Awards:
- Arts Council England Status of National Portfolio Organisation
- ACE: Grants for the Arts since 2003
- British Council International Research since 2011
- Vice Chancellors Post-Graduate Scholarship, MMU 2015-2023
- University of Central Lancashire Research Awards since 2011
- AHRC Bursary Award 2001
- Juliet Gomperts Trust 2008
- Tom Buckroyd Prize for Art
Directing and Curating:
2012 - 2019. A Founding Director of In-Situ - William is a Founding Director of an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in East Lancashire. With the aim of ‘Making Art a part of Everyday Life’. Exploring how art can be embedded into everyday situations with local and international communities, working creatively with People, Place and the Environment.
2012 – 2014 ‘INSPIRE’ International Strategic Partnerships In Research & Education. I was the Principle Investigator for this British Council funded project and collaborated with external organisations in the UK and an International Partner Institution - The Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in Lahore, Pakistan.
2016-2019 ‘[birdsong]’ a community film project. A feature film of William’s engagement with the people, place and environment of East Lancashire. Initiated by him asking people ‘What can you remember about an old film called Whistle Down the Wind?’ from 1961.
1996 – 2002. The Waterside Programme: Fourteen public site-specific exhibitions, performances, installations and publications exploring the site of a lost village in Colne, East Lancashire, which was demolished in the 1960’s as part of the ‘Slum Clearance Act’, displacing an entire community.
2002 – 2004 Pavilion: Founder Director-Curator of a contemporary public art space in East Lancashire. The world’s first 24-hour artist residency programme with regional, national and international artists delivering 11 in a living room.
Exhibitions, Residencies and Projects.
2023 – 50 Years of Wigan Casino: Time Machine. In residence with the Northern Soul community in the Northwest. Exhibition in Wigan Arndale Centre with photographer Dean Chalkley.
2019 – 2020 Artist in Residence: Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery: ‘Kicking Down The Barriers’. Collaborating with communities in Blackburn.
2017 ongoing. ‘The Time Machine’ - Exploring the soundtrack of time and space, the interactive sculpture is a work in progress, constructed from a 1976 Jukebox.
2004 - 2018. ‘Demolition Street’. An Archive of a Lancashire Street. William worked with residents on a street in Colne, faced with enforced displacement.
2011 ‘Something in the Pipeline’ Performance and Exhibition at Cube, Manchester. In collaboration with artist Jason Minsky.
2002 – 2006 Tidal Properties - Resident artist for Allerdale Borough Council in Workington and Maryport, Cumbria.
2016 ongoing. ‘The Gentleman’s Wardrobe’
The interactive audio-visual sculpture called ‘The Gentleman’s Wardrobe’ emerged from a social process involving a small group of men in East Lancashire who cared for a loved one at home.
2012 – 2014 ‘Recorded Soul’
A community engagement project engaging with a group of young street dancers and the established community of Northern Soul in the UK.
2012 ongoing. ‘Lahore – Chandigarh’ A Touring Community Engagement Exhibition made from 100 photographs from Lahore, Pakistan and 100 photographs from Chandigarh, India.
2010 ‘Flower of Lahore’: a collection of work inspired by Lahore Pakistan (paintings, sculpture, video) shown at Rogue Project Space Gallery, Manchester.
2004 – ongoing. ‘Sorry, I am Lost’ Interactive, performative residencies in the UK, France, Germany, and Poland.
An investigation into virtual displacement using new technologies and social media.
2007 – 2008. Artist in Residence - “Monument’, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, Residency for ‘One & All’ at Manchester Library.
Conferences, Symposia and Open Talks.
2019 Symposium Speaker - ‘Art & Class’ – Preston. Exploring the presence of class in the arts, and its impact on professional development/progression.
2018 ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ - The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester. International, Interdisciplinary Symposium Exploring popular music, memory and Asian identity.
2016 International Conference Speaker - ‘Brief Encounters’; Canterbury University – The Art of Participation and Performance. Exploring the navigation of space through photography and social processes.
2015 Public Discussion in Brierfield (with Suzanne Lacy Artist, Writer and Professor of Arts at USC Roski School of Fine Arts, California.)
2014 ‘International Networks and Local Landscapes’ William initiated, organized and curated a 3-day event in venues across Lancashire. Presenting exhibitions, workshops, and seminars to delegates from the UK, Europe, Pakistan, and the USA. Discussing key topics relating to socially engaged arts practice.
Publications
2019 - ATM18, ’Who Do You Think You Are?’ Book by Cornerhouse. A book of artworks and writings by artists and curators on the subject of Contemporary Asian Identity.
2017 - ‘Creative Relations’ A Paper - Taylor & Francis. Journal of Social Work. An artists’ perspective on the impact of participation in socially engaged art projects.
2017 - ‘Brief Encounters’ A Paper in Journal: The Art of Participation (PARtake).
2015 – ‘Demolition Street’. Book in collaboration with Dr Julian Manley. Produced by Arts Council England and UCLan.
2014 - ‘INSPIRE’, A book produced by British Council, Published by Café Royal Books.
2014 – ‘Northern Souls: The Sound of an Underground’ A 12” Vinyl Record.
2014 - ‘Shift’ A DVD – Community Street-Northern Soul Dance Project.
2012 - ‘Lahore – Chandigarh’: A book produced by Arts Council England, Published by Café Royal Books.
2005 - ‘2167 miles’ A limited edition interactive artists book kit, designed in collaboration with the community of Northside, Workington, Cumbria.
Education and Training
2015 – 2023 PhD in Social Art Practice - Manchester Metropolitan University.
2003 – 2005 PGCE - Huddersfield University.
2001 - 2002 MA - Art As Environment - Manchester Metropolitan University.
1998 – 2001 B.A. (1st Class, Hons) Degree: Fine Art. UCLan.
Employment History
2012 – 2019 - Founding Director: In-Situ, Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation.
2003 - Date - Senior Lecturer MA Fine Art: UClan, Preston.
