Artistic Practice

Artist statement: 

My practice operates at the intersection of the digital interface and the physical body. 

With a background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Textiles, I explore the "glitch" in human identity—specifically the disorientation caused by medical intervention and the mediated gaze. I use AI systems not just as tools, but as collaborators to interrogate clinical data, translating "hard" linguistic patterns into "soft," large-scale textile installations. 

My work moves from the screen to the skin, challenging the ocularcentric nature of art through haptic (touch-based) forms and participatory design.

The Gaze Interrupted is an Arts Council England-funded R&D project exploring the tension between the lived experience of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) and objective clinical observation. 

By contrasting complex AI analysis and medical archives with the tactile, forensic manipulation of repurposed textiles, the work creates "material collisions" that physicalise medical trauma. It uses the unpicking and re-weaving of worn garments as a haptic metaphor for the disruption and reconstruction of the body's own biological fibres and identity following medical intervention.

It takes a village to raise an art project, and this project relies on a collaborative, cross-disciplinary methodology and is generously supported by:

• Artistic Mentorship: Heather Phillipson

• Technical Mentorship: Dr Dylan Banarse (Google DeepMind)

• Clinical Advisory: Miss Michelle Ting (Consultant Ophthalmologist and Oculoplastic Surgeon, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust)

• Research Support: Charlotte Patten (NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre)

The project's progression and material findings are documented in a series of dispatches [Link: beginning here].

Practice Trajectory: 

Hybridity & Technological Integration (2024–Present)

I have synthesised my physical artistic practice with my professional expertise in technology. To gain the technical rigour required to use AI as a creative collaborator, I completed:

• 2025: Gen AI Intensive with Google. Culminated in a technical capstone project, "The Art Coach", utilising the Gemini API on Kaggle, later deployed as a functioning application.

• 2024: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design at the University of Cambridge.

(For expanded technical details, please refer to the Artificial Intelligence section)

Formal Development & Medical Catalyst (2019–2023)

From 2019, I undertook a period of rigorous formal training to deepen my technical vocabulary in textiles and fine art:

• 2022–2023: Fine Art at City Lit. In 2023, the progression of Thyroid Eye Disease forced a pause in my studies. This period of physical restriction became the primary catalyst for my current work, shifting my focus to the "medicalised face" and the resilience of the self.

• 2020: Foundation in Puppetry at the Little Angel Theatre; courses at The Royal Drawing School; Goldwork embroidery.

• 2019–2021: Textiles Foundation at the Open College of the Arts; Machine embroidery with the Embroiderer's Guild.

Early Practice & Performance (Pre–2019)

My visual practice is rooted in a background of making. During a seven-year career as a director of immersive performance collectives (including London Digital Circus and The Rubbish Side Show), I designed costumes and puppets. This work bridged the gap between the stage and the studio, establishing my foundational focus on materiality and the constructed body.

I hold a BA (Hons) in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge (1993–1996) and an MA in Electronic Communication and Publishing from University College London (1998–1999).

Awards & Funding

• 2026: Arts Council England, National Lottery Project Grant: The Gaze Interrupted (Ongoing)

• 2019: Overall Winner (Judge's Choice) & People's Choice Award, North London Waste Authority Upcycling Competition. Awarded for excellence in upcycling and material transformation.

• 2019: Shortlisted, The Art Academy London BA Scholarship.

Memberships

• a-n The Artists Information Company

• Axis