This is a series of informal seminars led by and for Arts & Humanities doctoral students. Each seminar is presented by a different PhD researcher and involves plenty of interactive discussion. This is a friendly, supportive space in which we develop critical research skills and build community.

Seminar 5.8: ‘Autoethnography as a methodological process: exploring nature connection and photography as a therapy after trauma and illness’

When & where: Thursday 20th February 2025 from 1-2 pm in Grosvenor East room 206 and on Teams (the link can be found on Moodle), with optional extension until 2.30 pm for in-person attendees. Tea, coffee, juice and snacks are provided.

Presenter: Nicola Lewis-Dixon. Nicola is in her 2nd year of part-time, practice-based PhD research. She is co-founder of Photography on Wellbeing CIC, set up by her and her business partner when they shared a photography-based creative approach in their own healing journeys. In Nicola’s case, this was following cervical cancer, years of invasive surgeries, a close-to-death encounter and a subsequent hysterectomy. Following this, Nicola went wild swimming with her camera in hand as a form of her own self-initiated social prescribing.

Format/topic: Nicola will start by introducing the many strands of embodied research that are combined to explore themes of the politics of cancer, class, shifting identity, connection to place, the idea of ‘thin places’, and phototherapy to reclaim the body and express what words cannot initially say. Nicola will share samples of her video, photography and print-based practical work, all of which are made with sustainability in mind, including her home-made botanical inks. Finally, in-person attendees will take part in a mindful cyanotype printing taster session, while online attendees will be asked to participate in some mindful at-home phone camera exercises.

Preparation: There is no pre-reading for this session, but for Q&A you may want to think about embodied research methods, therapeutic art, and the other topics discussed above in relation to your PhD project. You could also try safely getting into a lake, whatever the weather, if that’s something you would enjoy! For in-person attendees, try mindfully walking over to Grosvenor East and if possible, perhaps collect some foliage en route (even old tatty stuff is fine – it’s the silhouettes that will be captured in the cyanotype print).

Please note: Cyanotype printing isn’t a messy process, but we will be working with low-toxic chemicals so you may wish to wear an old jumper just in case. Gloves will also be provided for those that wish to use them.

If you would like to attend: Email Loretta to say whether you would like to attend online or in person, and if you have any dietary requirements (all snacks are vegetarian).