Professor of Photography

  • Academic
  • Research
Professor Anna Fox

Professor Anna Fox leads our MFA Photography course at UCA Farnham. Anna has created a compelling study of the bizarre and the ordinary in British life; a mix of social observation and personal diary projects.

Professor Anna Fox

Bio

Anna joined University for the Creative Arts in 2004 as Head of Photography. In 2009 she became Professor of Photography. Before working at UCA Anna had been senior lecturer on the Masters courses at University of the Arts, London and at the Royal College of Art and she has led numerous photography workshops/master classes around the globe. She now teaches across the BA and MFA photography as well as supervising PhD students.

Anna graduated with a first class (Hons) BA in Audio Visual Studies from West Surrey College of Art & Design (now UCA) in 1986.

Research statement

Anna’s research is primarily practice based and focuses on new approaches to documentary practice, story telling and publishing photography. She has also curated several exhibitions, made two short films, edited and written a number of books including Street Dreams, Langford’s Basic Photography and Behind the Image.

Her work has been exhibited and published internationally and she has been shortlisted for two major prizes: in 2010 the Deutsche Borse Prize and in 2012 the Pilar Citoler Prize. Her main concerns are with looking at the overlooked and the everyday and most of her early work was concentrated on life in the South of England.

More recently she has made work in the Netherlands, India, France and the US. Her key areas of focus have been rural life, women’s lives, the leisure industry, domestic narrative, masquerade and ritual.

Anna has contributed to a number of international conferences including Windows on the World at Going Global (Hong Kong), Henri Cartier Bresson Conference, National Museum of Photography, Bradford, City to Sea, Goldsmiths, Images of the Real: The Power of the Image, Politechnico de Porto, ASA, New Delhi, What do you mean by Photography?, Tate Britain, Fabrication, Nida seminars, Lithuania and Still and Moving Image, Academy of Arts, Oslo.

Recent publications have focused on the leisure industry in France and the UK. Recent exhibitions have included work based on the leisure industry and on contemporary spirituality in India.

Research supervision

Anna’s specialisms regarding research and supervision are:

Documentary photography, women in photography, story telling, colour photography, British documentary photography, Indian photography, publishing photography and the photo book.

Anna is currently supervising four PhD students at UCA:

  • David Summerill
  • Grigoris Digkas
  • Marilene Ribeiro
  • Teza Soe

Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy

Anna has acted as consultant for:

  • The development of the MA Photography at London College of Communication
  • The MDes programme in photography at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
  • The photography strand of the PG diploma at Srishti College of Art, Design and Technology
  • MITuniversiteit, Sundsvall – new PG Photography programme with an emphasis on internationalisation of the curriculum.

Anna has been external examiner at the following institutions:

  • Westminster University BA Photographic Media, 2001–2005
  • University of Plymouth BA Photography, 2005–2010
  • University of Brighton BA Photography, 2010-2013
  • University of Ulster MFA Photography, 2013
  • Anna is Guest Faculty at The One School Goa, 2014

Awards:

  • 1993  Research Award for curation, Arts Council of England.
  • 1994  Travel Award for research, Arts Council of England.
  • 1995  Visual Arts Award, London Arts Board for new work.
  • 1999  AHRB for new work
  • 2000  AHRB for publication; The Hasselblad Foundation Scholarship; AHRB, for new work
  • 2002  Southern Arts for new work
  • 2005  Arts Council of England for new video work
  • 2008  Arts Council England for Exhibition; PMI2 (Prime Ministers Initiative) Fund for student project with NID in India; UKIERI award for collaborative delivery MFA Photography, at NID
  • 2009  British Council Visual Arts Award, exhibition in India; PMI2 (Prime Ministers Initiative) Fund for student project with NID in India
  • 2010  Shortlisted for the Deutsche Borse Prize; PMI2 travel award to the US; National Media Museum award for Butlin’s project
  • 2011  UKIERI Tripartite Research Award connecting India, UK and US
  • 2012  UKIERI staff exchange to Srishti in Bangalore; UKIERI student study missions NID and UCA – India/UK
  • 2015  ACE for publication

Commissions:

  • 1986  Hydrocarbons, for the Scott Gallery, Lancaster
  • 1988  Work Stations, for Camerawork and The Museum of London
  • 1991  Regeneration 1 & 2, for Site Gallery, Sheffield
  • 1992  The Village, for The Cross Channel Photographic Mission
  • 1994  La Retraite, for ARPA and Caisse des Depots et Consignations, Paris.
  • 1998  La Lycée, for Galerie Le Lieu, Lorient.
  • 2001  Made in Milton Keynes 2001, for Milton Keynes Gallery.
  • 2002/3 Up in the Air, Liverpool for Furtherafield.
  • 2004  Further Up in the Air, a book of ideas, Liverpool for Furtherafield.
  • 2009  Resort; the new face of Butlins, Bognor for Pallant House
  • 2011  The World in London, Olympic portraits for the Photographers Gallery, London
  • 2012  Loisirs, commission for Photaumnales, Beauvais.
  • 2015  A Moon and a Smile, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea