Dr Mark Peter Wright

Biography

Mark Peter Wright is the Director of CRiSAP (Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice) and Reader in Critical Sound Practice at the London College of Communication.

His practice spans sound, installation, writing, performance and collaboration. Drawing on documentary fieldwork and site-based research, he explores the poetics and politics of sound and listening. These interests are located at the intersections of sound arts, experimental pedagogy and critical theory.

Academic Leadership: Centre Director: Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) Committees: Professoriate, College Research Committee (CRC) and College Research Degree Sub Committee (CRDSC).

Publishing: My book Listening After Nature: Field Recording, Ecology, Critical Practice (Bloomsbury, 2022/23) contributes new debate to the practice of field recording by combining analysis from sound studies and the environmental humanities. It has been reviewed widely and incorporated into curriculum globally, across disciplines. You can listen to an interview with me about the book via Resonance FM.

“This book shows us how listening is a position of power, and equally, of immense responsibility. It is crucial reading for students and scholars of sound arts, environmental humanities, and media philosophy” Sasha Englemann, Royal Holloway University of London.

Further publishing includes chapters and peer reviewed articles for Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, DPR Barcelona, Uniform Books; Interference Journal, Leonardo Music Journal, Evental Aesthetics Journal, Sensate Journal and the Journal of Sonic Studies amongst others.

Practice: My solo practice has been commissioned by TATE, Royal Academy of the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Rome, New York Public Library, Catalyst Arts, IMT Gallery and more. Work has been featured in Art Monthly, Wire Magazine and the BBC. I was named British Composer of the Year in Sonic Arts and have a sound work permanently installed in Trinity House Square, Dublin. You can read a recent interview feature on my practice via LA+ Interdisciplinary Journal of Landscape Architecture.

I co-founded Matterlurgy Studio, a collaborative practice that undertakes cross disciplinary projects across art and climate science. We have been commissioned by Arts Catalyst, Delfina Foundation, Onassis Stegi, Welcome Collection, Whitechapel Gallery and more. Artworks have been acquired in permanent collections and featured in press such as the Guardian. In 2023, Matterlurgy was nominated for the renowned Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Artists.

Talks and Conferences: I deliver keynote talks, bespoke lectures and workshops at prestigious international organisations. Recent invitations include the Centre for Research Architecture (Goldsmiths University), Sound Arguments (Orpheus Instituut, Ghent), Uncommon Senses (Concordia University, Montréal) and Re-Wire Festival (Netherlands). Many more highlights include Harvard University, Oslo School of Environmental Humanities, Royal Geographical Soicety and the Critical Media Lab, Basel.

Partnerships and funding: I am involved in preparing and submitting external funding bids to bodies such as the AHRC, ERC, British Academy, British Council and Leverhulme Trust. I have collaborated on successful grants including ARHC (AH/S001212/1: £475,071), Leverhulme Trust (AIR-059 / F-20134: £14,375), Techne Conflux (£10,000). I have successfully acquired funding from organisations such as Arts Council England and the Elephant Trust. Recently, I developed an international partnership with the University of the Philippines supported by the British Council and LCC’s international Office. Further to this, I am exploring contract research opportunities that utilise the specialist knowledge base within my own practice and a research centre such as CRiSAP.

Reviewing, advisory and panels: I take part in panels and editorials constantly. I have reviewed grant applications for the AHRC, book proposals and manuscripts for publishers such as Bloomsbury and Minnesota Press and journals including JAR, Seismograf, Social & Cultural Geography and many more. I am currently co-editing a special edition for Resonance Journal (University of California Press). I have served on advisory boards for Sounding Sonic Knowledge Network and Networked through Sound (AHRC funded projects). At a college level, I review ethics applications for research staff and students as part of a wide-range of committee-based activities.

Supervision and examining: I have a track-record of successful supervision for research students. These have been on topics such as sound and atomic culture, field recording and geography, listening and place-making. I currently supervise 8 PhD students across a diverse range of approaches that combine politics, ecology and pedagogy through expanded modes of making, within and beyond sound. Recent external work includes PhD examinations with RMIT Melbourne, Goldsmiths University and Royal Holloway University of London. In 2021, I received the Outstanding Postgraduate Supervisor Award, UAL.

If you are considering a PhD, please refer to CRiSAP's website and follow UAL’s guidance.

Please email me directly to discuss PhD supervision, potential collaborations, partnerships and funded research bids.