CV - DR MELANIE KING
SUMMARY
Multi-Disciplinary Artist. Originally from Manchester, now based in Ramsgate, Kent, UK.
Founding Director: London Alternative Photography Collective & Lumen Studios
Co-Director: super/collider
Lecturer in Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Represented by Land Art Agency.
EDUCATION
PhD Fine Art, Royal College of Art, 2024.
UCAP (Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy), Canterbury Christ Church University, 2024.
MA Art and Science, Central Saint Martins, 2013.
BA Fine Art, Leeds Art University, 2011.
EXHIBITIONS
See Exhibitions Page here.
COLLECTIONS
Canterbury Christ Church University
AWARDS
Curatorspace Bursary, 2024.
Arts Council England, Developing Your Creative Practice Grant for "Acquaintance" , 2023.
Arts Council England, Project Grant for "Precious Metals", 2021.
Royal Academy of Engineering. Ingenious Public Engagement Grant, 2021. (With Leah Nani Alconcel, University of Birmingham)
Rebecca Vassie Memorial Trust, 2021.
Arts Council England Emergency Covid 19 Grant, 2020.
South East Creatives Grant, 2020.
Rebecca Vassie Memorial Trust, 2019.
Grantham Art Prize, Imperial College London, 2019.
Threshold Award, Metro Imaging, 2018.
Royal College of Art, Conference Funding Award, July 2018.
London College of Communication, Research Funding Award, March 2017
COMMISSIONS
Photo-Canopy, Burton On Trent, Derby, 2024.
Photographing The Invisible with Dr Carlos Cueto, Imperial College London & Royal College of Art, London, 2023.
Glacial Movements and the Ghaib, British Council Pakistan-UK New Perspectives, 2022. (Lumen)
Collaboration with Pak Khawateen Painting Club - Hunza Glacial Region, Pakistan.
Changing Currents, Space Studios London, ARUP and The River Roding Trust, London, 2022. (super/collider)
Nature Now: Curating Climate, Signal Film and Media & Forestry Commission, The Lake District, 2022. (super/collider)
Superposition UK/HK, Red Eye Photography Network Manchester / Open Eye Gallery Liverpool.
Collaboration with Fong Hin Nam and Wong Pak Hang, 2022.
ITV Creates Ident Commission. Aired February 2021.
Submerged Landscapes, Mural, 2021. Supported by Mozilla Foundation. 2021.
Back To Nature, Imperial Lates Online, (super/collider), 2020.
Ultra, ArtxScience, Imperial College London, Kings College London and the Royal College of Art, London, 2020.
Trajectories III, Watermans Gallery, London, 2020.
Museum of Freemasonry, London, (Lumen), 2020.
EU Science Hub, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, 2019.
Margate Film Festival, 2019
Bow Arts, 2018
Mayes Creative, 2018.
Vivid Projects (Lumen), 2018
On Bubbles, COS Stores & Design Miami, 2017
Green Man Festival (Lumen), 2017
Developed In Birmingham, 2017
Aries On The Horizon (Lumen), British Science Association, 2017
Chelsea Flower Fringe, June 2016
On Light, World Record Cyanotype, The Wellcome Trust, May 2015.
RESIDENCIES
Mawddach Residency, Gwynedd, Wales, 2025.
Island Darkroom Residency, Achmore, Scotland, February 2024.
The Lengths, Achaphubuil, Scotland, January 2024.
School of Metallurgy and Materials, The University of Birmingham, UK, Feb 2021 to July 2022
Climate Breakdown Residency, SPACER, Ramsgate, UK, July 2021 - Oct 2021.
The Fish Factory, Cornwall, UK, October 2020.
Space-Earth-Space, Field Notes: The Heavens, BioArtSociety, Kilpisjärvi, Finland, September 2019.
Exchange of the Light, XYZ Books, Lisbon, June 2019
Tombolo, Brow Head, Mizen Peninsula, West Cork, Ireland. May 2019.
Joya: Arte & Ecologia, April 2019
Bow Arts, Raw Labs, October 2018 - February 2019
Resonances, EU Commission, Ispra, Italy. June 2018.
SÍM Residency, Reykjavik, Iceland, February 2018
Whitechapel Gallery, November 2017 - January 2018.
Laboratory of Dark Matters, Guest Projects, April 2017
Royal College of Art Merz Barn Residency, February 2017
Kielder Observatory, February 2017 (Supported by LCC Research)
The Story Of Light, Goa, India, January 2015
Foyle Foundation Residency, Four Corners Film, London, UK, December 2014.
The Old Lookout Gallery, Broadstairs, UK, 2014
MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, Oxford University, UK, 2012.
SCREEN APPEARANCES
ITV Creates Ident Commission. Aired February 2021.
