Research

My background is in archaeology and although contemporary and post-medieval archaeology is at the centre of all my research, I have a number of ongoing research projects looking at public art, built heritage, public archaeology and experimental fieldwork practice. See below for some of the themes of recent research and Publications for recent writing on a variety of subjects.

Art-Archaeology

Since 2006, when I started my PhD in Creative Arts at the University of the West of England, I have been a dedicated art-archaeology researcher with interests including ‘visual archaeologies’ and aesthetics, public art, archaeology and performance, and the incorporation of artistic practice in archaeology.

Read: Two Riots: The Importance of Civil Unrest in Contemporary Archaeology

Read: Archaeological Explorations of Duration in the Contemporary City

Placemaking

My PhD thesis Public Art and Contemporary Archaeology in the Context of Urban Regeneration developed ways in which archaeologists can use public art alongside contemporary archaeological field methods to better understand the nature of urban change, and make new, different contributions to the process of urban regeneration. I have continued this strand of research post-PhD, with a focus on how we can use archaeological methods and interpretation to analyse the contemporary landscape towards creating better places and spaces for people.

Read: Creating Habitable Cities from the Bottom Up

Read: Human-Environment Relations In Built Heritage And Urban Places

Read: Archaeology And Public Art In Changing Urban Places

Archaeology and Politics

Although it overlaps a lot with my other two research areas, I have undertaken a number of projects looking at the relationship between archaeology and politics, from direct engagement with politicians and political processes, to helping people use archaeology to make their lives better on a daily (micro-political) basis.

Read: Archaeology, Politics, and Politicians

Read: Tools of the City

Read: Archaeology of Austerity