curriculum vitae

Nikki Pugh (UK, 1977).

Download an abridged version of this CV (PDF format, updated 11/2017). For an overview of individual works, please see the projects page.

Statement

Instigating enquiry-led processes that are often participatory in nature, I’m primarily interested in issues around interaction: how we interact with spaces and landscapes; how we interact with each other; and how we interact with objects. Typically I will instigate a starting point and a mechanism to support exploration, discussion and criticism.

My practice encompasses locative and digital media, walking, performative actions in public spaces (in turn including pervasive games), installation, physical computing and collaboration.

I co-founded and worked extensively with BARG (pervasive games network) and fizzPOP (hackspace). As
founder of the Many & Varied collective, I worked to establish networks, develop audiences and manage events to support an ecosystem of boundary-pushing, interdisciplinary, collaborative, creative projects.

Education:

09/2012 – 08/2015 University of the West of England, Bristol.
MA Art, Media and Design by Project (part time), Merit.
My final project—Where the Sky Widens—was an investigation of the making and use of spatially-aware paper pods and how this facilitated discussion about our strong emotional connections to distant places.
09/2000 – 06/2006 Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England in Birmingham.
B.A. Art and Design (by Negotiated Study) First Class (Hons).
Foundation diploma in Art and Design, Distinction.
09/2004 – 06/2005 Dudley College of Technology.
Professional Development Certificate in Sculpture.
09/1997 – 06/2000 University of Birmingham.
B. Eng Materials Science and Technology, First Class (Hons).

Residencies:

02/2018 – present Artist in residence at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University.
Spring 2017 Residency at The Wordsworth Trust / Duddon Valley with Lancaster University.
08/2016 Residency at Sudborough Green Lodge for Fermynwoods Contemporary Art.
07/2016 Colony Live Lab at Birmingham Open Media, Birmingham.
Spring 2016 Residency developing Colony at the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol.
09/2015 – 06/2016 Artist in Residence, Wolverhampton School of Art.
06 – 09/2014 Residency developing Colony at the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol.
12/2013 – 04/2014 EC-Arts administered residency relating to the regeneration of Longbridge, Birmingham.
Summer 2013 Many & Varied, residency exploring maker culture and DIY technology at The Public
09/2012 Artspace Research Commissions (ARC) HIJACK, residency at Coventry Artspace
05/2012 Residency and commissions for Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, near Corby.
03/2012 Residency at the Phoenix film and digital media centre, Leicester.
02/2011 Ministry of Rules with City Gallery at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester.
01-16/05/2010 fizzPOP residency at The Lombard Method, Birmingham.
30/10 – 01/12/2008 Almost Perfect, Banff New Media Institute, Canada.
11/2005 – 07/2006 Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Birmingham. Supported by VIVID’s Interdisciplinary Support Programme.

Grants:

04/2019 STEAMhouse Grant. Support to buy tooling for bicycle framebuilding.
01/2019 Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice. Support to learn the craft of bicycle framebuilding.
08/2018 Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant for further development of Colony
05/2017 Artists’ International Development Fund, Tokyo Interactions research trip, various locations around Japan
01/2017 Grants for the Arts, By Duddon’s Side Working with Lancaster University to support The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere.
04/2016 Grants for the Arts, Orrery for Landscape, Sinew and Serendipity.
12/2015 Grants for the Arts, Colony R&D activities.
03/2015 Grants for the Arts, Creative Enterprise (Coventry University) and Birmingham City University. Many & Varied Community-building events: Bees in a Tin conference and series of monthly Salons
01/2015 UWE Bristol Santander Masters Bursary Scheme 2014/15 (support for research and dissemination).
04/2014 Grants for the Arts, Colony residency at the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol.
06/2013 Inkvisible prototyping, Arts and the Digital Ideas Lab (part of King’s Cultural Institute’s Creative Futures programme, produced in collaboration with Caper).
05/2013 Grants for the Arts, Many & Varied pilot activities.
09/2011 Artists Access to Art Colleges, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.
08/2011 Grants for the Arts, Professional development activities.
Spring 2011 Platinum 2. Professional development scheme run by Fierce.
06/2010 Grant from Hide&Seek to develop sonar goggles and The Bloop game.
10/2009 Hello Digital fringe event: fizzPOP Howduino hackday.
10/2008 Grants for the Arts, Almost Perfect residency.
07/2008 Grants for the Arts, Emergent Game in Japan.
06/2007 Grants for the Arts, Research trip to Japan.
07/2006 Springhill Institute Project Development Grant.
08/2005 Interdisciplinary Support Programme: R&D grant for collaborative research and cross-disciplinary activity through risk-taking and experimentation.

Solo Exhibitions:

09/2013 Ride (Birmingham – York), Bournville College, Birmingham. Network-connected sculpture moving in response and near-real-time to a 240-mile cycle ride.
8 – 9/09/2012 Interactive installations available for discovery, Coventry Artspace & Heritage Open Days.
03/12 Documentation of residency, Phoenix Square film and digital media centre, Leicester.
10/2009 Documentation of Invigilator: Malvern, collaboration with Paul Conneally, commissioned and exhibited by Malvern Exhibition of Contemporary Art.
06/2006 – present Day Science/Night Science: site-specific installation at the University of Birmingham. (Now in the University’s permanent collection.)

Group Exhibitions:

05/2019 Flux Artists in Residence exhibition at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University.
04/2018 Transitions Artists in Residence exhibition at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University.
11/2017 Mobile Utopias, Lancaster University.
01-09/09/2016 Artists in Residence work alongside the MA Show, Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
02-03/2016 BOM Fellows: Live R&D, Birmingham Open Media.
11/2015-3/2016 Right Here Right Now, The Lowry, Salford Quays.
03-05/2015 BOM Fellows: Live R&D, Birmingham Open Media.
02/2013 Re:Call, part of Art has Left the Building, BIAD, Birmingham.
26/04 – 11/05/2012 And Miles to go Before I Sleep…, ARTicle, Birmingham.
02/06/2011 Fierce’s Platinum showcase, Birmingham.
14/05/10 Territorial Play, part of Radiator’s Tracing Mobility programme, Nottingham.
06/03 – 02/05/2010 West Midlands Open, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
07-11/07/2009 Pieces of Eight, City Gallery, Leicester
07/2009 BNMI exhibition at Botega Gallery, Banff, Canada
07/2008 – 04/2009 2°. Weather, Climate, Man, Stiftung Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden, Germany. Selection of items from theweatherproject.
28/06/2008 GOODS In, Birmingham. Curated by Harminder Judge and Charlotte Levine. One day exhibition in a disused warehouse.
03 – 15/12/2007 Artgos, artsparkle/theartmarket, Leeds. Artists working with multiples.
05 – 31/03/2007 c.art.ed in Ansdell: 14 artists’ interventions in Ansdell, Lancashire.
01/09/2006 Volume 0 for the Peer-to-Peer Sketchbooks project, Springhill Institute, Birmingham.
06 – 12/2006 Open, MILL-WORKERS, Manchester.
12 – 17/06/2006 Degree show, International Project Space, Birmingham.
12 – 14/03/2004 threshold, exhibition in a vacant shop space, Birmingham.

Texts:

05/2019 46% Bad: some thoughts and observations about infrastructure, a 20 page, A5 black and white zine to accompany a sculptural manifestation of a pictogram from a cycle lane.
12/2015 L.A. Re.Play: Mobile Network Culture in Placemaking, Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Volume 21 Issue 1, More Than Just a Pinpoint: Locative Media and the Chorographic Impulse, Kim Sawchuk & Samuel Thulin.
12/2015 L.A. Re.Play: Mobile Network Culture in Placemaking, Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Volume 21 Issue 1, Locative Awareness: A Mobilities Approach to Locative Art, Jen Southern.
In preparation Chapter for Envisioning Networked Urban Mobilities.
08/2015 Where the Sky Widens: An exploration of slow making and spatially-aware prototypes as methods for considering emotional connections to distant places. Evaluative document (equivalent to a dissertation) for an MA final project.
02/2013 Libre Graphics Magazine, Issue 2.1, Localisation/Internationalization.
07/2012 Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching: A Beginner’s Guide. Nicola Whitton (Editor), Alex Moseley (Editor), Routledge. Interview.
09/03/2011 Interview by Nina Simon about Ministry of Rules for Museum 2.0
12/2010 Uncertain Eastside – Document One: 2009. Project documentation.
08/07/2010 Coverage of The Bloop, Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
10/2008 Half A Brick In A Carrier Bag, Conneally and Pugh
/seconds issue 9: vanishing point, the vicious and virtuous circle
09/2008 Emergent Play. An essay by Dr Sadie Plant in response to the first iteration of Emergent Game,a commission for New Generation Arts.
07/2008 ContentsMayVary Issue 2. Artists’ publication.
09/2006 ANTI TALENT ZONE: Curated space within the TEN4 Magazine.

