Dr Martyn Hudson

I am Head of Subject for Arts and Environment and Associate Professor (Reader) in Arts. I joined Northumbria in September 2017. I have taught or researched at Kingston, Surrey, Roehampton, Buckinghamshire, Teesside and Newcastle. My PHD was under the supervision of Professors Kevin Stenson, Max Travers and Paul Watt. For some years I combined academic teaching with community practice for refugee community and arts organisations.

My research spans three areas. Firstly in co-produced research with cultural organisations including galleries, event spaces and curators. This work has included Amberside Trust and Side Gallery, Hatton Gallery and the Merz Barn Wall site, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, TESTT Space Durham, NewBridge, Allenheads Contemporary Arts and many others.

Secondly, in an expansive theoretical and historical practice resting upon phenomenology and critical theory which takes in the aesthetics of the Frankfurt School to the landscapes of northern England. I am specifically informed by the notion of myth/folklore in imagined and imaginary landscapes and what this might mean for political and historical practice. The concept of autonomy in art and politics is central to understanding the kinds of speculative and alternative futures humans are attempting to build. I also have a critical interest in visual and music/sound studies.

Thirdly in the art and philosophy of Greek antiquity and specifically its sculptural mythology. Much of my practice rests upon an understanding of autonomy and aesthetics largely rooted in readings of Karl Marx, Simone Weil, Theodor Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Martin Heidegger, Rachel Bespaloff, and perhaps most importantly, Cornelius Castoriadis.

I am the editor of the Routledge book series 'Visual Modernities' and am the author of 12 academic monographs. My most recent book for Routledge came out in 2023 - 'Social Ghosts and the Dead of World History: Ghost Theory'. My new book 'The Xeno-Monde: Worlds of Strangers' is published in 2026 by Punctum. 2027 sees the publication of 'Visualising the Worlds of Modernity: Adventures in Shadowplay' (London: Routledge) co-written with Emily Hesse, Ulster University.

I worked closely with the artist and writer Dr Emily Hesse as co-performer and co-thinker on many projects and specifically the 'Ghost Sonata' project. I am the organiser of 'Chaos Club' at Northumbria and was awarded a Distinguished Teaching Fellowship in 2024 for developing the 'Building Better Planets' project. I am deputy lead on the new 'class' studies group with lead Matt Hargrave.  I was part of the AnMor editorial group examining imagined landscapes and co-founder of Echtrai journal, was the co-producer of the ERiS (Experimental Research in Spaces) seminar series at Baltic 39 and am an active participant in the Visual and Material Cultures and BxNU research groups. My research informed my role as Lead for the MA in Creative and Cultural Industries Management. I am a Senior Fellow of the HEA. I was the Chair of Amberside Trust. My current research focuses on world-building in English myth and folklore and in the philosophical architecture of modernity.