I am an experimental photographer and performer who has been working for over 20 years under various pseudonyms culminating in the fictional 'intelligence' unit, IPCRES - International Project Centre for Research into Events and Situations.
Long interesting in what has recently been termed 'fictioning' (O Sullivan/Burrows) or mythopoeisis, the forging of fictional worlds and identities, my professional career began in the 90s with the 'pataphysical photographic duo 'Klanger & Boink' with Elizabeth McDonough. This was overlapped and followed by a long period of creative work in the orbit of seminal Welsh experimental theatre companies 'Brith Gof' and 'Pearson/Brookes' under the mentorship of Director Mike Pearson. It included being a founder member of art and performance trio 'Good Cop Bad Cop' alongside John Rowley (Forced Entertainment, Heiner Goebbels, Brith Gof) and Richard Huw Morgan (Brith Gof). As the shifting collaborative partnership 'Paul+A', I developed a new theory and practice of photography named 'performed photography' (culminating in a PhD), based upon Gilles Deleuze's anti-representational concept of difference and repetition. It is made manifest through the co-evental collapse of live art and photography.
For the last decade I have worked across mediums including writing practices as the Director of IPCRES, alongside Dr Laura Jenkins. Through IPCRES they have developed a non-decisional performative form of photography. At IPCRES events and situations are designed that resonate with the concept of information (both actual and virtual) and 'filed' in the website, ipcres.com
- Teaching in previous institutions: Swansea Metropolitan University, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
- Director of Research Degrees, Art & Design, 2014-19.
- Senior Lecturer, Art & Design, conceptual and theoretical perspectives, 2014-19.
- Programme Director, MA Art & Design Portfolio, 2005-2014.
- Head of Photography, 2001-05.Programme Director, BA (Hons) Photojournalism, 1999-2004.
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Authority (HEA) 2016.
PhD, University of Wales, 2008. - At/one(mo)ment: Theses on Photography, Time and Performance.
Research supervision:
16 students (9 to completion), 6 as Lead Supervisor (3 are Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships) Includes 2 M.Phils. Topics include, Fine Art/ Photography and Philosophy/ Art & Well-Being/ New Media/ Painting and Drawing/ Collaborative Practices/ Guerrilla Advertising/ Phenomenological Practice/ Cinematography/ Health Sector Design Systems/ Experimental Music. (including a collaborative Fine Art Writing Practice double submission/2 awards)
Research degrees examining (external):
M.Phil in Photography, University of Edinburgh, 2014.
PhD in Photography and Ethics, London Metropolitan University, 2018.
Research degrees examining (internal):
PhD, Fine Art, Painting and Drawing.
External examining:
- Newcastle College, 2017-
- University of Northampton, 2013-17
- London South Bank University, 2010-14
- University of Creative Arts, Maidstone 2009-13
- University of Chester, 2006-2010
- University of the Arts, London, 2003-2008
Course validations:
- External Panel Member, BA (Hons) Photography, Farnborough College of Technology. (University of Surrey) 2019.
- Document Reader, Validation, BA (Hons) Photography, Bucks New University, 2019.
- External Panel Member, Art Subject Area Periodic review. University of Derby, 2014.
- Partnership Panel Member, Masters in Art & Design, Hereford College of Art, 2014.
- External Validator MA Fine Art, Coventry University, 2005.
- External Validator MA Photography, University of Newport, 2002.
Partnership roles:
- Faculty partnership coordinator/moderator for the Hereford Masters in Fine Art, 2013-19.
- Partnership Team Leader for MA Contemporary Craft, Hereford College of Art. 2014-19.
- Partnership Team Leader for MA Fine Art, Hereford College of Art. 2017-19.
- Board of Trustees Ffotogallery/ the Photography Gallery of Wales, 2004-12.
- Founder Member TRAWS Inter-University Research Group into Performance in Wales, 2003-8.
