Shane Porter

Overview

Shane is the Course Director of the BDes (Hons) Design (Product, Ceramics, Silversmithing & Jewellery) and Lecturer in Design (Product) at the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University. He holds an MA in Ceramics & Glass from the Royal College of Art (2015) and a BA (Hons) in Fine and Applied Art from Ulster University (2010).

As Chair of Applied Art Northern Ireland, Shane spearheads initiatives that unite national and international contemporary artists, designers, and makers through a range of masterclasses, lectures, and workshops. He is also actively involved in the AHSS PILOT working group at Ulster University, which seeks to promote the role of craft, design, and making within an inclusive academic framework. In 2024/25, global leaders in these fields have been invited to share their practices and approaches.

Shane’s design practice investigates themes of home and memory, frequently engaging with the contrasting qualities of ceramics and glass to evoke emotional and tactile experiences. His work is featured in several private collections, including the permanent collection of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

His PhD research, ‘A Skin to Worship Him In: The Transcendence of Leathersexuality’ explores the intersections of identity, material culture, and subcultural practices within the gay male leather communities, examining how ritualistic attire and embodied experiences shape identity, personal empowerment, and community cohesion. This study seeks to explore the ways these practices transcend the physicality of uniforms, objects, and artefacts, offering profound insights into self-discovery, belonging, and spiritual transcendence.