Human-Nature: Relations, Resilience, Reciprocity

Human-Nature commissioned by the British Council focuses on research undertaken with Indigenous communities in Malaysia. The overarching aim is to provide resources to creative practitioners - in responding to, addressing and raising awareness of the climate crisis - and its effects. Its objective is to prepare researchers, arts and creative practitioners and wider stakeholders interested in working with Malaysia-Bornean communities. It seeks to address the complexities and sensitivities required when engaging with Indigenous communities towards developing relational and reciprocal approaches that contribute to the resilience and sustainability of communities. The report lays out the Malaysian-Bornean background context including an exploration of how Borneo’s geographic features inform diverse ancestral practices. It highlights the potential and challenges within the Malaysia-Bornean contemporary landscape for UK and international cultural practitioners seeking to engage with communities respectfully and collaboratively. It introduces the UN Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance in building resilience to climate-related emergencies with local communities. Through connecting arts-based creative practice and collective models it offers considerations and approaches to create ‘safe spaces’ to deepen understanding around how Indigenous knowledges and ancestral wisdom can facilitate reciprocal relations between Malaysia and the UK towards envisaging new sustainable and equitable models and ways of working. Central to these ways of working is to propose a shift in research design and creative approaches to foster more collaborative ways of working. The goal is to move away from extractive practices towards narratives centred on mutuality, reciprocity and exchange

Artists’ Moving Image: Cinema as Archive

Since its inception, artists have been fascinated by cinema, but the past thirty years has seen an intensification of direct engagements with dominant cinema, forming a compelling body of artists’ moving image. These engagements use strategies of sampling and imitation that range from the single elongated quotation that comprises Douglas Gordon’s 24 Hour Psycho (1993) to the densely intertextual imitations of Rachel Maclean’s Over the Rainbow (2013). Divided into two parts, one focused on sampling and the other on imitation, this book critically maps this substantial and expanding body of work, identifying a series of common thematic and formal approaches to better understand artists’ ongoing dialogue with dominant forms of cinema. This study sits in the field of visual culture studies and draws from art history, aesthetics and feminist, cultural, and postcolonial studies to construct an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that elucidates the intertextual strategies of writing back into and against old stories in the works discussed. By including work by younger artists such as Jesse Jones alongside that of more established artists such as Steve McQueen, this book reinvigorates the existing canon of artists’ moving image that takes cinema as a key source. What distinguishes it from other studies is its contention that the point of interest for the work examined is not cinema (and its history) per se, but what its evocation as cultural archive can illuminate about the legacies of the past in the present. The principal insight of this research is that sampling uncovers suppressed or latent meanings hidden beneath the surface of the original, whereas imitation provides opportunity to include those aspects that were altogether excluded. The works discussed in this book use cinema to explore the limits of imagination within systems of visuality and representational conventions, and simultaneously advance propositional forms of redress that centre different forms of subjugated knowledge

Performative Provocateur: Björk’s eco-feminist fantastical worlds as speculative spaces of fashion

Björk's Cornucopia (2019-) presents a conceptual music performance that defies the conventional global arena tour. In this speculative sci-fi worlding, Björk applies an interdisciplinary practice to intertwine fashion, scenography, and technology as visual components for storytelling. The overarching narrative of Cornucopia presents a utopian vision of a future that harmonises nature, humans, and multiple species. This essay analyses the post-human world of Cornucopia through an eco-feminist perspective. Björk refutes social and cultural constructs of the female form and the misogynistic parading of the female performer. She occupies space beyond the perimeter of her body, remapping and reconceiving femininity. The analysis defines the costumes and set design as key to the dramaturgy of Cornucopia's through three main elements: body, space, and technology. Through a visual analysis, the paper reveals the ambiguity of the delineation and intersections of body-fashion-interior.  I argue for the importance of a spatio-visual critique to examine the intersection of fashion and spatial design, and how this provides a unique insight into the eco-feminist, fantastical world of Cornucopia as a Speculative Space for Fashion

The Art of Non-Survival

"The Art of Non-Survival" is a short story in the catalogue for Gaby Peters' solo exhibition "next level" at Mannheimer Kunstverein. The text situates Peters' work through a fictional scenario in which members of the public are disappearing from institutional spaces in a made-up town. The mystery is solved through the novel use of artworks held in the local museum's collection, and one of Peters' works is – in the final section of the text – revealed as an articulation of what it is to disappear

“A bringing Together”

“A bringing Together” is an essay and chapter of 'A Social Process of Unknowing Yourself in Real Time': Work on Conversation. An attempt to find form for conversations that unfolded with practitioner-in-residence Kate Briggs. Collecting responses, dialogue, exchange and new writing produced as part of writer and translator Dr Kate Briggs' residency in the School of Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art, A Social Process of Unknowing Yourself in Real Time restates Gilles Deleuze and Claire Parnet's questions 'What is a conversation? What is it “for”? In a life? In a practice? In a pedagogical setting—like an art school?'. Kate Briggs was in practitioner-in-residence for one year, hosted by the MLitt Art Writing, 2022-2023, and worked with staff and students to consider the site of 'conversation' and practices of conversing, an artfulness requisite to both life and teaching. 'A Social Process of Unknowing Yourself in Real Time': Work on Conversation is edited by Dr Kate Briggs and Dr Laura Haynes, Programme Leader MLitt Art Writing

