Post Graduate Researcher
I'm going back to school!
Between October 2022 and September 2027, thanks to a post graduate research scholarship from the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, I will be joining the University of Leeds Doctoral College as a part time PhD student. This page documents my PhD Research into sustainable puppetry practice and uses of puppetry in climate change activism settings
I am researching Sustainable Puppetry Practices: The Communicative Efficacy of Climate Change Themed Giant Puppetry in Public Space.
Sustainable Puppetry Practices is a practice led, qualitative research project that Investigates the communicative efficacy of a climate change themed giant puppet in public space. By taking a reflexive, reflective, auto-ethnographic approach to the praxis of ecologically driven mask and puppet theatre, Arm of the Sea Theater (USA) (1982 to present), to the artistic climate activism of Extinction Rebellion UK (XR UK) (2018 to present) and to my own practice of producing climate change themed giant puppet for the outdoors, the project asks:
How do large scale puppets disrupt public space?
How effective are these puppets in communicating emotions and generating empathy in their audience?
How effective are these puppets in inspiring audience's positive, informed action to address climate change?
The project seeks, through auto/ethnography, practice and theory, to elicit new knowledge around the communicative efficacy of large scale puppetry practice in public space by exploring the aesthetics of a giant puppet performance in the outdoors and how audiences respond to climate information received from different sources such as i) climate change communications; ii) arts activism iii) Eco performance and iv) climate change themed puppetry performances in public space.