dreams” representing the CCA, Glasgow Art Fair, Glasgow.

2002. 1 of 10 international exhibitors,  “Red Riding Hood” at the TechnoPoetry Festival - Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.  

Published Work

Leishman, D.  (2022 Summer) "Presence in Live Visuals Performance" and “Design and Live Visuals,” book chapters in Live Visuals: History Theory Practice (Routledge).

 Leishman, D.  (May 2021) Self-published visual essays: “Charlotte Lucy,” “Hobby’s Well,” “Impossible Stairs” via commission online portal https://tohavetohold.uk/takeaways

Leishman, D.  (Fall 2018) “More Eyes, Different Eyes” Paper in the Journal of Illustration, 5 (2). pp. 191-205. ISSN 2052-0212

Leishman, D.  (2018) “The Fairy Tale about the Wise Man.” In: Fairy Tales and Fables from Weimar Days, Collected Utopian Tales / New and Revised Edition. Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 91-101. ISBN 978-3-319-69274-6

Leishman, D.  (2018) “A Living Room For The City” invited contributor for the celebratory publication for V&A Dundee, design by APFEL published by V&A Dundee. Editor Sophie McKinlay. ISBN 9781851779239

Leishman, D. (2017) Two colour, 10 page Riso booklet based on a deconstruction of Red Riding Hood (digital literature artwork) for Electronic Literature Organisation 2017, Porto.

Leishman, D., (2016) Invited contributor to The Drouth, Comix Editon "Strip" Front cover, two interior speads and new position paper "Extinguish My Eyes And I See You Still" (1716 words)

 Leishman, D. (2015). “In Electronic Literature Communities”  (ed.) Sandy Baldwin, Patricia Tomaszek, Scott Rettberg, Computing Literature imprint / West Virginia University Press. Word Count: 5,274,

 Leishman, D. (2013).”Without Sin” Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Without Sin: Freedom and Taboo Within Digital Media, Number 4, Vol 19, September 2013, Word Count: 3464, 
ISSN 1071-4391
ISBN 978-1-906897-26-0

Leishman, D. (2013).”Precarious Design” Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Without Sin: Freedom and Taboo Within Digital Media, Number 4 Vol 19, September 2013, Word Count: 4197, 
ISSN 1071-4391
ISBN 978-1-906897-26-0

Leishman, D. (2012).”The Flash Community: Implications for Post-Conceptualism” Dichtung Digital, Digital Communities Special, Number 4 Vol 19, March 2012. Nr 41 (2012) Edition, Word Count: 5,274,  
ISSN 1071-4391
ISBN 978-1-906897-26-0

Leishman, D., (2010) “To Flummox”, The Ludic Society. Word Count: 1,174, Invited contribution – currently un-published http://www.ludic-society.net

Leishman, D., (2010) “Will Internet narrative art ever grow up?” In Cross-Media Communications: an Introduction to the Creation of Integrated Media Experiences (ed.) Dr. Drew Davidson, ETC press imprint/Carnegie Mellon University, p87-90 ISBN 978-0-557-28565-5

Leishman, D. (2009).”Dissonance in Multi-Semiotic Landscapes in the Work Of Donna Leishman” Hyperrhiz: New Media Cultures, Summer 2009, Issue No 6, Word Count: 3,913, ISBN: 1555-9351.

Leishman, D., (May 2004) “Visual Literacy and Learning: Finding some online territories for the slow learner”, Special Issue on Games - Simulations and Interactive Media in Learning Contexts, On the Horizon (International Journal)., Word Count: ISSN: 1074-8121

Refereed Conference Contributions

2019. “Perceptual Fail: Female Power, Mobile Technologies and Images of Self.” ELO 2019, University of Cork.

2018. Cautionary Tale: Stories Made and Distributed through the Internet. Materialities of Literature, 6 (3). pp. 105-114. ISSN 2182-8830

2017. Delivered paper/presentation “Narcissist Reconfigured” for Illustrating Identity/ies Conference.

2017. Delivered paper/presentation for Electronic Literature Organization 2017: Affiliations, Translations, Communities as part of the panel: Forms of Translation:  Experimental Texts Rewritten as Migrations to Digital Media. Presentation and paper titled “Cautionary tale: stories made and distributed through the Internet”.

2015. Delivered paper/presentation “The Challenge of Visuality for Electronic Literature” for Electronic Literature Organization 2015, Bergen.

