Research interests
My research focuses on the following areas:
Cultural Work
I have a long-standing interest in the diferent career pathways and transitions into cultural work. This was first developed in my PhD on digital games design titled, 'The industry of creativity: economic visions, creative subjects and innovative technologies in process' (AHRC funded at Lancaster University). This research was subsequently developed in relation to several media industries and occupations.
In 2013 I co-edited Cultural Work and Higher Education (with Dr Catriona Noonan). Solo authored articles in this area examined “cultural workers-in-the-making” (2013) and pathways into working in the creative economy (2015).
Recent research and publications with Dr Karen Patel have examined vlogging careers. Aspects of this were developed with Dr Emma Agusita in the 2018-19 “Unexpected Enterprises” project funded by Enterprise Educators UK. Findings from this Project were published as a book chapter in Pathways into Creative Working Lives (2020; edited by Stephanie Taylor and Susan Luckman).
I am currently developing a project examining artificial intelligence and cultural work. This has included presentations at the Cultural Histories, Creative Futures conference (Winchester, July 2019) and Artificial Creativity conference (Malmo, October 2020), and a public workshop and discussion with Dr Karen Patel as part of the University of Southampton’s Human Worlds festival (November 2020).
Place and Space
I have presented my research on cultural entrepreneurs and culture-led urban regeneration in Nanjing and Suzhou in China. Connecting with my interests in higher education and the creative economy, I co-authored a chapter with Dr Roberta Comunian on universities as creative hubs in Creative Hubs in Question (2019; edited by Ros Gill, Andy C. Pratt and Tarek E. Virani).
I am currently part of the research team for the Arts Council England supported “Connecting Culture” research project examining young people’s engagement with Southampton’s Cultural Quarter. This connects with my wider research on the UK city of culture competition, including organising a roundtable with Dr Toby Bennett for the Creativity, Knowledge, Cities conference.
Cultural Engagement and Participation
My research in this area has examined participation in crowdsourced documentary films, and notions of professional and amateur media (with Professor Paul Long).
More recently I have been undertaking research on practices of audience profiling and segmentation and co-authored an article in 2019 with Dr Ronda Gowland-Pryde.
Funding Culture
I recently completed a project supported by the Winchester School of Art Strategic Research Fund. This research has been presented at several conferences and is the basis for collaborations with Laboratory Adelaide: The Value of Culture at Flinders Research. This collaboration has involved a presentation from Professor Julian Meyrick at John Hansard Gallery and I visited Adelaide in February 2020. Several publications are currently being developed with Dr Tully Barnett.
PhD Supervision
I am currently on the supervisory team for five Postgraduate Researchers at the University:
- Raxi Dixit (with Dr Yasmin Sekhon)
- Stuart Francis (with Dr Nik Mahon and Dr Megen de Bruin-Molé)
- Samantha Schäfer (with Dr Seth Giddings)
- Xiao Wei (with Dr Yuanyuan Yin)
- Makanani Bell (with Professor Fraser Sturt and Dr Lucy Blue)
Supervision to completion:
Dr Aurelia Ayisi (2018) A Different Kind of Creative Work: A Case Study of Visual Artists in Bath and Bristol
I have also participated in PhD admissions interviews, upgrade panels, and thesis examinations (as internal and external examiner in the UK and as external examiner by distance in Australia).
I welcome hearing from those interested in undertaking research at WSA/University of Southampton in the following areas: creative and cultural industries; digital cultures; media industries, organisations and production; participatory cultures.
Research group
Transforming Creativity Research Group
Affiliate research group
Works Futures Research Centre
Dr Daniel Ashton Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, Park Avenue, Winchester SO23 8DL, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Room Number: 63A/1035