I am fascinated by the relationship between visual culture and politics. I have written about the way still and moving images, like video games, horror films, and twitter images, impact our understanding of world politics. The spectacle and spectatorship have also been key recurring themes throughout my scholarship.

My engagement with the creative arts has been deepened and enriched by my life partner - and increasingly research collaborator - Camille Serisier, who is a professional artist and curator. I frequently feature in her work, and she is a part of everything I do. Through her I have been immersed in exhibitions openings, artist residencies, and studio collectives. I have installed shows, posed in sets, and learnt to draw. When Camille was a scenic painter for Opera Australia, I worked as a mechanist on My Fair Lady, hauled grand sets from stage to storage, and even worked on the maintenance crew. These experiences have expanded my understanding of visual culture and its role in politics.

And, of course, having Roland Bleiker as my PhD Supervisor at the University of Queensland had a huge impact on my engagement with visual culture. In addition to being an inspirational human being, his work on aesthetics has expanded our discipline and opened up space for a generation of scholars to do innovative and interdisciplinary work. In a twist of fate, Camille is in the midst of a PhD in Photography, researching creative methods and reflexivity, and Roland’s work has found its way onto her reading list. Meanwhile, I am learning more about creative methods every day!