I am a writer and visual artist. Currently I am Professor (Chair) in Photography and Media in the Dept of Media and Communication, School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool. I co-direct the Centre for Culture and Everyday Life (CCEL). Previously, I worked in the London School of Film, Media and Design at the University of West London, 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 environment in relation to photography, and with questions relating to contemporary social and everyday photography practices. My published books are Museums, Media and Cultural Theory (2006), Museum Media (2015) and Photography: The Unfettered Image (2018). My next book A Dirty History of Photography: Chemistry, Fog and Empire will be published by the University of Chicago Press in 2025

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, Dot Allison 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.