Within the broad context of space, place and culture I am fascinated by the embodied and performative dynamics of human experience and behaviour. Underpinned by a longstanding interest and intellectual engagement with the materiality of space, my focus encompasses the material, virtual and simulated spaces associated with everyday life. For example, the sea and the coast, cruise ships, popular film, photography, art, tourism and leisure. I am interested in how people engage with, imagine and experience such landscapes and spaces.
My interest in cruise ships as bounded and transient spaces for work and leisure, framed by a maritime heritage encompassing film, dress, rituals of the sea, architecture of the ship, dates back to my time living and working at sea. My intellectual and practical experience of cruise ships directly influenced my PhD research exploring the constructed discourses of cruise travel through an analysis of popular film (Ship of Fools, Carry on Cruising, Titanic). Research that uncovered the multisensory nature of film and how the liminal realm of film space is experienced in and through the imagination, memory and emotion.
My interest in maritime heritage and histories of the sea / coastal cultures also encompasses how the visual and material world create new narratives of meaning. Narratives that work to shape individual and collective identities alongside particular experiences and encounters with the ocean and liminal environments where land and water meet. I continue to be fascinated by the power of discourse generally, and specifically the critical discourse highlighting the consequential socio-cultural impacts of cruise ships and their associated activities on coastal regions and destinations.
Supervisory interests
I welcome enquiries for research underpinned by qualitative approaches and methods generally and specifically those associated with visual methodologies and methods. I am keen to encourage applications focusing on projects that align with me areas of interest, broadly focused in relation to:
The visual and visuality
Space, place and materiality
The coast / sea / seascapes
Embodiment and the senses
Heritage / Maritime heritage
Cruise ships and cruise liners