The Presence of Absence and Other States of Space argues that absence has an underlying presence that links the territorialised space of the non-place and the interstitial space of the border zone. It is posited that disturbed areas are created that interrupt, amongst other things, placial identity. It was also argued that the term 'non-place' has a limited validity in contemporary society. Also, as a fine art, practice-led study, viewing space was continually questioned both with regard to my own practice and to other, mostly contemporary, artists. The research was multi-disciplinary and used observation and reflection to form the basis of studio practice from which exhibition material was then gathered. Ideas were tested in both conventional and unconventional exhibition spaces, predominantly through installation, expanded sculpture and site-specific. Throughout, theory and practice have existed side by side, each informing and being informed by the other in a circular and reflective manner. The academic and practice research base was international and included the UK, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Laos, Norway and United States of America. Primary authors included Marc Augé, Gaston Bachelard, Homi K. Bhabha, Michel De Certeau and Henri Lefebvre and, later, particular resonances were found in Martin Heidegger and Michel Foucault. Visual references were mainly Western and included Belgium artist, Francis Alÿs (b.1956) and Michael Elmgreen (b. Denmark 1961) and Ingar Dragset (b. Norway 1969). The main outcomes have been that absence was identified as an underlying concept especially regarding placial identity; that place was seen as a site of memory and experience in addition to being locational; the term 'non-place' was found to be of general limited validity mainly due to the overwhelming presence of genericness caused chiefly by contemporary economic constraint. In the narrow authoritarian space of the border, a pause was identified that occurred in the everyday life of the user that showed similarity to the user of the non-place. Applied to the process of viewing it was accepted that, whilst the white cube mode of viewing was imperfect, no better system was found where the artwork could be idealised in such a way. As an overall viewing experience for the casual viewer however, it gave a poor outcome. Viewing of art in the everyday created dichotomies that related directly to the duration of display where permanent art could easily become invisible due to its constant presence. Immediate relevance was found in my own practice especially with regard to art exhibition and viewing. The importance of these findings concerns art and architecture where value has to be placed on social and cultural identity that then contributes to placial identity, thus creating presence instead of absence.

Contemporary art is seen as an effective way of communicating complicated science to a range of lay audiences, particularly in the context of medical research. This is the premise of ‘sciart’. However this rationale can limit the cultural significance of artworks by overstating their illustrative capacity, an outcome that severely reduces the creative endeavour of the artist. Based on the first-hand experience of an artist whose career has engaged with the opportunities afforded by ‘sciart’, this study seeks to address the illustration problem by exploring new methods of working across art and science that challenge representations of the inherited neuromuscular disorder myotonic dystrophy, a condition which affects one in 8000 adults in the UK. Hazel, a film made by the artist with the participation of eleven women affected by the condition, is placed at the centre of this as a case study. Pioneering work with the UK Myotonic Dystrophy Patient Registry facilitated recruitment, and it is this process that forms the unique contribution to knowledge of the research. By illuminating the multiple loss experienced by families struggling with physical and social decline, this research offers a practical and theoretical image of the capacity contemporary artists have to shape research into myotonic dystrophy. The study will argue that this capacity is more ambitious than illustration, more extensive than the communication of family insights. Thus it can embrace a much-needed form of research leadership that is built upon an artist’s scope to say powerful things by withholding information. In addition, the employment of feminist literature on ageing and appearance, and sociological research into the decline and isolation of affected families, helps define the particular form of leadership that can arise through extreme personal circumstances. As pressures on services increase, cross-sector influence becomes increasingly important and this thesis and body of practical work explores the future impact of contemporary artists taking a lead in shaping research agendas in the genetic sciences.

In the increasingly popular area of research into creativity in education; students’ perceptions of creativity are an important consideration for developing a creative environment. Consequently, student’s perceptions of creative thinking and practice are a key resource for educators to be innovative in creating educational excellence. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions about their art classroom environments which either stimulate or inhibit the development of creative thinking and practices, in girls’ intermediate schools (12-15 years) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It addresses the following research question: Is it possible to improve perceptions of creative thinking and practices, of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia, through control of art classroom environments? There were three parts to this study: firstly, the pre-intervention study to explore and identify a range of factors with potential to influence perceptions of creative thinking and practices; secondly, the main part of the study was the intervention to determine the impact of manipulating classroom variables with potential to influence perceptions of creative thinking and practices; and thirdly, follow up visits to determine whether the environmental changes, and the changes in perceptions, had continued. The samples used in the intervention study were students (n = 225) all from second year classes in nine secondary schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The research findings were obtained by observation using behaviour mapping and Likertscale questionnaires indicated that students’ perceptions of creative thinking and practices were improved through changing table and seating arrangement and wall displays. The contribution to new knowledge in this study will inform participants working within and related to the field of education and in particular art education, proposing considerations for appropriate improvements to learning environments by: · Developing a research process for identifying and testing environmental influences upon the perception of creative thinking and practices. · Evidencing how table and seating arrangement, and wall display, can improve perceptions of creative thinking and practice in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.