I am a writer and visual artist. I am Professor in Photography and Media in the School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool. I am co-director of the Centre for Culture and Everyday Life (CCEL) at the University and teach on the MA Media, Culture and Everyday Life. Until September 2019 I was Professor in Photography and Cultural History in the London School of Film, Media and Design at the University of West London, and before that I taught at the University of Brighton and the University of the West of England in Bristol.

I write on photography, museums, digital media, cultural history and my writing is influenced by the writings of Walter Benjamin among others. I also write and research about Otto Neurath and Isotype, the Ilford photographic company, and photography and media between the two World Wars. My current research is concerned with atmosphere, colonialism and climate in relation to photography. My published books are Museums, Media and Cultural Theory (2006), Museum Media (2015) and Photography: The Unfettered Image (2018).

My visual work is broadly concerned with utopianism, modernism and everyday life. I work in various media including ink drawing, cyanotype, digital and film photography. I also do design work / art direction for musical projects with artists such as PJ Harvey and John Parish.

I have a PhD by Publication from the University of Brighton, an MA in the Social History of Art from Leeds University and a BA (hons) in Fine Art / Art History from Goldsmiths, University of London (1986-89). I have taught photography theory and practice, cultural studies and media studies for over 30 years.