BBC4 Bauhaus Rules with Vic Reeves, January 2019.
She Takes The Night, Museum of London & Photofusion, June 2018.
TEACHING
BA Photography, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK, September 2021 - Present.
BA Photography, University of West London, UK, January 2019 - May 2021.
MA Fine Art Pathways, Royal College of Art, London, UK, January 2018 - Present.
GUEST LECTURES
Royal College of Art, Bath Spa University, Leeds Art University, Canterbury Christ Church University, UCA Rochester, UCA Farnham, Plymouth University, London South Bank University, London College of Communication, Leeds University, Newcastle University
Central Saint Martins, International Space University: Space Studies Programme, Brighton University, Liverpool Hope University
Winchester School of Art, The Margate School, Norwich University of the Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University, Camberwell College of Art, University of Bolton.
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, International Astronomical Union, 12-15 November 2024. (Online)
The Social: Planning Exhibitions, The Photographer's Gallery, London, 23 October 2024.
Format 24, Future Now Artists & Curator Panel Discussion, 20 June 2024. (Online)
Tea's Time Conference, Camberwell College of Art, London, UK, 15 March 2024.
Conversations on Photography, University of Cambridge, UK, 11 March 2024.
Ascensions 4: Class, Royal College of Art, UK, 7 December 2023.
The Eyes #14: Fracture, The Eyes Magazine Launch, La Comète, Paris, France, 9 November 2023.
eco_media IV: rip, rip, microchip, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. 21 November 2022. (Online)
No School Nevers, Nevers, France. 16 July 2022.
Ancient Light, Levels of Life: Photography Imaging and the Vertical Perspective, London College of Communication, 02 July 2022.
Ancient Light, Artistic Research in Analog Photography, Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland, 04 March 2022. (Online)
Biocolour - Exploring Sustainable Colour, Arktikum Science Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland, 14 October 2021. (Online)
Expanding Dialogues: Arts and Engineering, Brighton CCA, University Of Brighton, 02 October 2021.
Ancient Light, Multiple Ecologies, Diverse Ontologies, University of Plymouth, 28-29 September 2021. (Online)
Ancient Light, Big Day Film Collective, Philadelphia, USA, 11 September 2021. (Online)
Light Talk, The Halide Project, USA, 28 June 2021. (Online)
On Cosmic Kinship, Arts & Health Hub Conference, 22 May 2021. (Online)
Format International Photography Festival 2021, 12 March 2021. (Online)
Working Class Academics Conference, The Bureau Centre for the Arts Blackburn (Held Online), 14 - 15 July 2020. (Online)
The Art and Science of the Moon, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, 14 - 15 November 2019.
Mayo Dark Skies Festival, Mayo, Ireland, 01 - 03 November 2019.
Culture-Space Research Network, Science Museum, 31 July 2019 - 01 August 2019.
The Power of The Collective, Chelsea College of Art, 16 April 2019
Astrophotography, Royal Museums Greenwich, 25 October 2018
Orbit, Arts and Culture, IAC, Bremen, Germany, 02 October 2018
The Astrologer That Fell Into A Well, Manpuku-ji Temple, Osaka, Japan, 9 September 2018.
Pasadena LASER, Art Center, Pasadena, California, USA, 23 July 2018
Into The Night Panel Discussion & Film, Photofusion and Museum of London, 22 June 2018
Stellar, Vivid Projects, Birmingham, 4 May 2018
Ancient Light, The Royal Photographic Society, V&A, 21 April 2018
Pointed or Pointless? Recalibrating The Index, The Photographers' Gallery UK, June 2017
Bubbles, Lapsody 2017, University of the Arts Helsinki, May 2017
Re-Animating Materiality through Sound, TATE Exchange, TATE Modern, UK, March 2017
Kosmica, La Colonie, Paris, France, March 2017
Sensing Space, Kosmica, Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico, Toluca, Mexico, October 2016.
Contemporary Arts Practice and Outer Space, IAC, Guadalajara, Mexico, September 2016
London LASER, Central Saint Martins, London, UK, May 2016
Helsinki Photomedia 2016, Aalto University, Finland, March 2016
Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Germany, February 2016
SELECTED CURATORIAL PROJECTS
Symbiosis III, Brighton Photo Fringe, Brighton, October 2024. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Cosmic Perspectives: Bring Your Own Beamer, St Georges Church Crypt, Ramsgate, October 2024. (Lumen Studios)
Symbiosis II, Four Corners Gallery, London, May 2024. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Symbiosis, Hundred Years Gallery, London, January 2024. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Beyond Silver, The Hive, Birmingham, January 2023. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Transmutation, The Margate School, January 2023. (London Alternative Photography Collective, Thanet Alt Photo)
Precious Metals Seminar (Online), Photofusion, July 2022.
