I am a visual and carnival artist with a diverse practice that encompasses photography and printmaking, processional and outdoor arts and light-based works. My work often has a participatory element, working with communities to explore how creativity can facilitate personal and social growth and change.

My Fellowship took me to India and Bali to research traditional theatre and carnival arts and the communities that make them. I was particularly interested in how the arts can be embedded in a community and the benefits that creating and taking part in arts activities can have on an individual and wider social level.

The trip was immensely inspiring and I came back with a wealth of ideas, techniques, plans and projects. Particularly relevant was my time spent in Bali witnessing the community creation of giant 'Ogoh-Ogoh' (illuminated carnival puppets) and since my return I have co-founded a participatory arts organisation, The Lamplighters. We deliver creative workshops and large-scale lantern parades within communities with the aim of promoting individual wellbeing and community cohesion.