Artist Statement
I am a philosopher who makes. I explore philosophical theory through creative practices, testing ideas of philosophy as art, and art as philosophy. My longstanding appreciation of the sublime—from my child’s awe to becoming an academic expert in its conceptual history—influences my focus on nature and natural awesomeness.
Guided by wonder-filled play, my making fearless experiments with typical and atypical materials, textures, applications, leading to happy accidents and unexpected effects. My dedication to purposeful, low-impact living, radicalises my socio-economic ‘poverty’ to challenge accepted views of what is valuable, aspirational, essential, waste, disposable. Thus, the things I make embody the valuing and re-valuing of waste or disposable materials alongside natural objects. They are designed to degrade, decompose.
My physical makes are bound by the use of found, foraged, gifted, second-hand, repurposed, or already owned resources. For instance, I have created landscapes out of left-over white house paint variously mixed with discarded pen ink, coffee grounds, kitchen spices, sand, seaweed, on repurposed canvases. I have built stage settings from delivery boxes, repurposed paper, and discarded makers. And, I am cultivating a street-side garden with collected, found, rescued plants and seeds, using reclaimed materials and tools.
More broadly, I explore creative ways of doing philosophy throughout our everyday lives. In particular, I reflect on different philosophical modes of walking. Alongside my walking as philosophy practices, I have developed a related approach to photography. My un-edited point and shoot photos on my mobile phone are guided by the question: how do I capture the nature and mood of the scene within these limits? Drawing on my academic theory of aesthetic attention, it demands closely contemplating my surroundings, actively attuning myself to the moment, and imaginatively using my basic tech to frame the feeling. A creative practice in really looking.
I further connect philosophical practice with artistic and creative practices through literary non-fiction, storytelling, performance, and play.
Artist Bio
I am an academic philosopher. My research focusses on eighteenth-century conceptions of the sublime. In particular, the philosophical consequences of the changing use of the term from the transporting feelings elicited by genius poets to those by awesome nature. I also specialise in early modern philosophy, aesthetics, and philosophy of art.
I attained my PhD from University College, London, United Kingdom. I was the inaugural British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellow. I have been a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Sussex, UK. Along with ‘Phil Prof’ at the (then) Bader International Study Centre (now Bader College), for Queens University (Canada) at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, UK. I am an Associate Member of the Aesthetics Research Centre, University of Kent, UK.
I now focus on community-based philosophy in Dundee. My project ‘a philosopher…walks..talks…makes’ aims to bring philosophy to everyone through walking, talking, and making. By exploring creative ways of doing philosophy, I offer local people an opportunity to think and act philosophically throughout their everyday lives. All aspects of the project connect philosophical practices with artistic and creative practices.
‘a philosopher talks’ combines my academic skills with playful and novel ways of having philosophical conversations. As seen in my weekly Philosophy Playtime ‘where adults come to play with ideas’ at EH9 Espresso (2024-ongoing), and my Dundee Fringe Show ‘Philosophy Storytime: Erotic Tales of and for Lovers of Wisdom’ (2024 & 2025).
‘a philosopher makes’ explores how creating things, making art, telling stories, imagining are ways of doing philosophy. I have shared these explorations in Philosophy and Creativity Workshops (2025), and as a ‘Philosophical Meandering’ performance for Unplugged at City Flowers Garden Studio (2025).
‘a philosopher walks’ reflects on various philosophical ways of walking. The associated photography from the specific walking practice that I describe as Good Morning from the Tay has: received first place in the Dundee Heritage and Nature Category, International Garden Photographer of the Year (2025), Competition 18, exhibited at the Verdant Works; featured in my PechaKucha talk for Creative Dundee (2025); and been exhibited at the Generator Projects Members Show (2026).
Dr Kathrine Cuccuru, ‘a philosopher…walks…talks…makes’