Professional Experience:

03/07/2015 Reflections on Communicating Research, presentation at How to Play Knowledge, Birmingham, City University.
29/01/2015 Mentor for Hoipolloi’s Stories from… A Digital World, Junction, Cambridge.
Throughout 2015 One of the ten inaugural fellows at Birmingham Open Media.
11/2014 Developing Colony: evolution of landscape-reactive creatures. Under the ‘art as mobile research: the journey of making’ thread at Networked Urban Mobilities, a Cosmobilities
Network conference, Copenhagen.
06/2014 Consultancy for a playful experience at the National Trust property Croome Court.
03/04/2014 (re)form follows function: presentation at PKN Coventry.
03-04/2014 Researcher for Bikes and Bloomers sociological research project by Kat Jungnickel at Goldsmiths College, London.
22/03/2014 Talk the Walk: speaker on a panel of artists from the West Midlands who utilise walking within their practice.
02/2014 Bees in a Tin: Event organiser and co-curator for a 1-day interdisciplinary conference.
10/2013 29 Not-Quite-Random Walks Around Tokyo: presentation at PKN Coventry.
09/2013 Landscape-reactive sashes workshop, Global Conference On Mobility Futures, Lancaster.
25/08/2013 Presenter, If Wet…, Callow End, Worcestershire.
07/2014 – present Collaborative Arts Triple Helix: collaborative co-creation of innovative digital prototypes by teams drawn from across three sectors. Igloo project with The Bone Ensemble and The University of Birmingham.
02/07/2013 Art + Satellites, Free Exchange talks programme, Fermynwoods Contemporary Art.
21/05/2013 Untitled presentation, Pecha Kucha Coventry.
23/11/2012 Lunchtime Talk, Pervasive media Studio, Bristol. Place interfaces – thoughts on bubblewrap, bees and lumps of clay
Spring 2012 Project Management, Still Walking festival, Birmingham (15th March – 1st April 2012).
08/02/12 Speaker, The Sanitised City: How public is public space?, Birmingham Salon.
17/11/11 Panel member for Mobile, Location and Games, Hello Culture conference, Birmingham.
09-10/2011 Research and production trip to New York City, USA.
07-08/2011 Project Management, Routes, Roles & Rules, The City Gallery, Leicester
09/06/2011 Consultancy for The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum
10/05/2011 Own this City presentation at Pecha Kucha Night, Volume 4, Coventry.
29/08/2010 Enter the Arena: games event commissioned by the Midlands Arts Centre.
15/08/2010 Taste the Game: games event commissioned by the Midlands Arts Centre.
09-11/07/2010 Delivery of The Bloop game at Hide & Seek Weekender, National Theatre, London.
26/06/2010 Playtesting The Bloop at H&S Sandpit, Warwick Arts Centre, in partnership with Fierce!
22-23/10/2009 Attendee and workshop leader, MuseumNext: innovative ways to create more engaging experiences for museum and gallery visitors.
13/10/2009 Arts+Media Cre8us Creative Partnerships Event.
28/06/2009 Presentation and participatory game at Mozcamp, Moseley, Birmingham
22/05/2009 Presentation at Post Digital event, Fazeley Studios, Birmingham
04/2009 – 10/2010 Core member of the fizzPOP hackerspce: oganising events and regularly contributing to www.fizzPOP.org.uk
12/2008 Co-founder (with pindec) of BARG: pervasive and social games network. Organising meetings, events and games through until October 2010
09/2008 Call and Return workshops in Japan and participating in Dislocate08
Throughout 2008 Mentoring programme with Eastside Projects, Birmingham.
10/2007 – 05/2008 Creative Apprentices training scheme run by Aliss and Creative Partnerships. Developing workshops for educational environments.
06/2007 – 07/2007 Research trip to Japan and attendance at Dislocate07 symposium.
04/2006 – 2009 Member of the Self-Service planning group, artist-led activities and criticism.
06/2006 – 04/2007 Regular participant in 100 Verses for 3 Estates for Alec Finlay and Gavin Wade: shared writing to document a community. 6 workshops in total.
09/2006 – 11/2006 Research trip to Japan.
06/2005 – 08/2005 Student Exchange Programme, Joshibi University of Art and Design, Japan
12/2004 – 06/2005 Internship Programme/ Professional Development Scheme: project management of a touring exhibition.

