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"Tylar is a unique scholar, advocate, and leader who is using new tools and technologies to craft narratives of the past, present and future. He is an artist and multimodal producer with a deep commitment to addressing both historical atrocities and instances of resistance and liberation. As evidenced by his work sharing family experiences of anti-Black racism, including oral histories documenting the lynching of a close ancestor, Tylar is courageously exploring the potential of new technologies to support the transgression of structural inequalities while imagining possible futures."
Dr. Kate Hennessy
"I choose SFU because SIAT has awesome professors that teach from interdisciplinary perspectives."
Tylar Campbell
Tylar Campbell
Interactive Arts and Technology master's student in the Faculty of Communication, Art & Technology
I am from San Diego, California. I began my studies at Miramar Community College where I was exposed to structural barriers in education. This experience invigorated my passion for social and economic justice through civic engagement, public policy research, and advocacy. While a student leader in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, I advocated for increased pathways, more diverse leadership, and financial support for the most marginalized students. I transferred to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where I received my BA in African American studies and research interest in the African Diaspora drew me to several countries abroad. After graduating at UCLA in 2019, I attended Stanford University for my MA in Communication.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?
I decided to attend SFU because I was interested in discovering new methods to apply to my research. I felt like the interdisciplinary program at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology and the Making Culture Lab was a perfect fit for the myriad of interest as a researcher, designer, and artist.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?
I am currently a PhD student at SFU in the SIAT program. In my earlier work at Stanford, I conducted an oral history of lynching in the American Deep South which resulted in a multimodal production of storytelling through a written narrative and podcast. My doctoral research is building on this work, focusing on the intersections of race, technology, and orality to gain insight on how we might use emerging technologies to construct new futures and experiences. I am currently a research assistant in the Making Culture Lab with Dr. Kate Hennessy, where I am researching Black fugitivity and Fugitive Anthropology.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?
SFU has been great. I have enjoyed learning new approaches like Research through Design with Dr. Will Odom, and Research Creation with Dr. Gabriela Aceves-Sepulveda, all of which is adding value and building on the work I have done for my Masters thesis. Even though my first semester has been conducted remotely, I have been able to collaborate with my colleagues, faculty, and professors this year in SIAT.
HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.
I was awarded the Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship Award. This award has supported my transition from the United States to Canada and has provided me with solid foundation to focus on my research.
Contact Tylar: tylar_campbell@sfu.ca