Technology: Ethnologic and the creation of MEG

This was an interview for International Womens Day 2025. I was interviewed as a member of Techscaler with Ethnologic a spinout/start up company from GSA. As a female founder and grant recipient, HIE (Highlands & Islands Enterprise) wanted to interview me to find out more about motivation, starting up and MEG. MEG (Menopause Experience Guide) is an emerging technology web based solution powered by AI. As a Digital Holistic Tool, MEG offers guidance regarding PhEMiniNe (Physical, Emotional, Mental, Nutrition) information & furthermore, S+ (social, spiritual, sexual) experiences by women at peri/post menopausal time. MEG is designed to operate within work, health and social settings providing opportunity to self-manage menopause symptoms with support. We have further features in development to add which will optimise the MVP future proofing the technology innovation to include transferable modular capacity that re-imagines the architecture + design to other health/life transitions/conditions and settings including education and research

Flea Market Painting

In criminology, the ‘Broken Windows Theory’, introduced in 1982 by social scientists Wilson and Kelling, proposes that visible signs of disorder create an urban environment that encourages further disorder. There is an implication that the urban landscape allows a communication of lack of authority and this, in turn, proliferates a disregard for social norms and law. A new social geography emerges leading to a continuous deterioration of culture and community, as disorder becomes more common. The works scrutinize the nuanced relationship between causality and correlation and advocate a complex response to how the urban landscape ultimately can become a site of resistance of marginalised communities and how disorder reflects the complexities of class dynamics. Disorder is reframed as a complex phenomenon, imbued with transformative potential and latent opportunities for societal renewal and magical opportunities. The work submitted to the 'Le Salon D’Echangiste' show aims to not only support STudnet endeavours, and curatorial practices that are interesting, but to also allow itself (as a photograph) to move away from simple representation and to instead consider itself as exchange currenc

Navigating menopause through design - participatory pathways to innovation

The Chronology of a woman determines numerous transitions across her lifespan. Menopause is a transition that begins with subtle changes that may not be noticeable several years prior to menopause; yet impact on the ageing experience. Design and participatory approaches have demonstrated how we can collaborate to define and determine pathways that offer innovative solutions across social, work and health settings. ‘Design Your Menopause Life’ encourages autonomy, curiosity and support as a woman documents, diarizes, and expresses her experience with an awareness of support and empowerment through peers, technologies and professionals. This chapter will discuss the rationale to instigate, design, develop and deliver three concepts aimed at encouraging a call to women to create their journey as they navigate peri-menopause and menopause with an awareness of peer, and professional support through innovative digital and analogue tools and events. These solutions are conceived to offset and alleviate some chronic or age-related conditions enhancing quality of life and inform policy in work and social settings

An undiscovered country

In our ever-advancing and increasingly digital world, the presence of Artificial Intelligence can sometimes make us feel disconnected. However, the act of MAKING, as a creative and physical endeavor, can have a profound positive impact, especially in the face of AI's influence on creativity, employment and human connection. What are the historic precedents of past technological innovation that we can turn to as examples of when AI is overwhelming to creatives? These precedents can serve as beacons, helping us navigate this path with confidence and some reassurance

Man (on phone)

Photograph 21 x 17 inches In criminology, the ‘Broken Windows Theory’, introduced in 1982 by social scientists Wilson and Kelling, proposes that visible signs of disorder create an urban environment that encourages further disorder. There is an implication that the urban landscape allows a communication of lack of authority and this, in turn, proliferates a disregard for social norms and law. A new social geography emerges leading to a continuous deterioration of culture and community, as disorder becomes more common. The works scrutinize the nuanced relationship between causality and correlation and advocate a complex response to how the urban landscape ultimately can become a site of resistance of marginalised communities and how disorder reflects the complexities of class dynamics. Disorder is reframed as a complex phenomenon, imbued with transformative potential and latent opportunities for societal renewal and magical opportunities. Work was shown in Brussels Street Photography Festival. BSPF presents a diverse range of activities, including exhibitions, photography contests, workshops, guided photo walks, panel discussions, film screenings and portfolio reviews. The festival highlights street photography not only as a way to capture spontaneous urban moments but also as a powerful tool for cultural and social documentation. Through these activities, BSPF fosters engagement between photographers, artists and the public, creating a vibrant space for creative expression. A key highlight of the festival is its international photography contest, where participants can submit their best work in two main categories: ‘Singles’ and ‘Series’. The finalists’ images are displayed in curated exhibitions across Brussels, offering valuable exposure to a wide audience. In addition to the prestige of being showcased, winners also receive cash prizes, further recognising their talent and dedication to street photography. The competition draws thousands of submissions annually, showcasing the creativity and skill of the global street photography community. BSPF collaborates with Leica Camera France and Magnum photographers, who serve as jury members, guest speakers, and workshop mentors. Their involvement brings invaluable expertise and inspiration, allowing participants to learn from some of the most influential voices in contemporary street and documentary photography