2012.”Out of Place: Digital In-Grouping” Remediating The Social, November 2012 ELMCIP at the University of Edinburgh. Pp. 129-133. Word Count: 4275, ISBN-10: 8299908906

2012. ”Precarious Flux” ISEA 2011, Conference Proceedings, Word Count: 2,953

2011.”Fluxing Reality” The User in Flux Workshop In: Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI).

2005. “What is Interactivity?” for Flash In The Can: Design and Technology Festival, Toronto Canada. Word count: 3,032.  The festival requested that all speakers self publish.

2003. By competition. Peer Reviewed. 1 of 25 international exhibitors. Single screen based interactive projection of “The Bloody Chamber” in “PlayEngines: streaming worlds”. Curator - Adrian Miles, RMIT University. Digital Arts & Culture conference 2003, Melbourne, Australia.

2002. 1 of 10 international exhibitors, Single screen based interactive project “Red Riding Hood” at the “TechnoPoetry” Festival - Georgia Tech, USA.

2001. Presentation, “Touching Red Riding Hood” Hypertext, Narrative, Flash, Time, conference Boston MA, USA 

Evidence of Impact/Citations of work/research

2021. Yefymenko, Victoria.Mediation and Multimodal Meaning Making in Digital Environmentsin Mediation and Multimodal Meaning Making in Digital Environments, ed.  Moschini, Sindoni. Routledge.

2019. “The Metamorphoses Of Front As A Narrative Told Through Social Media Interface: A Conversation With Donna Leishman” which is published in full in the book Digital Imaginary the Emerging Shapes of Literary, Cinematic, and Database Art, Ed. Robert Coover, Bloomsbury (Nov 2019)

2018. Zipes, Jack. ed. Fairy Tales and Fables from Weimar Days: Collected Utopian Tales. Published by Palgrave.

2014. Cornis-Pope, M., ed. New Literary Hybrids in the Age of Multimedia Expression: Crossing borders. Published by John Benjamin. p37

2012. Smith, J., Theorizing Digital Narrative: Beginnings, Endings, and Authorship. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Doctoral Dissertation, VCU University Archives

2012. Memmott. T., Digital Rhetoric and Poetics: Signifying Strategies in Electronic Literature. Malmö University Doctoral Dissertation. ISBN 978-91-7104-419-8

2011, Mahood, A., “Born Digital and Digital Generation, Media: Culture: Pedagogy,” online journal published by Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.

2008. Hayles, N. Katherine. “Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary”. Notre Dame Press, ISBN 10: 0-268-03085-5 

2007, TIRWEB Vol 9. No1 “Multimodal writing”. Online publication specialising in electronic literature and experimental writing. 

2006. Strickland, S., “Writing the Virtual: Eleven Dimensions of E-Poetry” “New Media Poetry and Poetics" Special Issue, Leonardo Electronic Almanac Vol 14

2006, Stewart, G., “A Homecoming Festival: The Application of the Dialogic Concepts of Addressivity and the Awareness of Participation to an Aesthetic of Computer-mediated Textual Art” Doctoral Thesis University of Bedfordshire.

2005, Hunter, L., “No reason not to link: An interview with Mark Bernstein” Information Design Journal, Volume 13, Number 3, 2005, pp. 229-237(9) Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

2005, “Textual Play: Women's Work in Literary Hypermedia,” presented by Stephanie Strickland, Cynthia Lawson and Margie Luesebrink, Society for Literature & Science Annual Meeting, Duke University, NC, USA.

2005. Rashed, A., “Teachers’ Perceptions of Underachievement in Elementary Schools in Kuwait “ Al-Sahel School Psychology International, Vol. 26, No. 4, 478-493 SAGE Publications DOI: 10.1177/0143034305059027.

2005, Keep, D.,”Narratives in Miniature: Aesthetics for Mobiles” [online]. In: Vital Signs: Creative Practice & New Media Now; Melbourne: RMIT Publishing ISBN: 1921166118

August 2005, http://www.flashgoddess.com/html/spotDLeishman.html

2002, Sellen, M., “Information Literacy in the General Education: A New Requirement for the 21st Century” 
The Journal of General Education - Volume 51, Number 2, 2, pp. 115-126

2001, Simanowski, R., “Who eats whom? Donna Leishman's "Redridinghood" “[German] Dichtung Digital

2001 March 5th, Mirapaul. M., “Beyond Hypertext: Novels With Interactive Animation”, The New York Times