About Me

I describe my practice as participatory media practice, shaped over a number of years beginning with practice-based doctoral study, which I completed in 2017 in the Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice in DIT (now TU Dublin). Central to my approach are democratic processes underpinned by theoretical frames of voice, listening and recognition. My aim is to support young people to develop skills in self-representation by selecting their own themes, and learning the artistic skills they consider appropriate to communicate their perspectives. I try to create shared space for experimentation with creative arts and media forms alongside meaningful discussion. Critical social reflection and analysis helps us to both explore issues that matter to participants, and find appropriate expression for their unique voices through mediums of their choice. The transformative potential I identify in these processes includes participants creating work that expresses their unique perspectives and insights; gradually recognising the value of what they have to say; and developing the courage to engage as active participants in the public realm.

Having graduated with a degree in film & broadcasting in 2004, over the course of my emerging career I gravitated towards developing a more democratic media practice, prioritising self-representation among participants with whom I engaged. I began shaping a participatory media practice in 2011 through doctoral study in the Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice in DIT, locating my work in two youth services in Dublin's north-inner city. Through this practice-based research I engaged young people aged 16-23 in a participatory media project, titled A Different Light. Through processes of critical reflection and conversation, alongside the development of various digital media and artistic skills as chosen by participating young people, participants explored self-selected themes and expressed their own unique perspectives through a collection of individual projects. I have continued to work in this capacity, developing my practice in the youth work sector, and working on various programmes in youth services across Dublin.

I continue to work in a freelance capacity as a photographer, documenting a range of events and celebrations, and producing a variety of digital media projects with diverse clients and collaborators, incorporating photography, video, and web.