Phoebe completed their MA (2016) at the Centre for Research
Architecture, Goldsmiths and their BA (2013) in Fine Art at Leeds and Lisbon
Universities. They are starting their PhD research ‘a queer
enquiry into embodied encounters of contemporary NHS mental health care’ in February 2022 and are a recipient of the Gertrude Aston Bowater Bursary PhD
Award.
Phoebe’s practice-based research explores the clinical encounter
for inpatients in locked NHS mental-health services. Seeking alternatives to
standardised approaches in mental-health care, which rely on binary modalities
such as sick/healthy, normal/pathological, their approach builds upon expanded
notions of ‘queer’ that challenge established categories of identity and
disturb the order of things (Ahmed, 2016). The concept of ‘pathoplasty’ (Oury,
2007), in understanding how disorders are constructed in correlation with the
social and material environment, provides a framework for the research. Their
artistic practice acts as a tool for both investigation and dissemination in
de-stabilising ‘othering’ categories, communicated through mental-health unit
environments.
Alongside their practice, Phoebe leads research at Hospital Rooms, a charity who facilitate workshops and installations with critically acclaimed artists in NHS mental health units. Through this they curated an exhibition and public programme at South London Gallery.