I am a multi-disciplined artist, working principally in Community and Social settings though I a also have professional and commercial expertise. I have extensive experience of teaching and workshop delivery spanning 35 years. I have written courses for students from reception class to degree level though my skill is mostly in devising and running programmes to reach and work with excluded groups. These include Children with autism and disability, LGBT groups, religious cultural and ethnic minorities, young people and adults in the Justice system and public engagement. I use my experience of performance, theatre, arts and video/film to create or adapt new tools for specific groups and continually adjust them for new challenges and clients. My aim is to create fun informative and thoughtful teaching with high quality outcomes.
As an artist I have been attracted to the patterns and symbols which underlie our cultural norms and my transgressive approach uses adapted toys, models, machinery and the detritus of our consumer society – repurposed to provocative effect. I also posses a love of the playful and the theatrical – bringing humour to this dialogue and a powerful understanding of societal rituals and their bizarre natures reimagined and re-presented.
Recently I have been engaged in working on opening up space and buildings for creative, cultural and community purpose. As WARPliverpool (a charity) I run meanwhile space and work with agencies such as the Baltic triangle CIC, the Anglican Church and local communities to revitalise buildings and use them as bases for creative pro-action – using the creative to provide better living systems and environments.
I ma Director of the Baltic Triangle CIC and organise streetart in the City, acting as a facilitator for new and young practitioners.