Alia

I am a Wiltshire-based visual artist and consultant working with people and places through commissions, projects, residencies, walks and workshops. I work with media of relevance to each place, its ecology and heritage, from ‘natural’ and recycled materials, to photographs, text, sound and video. Previous Hampshire residencies have included working with Spud (New Forest), John Hansard Museum (Southampton) and Andover Museum. My consultancy work includes writing for publication, mentoring for emerging artists/creatives, and advisory work/professional development for the arts/heritage and environmental sectors. Access and inclusion is key to all my work, with a particular focus on the value of queer and neurodivergent voices/experiences.

I am an award-winning visual artist using moving image to create video art and installations, often incorporating multidisciplinary, site-specific and live artworks. The main focus of my work is how art and technology can be used to explore the embodiment of space by the self and other, while challenging notions of absence and presence, real and simulated, and live versus mediated experience. I use specialised equipment and innovative filmmaking techniques to engage audiences, allowing them to bring their own sense of self and experiences to the artworks.

I am a community archaeologist & wellbeing facilitator. I love to discover and tell untold stories from the past & to help people discover history & engage in cultural heritage. I help heritage organisations with community engagement, co-creation, education, outreach & interpretation. I offer public historical walks and talks. I am passionate about the role heritage can play in wellbeing & communities. I enjoy taking heritage into care settings & groups, with through reminiscence & object handling. I have completed the Green Dementia Care programme am looking forward to offering Elders of the Woods sessions very soon. In community venues, I run Arts, Crafts & Archaeology workshops & work with social prescribers.