I am a part-time PhD candidate in the Philosophy department at King's College London. My main interest is in the philosophy of emotions, expressions, art and imagination. My research question concerns how we 'see' emotions. Are these visible? How are they related to expressions? And, how come we think we see them appear or emerge from crushed rocks suspended in oil and slathered onto flat canvases? The more I think about it the weirder it seems.
I returned to Uni as a freshly hatched Masters student, having spent 20 + years in Brand Marketing. I loved the whole business of inventing and refining commercial fictional 'characters'. Nurturing them from concept to fruition. Giving them a tone of voice, or a look. Part of that joy involved working on brands that lots of people loved. Heritage brands, new brands, bookish brands and blinging brands. As video got cheaper, so more and more of our brands outgrew the format of still prints to find new life in moving films.
I became increasingly curious about how audiences are capable of interacting with brands in their various formulations. How are we managing to develop intense relationships with 'stuff' that is actually diaphanous, contrived and strangely lacking in any sort of mind? Why do we care so much for these colourful artefacts?
On this website you will find information relevant to my work in philosophy.