Schools and Workshops:

01/04/2014 Presentation to 2nd and 3rd year graphics students, University of the West of England.
11/2013 GPS Orchestra: workshops for the week-long Digital Producers’ Lab, Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol.
01/2013 Visiting Tutor, Creative Mis-fitting, BA Art & Design, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.
25/08/2012 GPS Orchestra, workshop for Octopus Collective, Barrow-in-Furness.
Summer 2012 Various education projects for IKON Gallery, Birmingham.
10/05/2012 Gretton Explorers, Gretton Primary School, near Corby.
31/11/2011 What are the Splacists? Professional development day for MADE, Birmingham.
19/11/2011 Easy Circuit Bending, workshop for GLI.TC/H BIRM festival, Birmingham.
09/07/2011 Circuit bending 101, workshop at STATIC Trading Co., Liverpool.
Spring term 2011 Creative Partnerships project, Wyvern Primary School, Leicester.
February half term 2011 Ministry of Rules, emergent activities for the Play Ground exhibition curated by The City Gallery, Leicester.
27/11/2010 Circuit bending 101, workshop at Meshed Media, Birmingham.
06/11/2010 Circuit bending 101, workshop at Nottingham Hackspace, Nottingham.
Autumn term 2010 Creative Partnerships project, Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Leicester.
Summer term 2010 Creative Partnerships project, Mowmacre Hill Primary School, Leicester.
Summer term 2010 Creative Partnerships project, Breedon Hancock’s C of E First School, Tewkesbury.
Spring term 2010 Active learning in Maths project, Whitmore Park Primary School, Coventry.
Spring 2010 Flexible learning day planning and delivery, including design of a pervasive game, Cardinal Wiseman Secondary School, Coventry.
Spring term 2010 Come Alive with Science programme, King Edward VII Science & Sport College, Coalville, Leicestershire.
04/12/2009 Creative Learning Day at Mowmacre Hill Primary School, Leicester.
10/10/2009 Maps and Mechanics for Interacting with Space, day-long workshop for Joshibi Summer School, Birmingham City University
01/08/2009 Emergent Game at the Hide&Seek Weekender Festival, London
24/06/2009 Emergent Game at Sandpit 13, Royal Festival Hall, London
Summer term 2009 WOW! A song for Skatz, Linden Primary School, Leicestershire.
Spring term 2009 Come Alive with Science, Babington Community Technology College, Leicestershire.
19-21/09/2008 Call and Return at igfest (Interesting Games Festival), Bristol
13/09/2008 Call and Return workshop at Dislocate08, Yokohama.
08/09/2008 Call and Return workshop at hanare project, Kyoto
05/08-07/08 Our Discovery Project, Hawthorn School, Birmingham.
05/08-06/08 Where have the trees gone? Christ Church School, Birmingham.
04/2008 The Cocoon Project. Imperial Avenue School, Leicester.
10/2007 – 12/2009 Children’s Science Presenter, Mad Science West Midlands. Hands-on science experiments and demonstrations for children aged 3 to 12.


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