Silver Sisters, Power of Women, The Margate School, March 2022. (Thanet Alt Photo)
Deep Time (Robert Macfarlane, Timothy Morton, Flora Bowden), Online, Faith In Strangers Margate, December 2020. (super/collider)
Our Night Skies, Video Commission, Arts Council England (Lumen Studios), October 2020.
Light Reflections, Turner Contemporary, Margate, July 2020. (super/collider)
The Sustainable Darkroom Residency, Guest Projects, London, April and July 2020. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Natural Light, AIR Gallery, Altrincham, November 2019 (Lumen)
Through The Looking Glass, Ugly Duck, October 2019 (Lumen)
The Photographic Object / Object-ivity, Offshoot Art Space, July 2019. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Lumen X Mayes Creative Residency, Lizard Point, Cornwall, UK, March 2019 (Lumen)
Cosmic Perspectives, Ugly Duck, London, May 2018 (Lumen)
On Light Exhibition and Symposium, Chelsea College of Art, London, May 2018 (Lumen)
Stellar, Vivid Projects, Birmingham, April - May 2018 (Lumen)
Hyper Analogue, The Photographers' Gallery, November 2017 (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Making It Real: Analogue Festival, Ugly Duck, October 2017 (London Alternative Photography Collective)
Lumen Residency, Atina, Italy, 2014-2018. (Lumen)
Shadows Symposium II: Natural Transformations, London College of Communication, March 2017 (London Alternative Photography Collective)
micromuseum of sleep, super/collider & Bompas and Parr, Citizen M Hotel, September 2016 (super/collider)
Aether, Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Berlin, Germany, 20 February - 03 April 2016. (Aether)
Celestial Bodies, Digital Shoreditch, Shoreditch Town Hall, London, UK, May 2015. (super/collider)
Convenor of the Shadows Symposium at Camberwell College of Art, London, UK, May 2015. (London Alternative Photography Collective)
SELECTED WORKSHOPS
Telescope and Microscope Polaroids, In Situ and Harwes Farm, Colne, Lancashire, UK, 14&15 September 2024.
Cyanotype with Botanical Toning, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK, 19 February 2024.
Lumen Printing, Cementfields, Ebbsfleet Academy, UK, 28 March 2023.
Schlieren Photography with Dr Carlos Cueto, Imperial Lates, Imperial College London, London, 09 March 2023. Supported by CCCU.
Phytogram, Royal College of Art, 13 February 2023.
Caffenol Developer, Photofusion Gallery, London, 10 July 2022.
Cyanotype & Anthotype, Positive View Foundation, 06 April 2022.
Seaweed Developer, with Ramsgate Through The Senses, 19 March 2022.
Natural Chemigrams, Photoworks, 3 October 2020. (Held Online)
Sustainable Photographic Processes, Baltic 39 with Newcastle University, 27 & 28 February 2020.
Black & White Darkroom Processes, Courtauld Institute of Art & Gate Darkroom, 17 January 2020
Solargraph, Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, 27 November 2019.
Anthotype & Caffenol, Sustainable Photographic Processes, Royal College of Art, 04 November 2019
Moon Gazing, Observer: John Latham and the Distant Perspective, Chelsea Space, Chelsea College of Art, 10 July 2019.
Cyanotypes, TATE Britain, April 2019.
Chemigram, TATE Modern, September 2018
Whitechapel Gallery , Family Day, January 2018
Phosphorescence & Laser Light, Laboratory of Dark Matters, Cleveland Mining Museum, July 2017
Chemigram, The Photographers' Gallery, June 2017
SELECTED WRITING
Ancient Light: Rematerialising The Astronomical Image, PhD Thesis, Royal College of Art, 2024.
Surfacing, Island Darkroom Blog Post, May 2024.
The Eyes #14: Fracture, The Eyes Publishing, November 2023. Launch at Paris Photo 2023.
fold #05: Awakening, Sea Foundation Tilburg, October 2022. (Commission)
A (C)osmosis Art in-between Disciplines, Cambridge Scholars, Published: August 2021.
Venti Journal: Air, Experience, Aesthetics. The Clarke Institute, Massachsetts, USA. September 2020.
Energy Systems, Well Projects, Margate, September 2020. (Commission)
On Bubbles, COS Stores and Miami Design Festival, December 2017. (Commission)
Parallax: Perspectives In Astronomy & Photography, Interalia Magazine, November 2017
First Light, Inside The Outside, June 2017
Metaphors in Art & Science: The Bubble As A Metaphor for the Brevity of Life, MA Thesis, Central Saint Martins, 2013.
Learning from Vanitas Art & The Day of the Dead, Wild Culture Magazine, November 2013.
Curious at West Norwood Cemetery, Wild Culture Magazine, August 2013.