Page last updated in 2018

My research sits within cultural geography at the crossroads of public-art practice, sexuality, (queer) citizenship, digital culture and processes of social inclusion/exclusion.

Unlike many studies that have focused on broad socio-economic processes of inclusion and exclusion in cities, my research focus is on understanding these processes through the critical role that public-art practices play in (not or not appropriately) engaging socially marginalised populations, particularly lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGBT) people. I have recently expanded my interdisciplinary focus on this under-examined niche by developing innovative agendas for studying the intersections of public art, sexual citizenship and social inclusivity in the ever-intensifying digital society.

I am the Principal Investigator of Queer Memorials: International Comparative Perspectives on Sexual Diversity and Social Inclusivity (QMem), supported by a project grant awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). QMem aims to provide new insights into the nature of social engagement with public material monuments that are dedicated to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, drawing on case studies from the US, Netherlands, and Poland.

Moreover, I am carrying out the research project CARED: Community Art & Recovery in Environments Disrupted by Disasters with empirical focus on Christchurch, New Zealand, which is supported by the Researcher Mobility Award from the University of Leeds Research and Innovation Service.