Julie Marsh is an artist-filmmaker, practice-based researcher, and educator. At the core of her research lies a collaborative approach to arts-based research conducted at both local and global scales. Her artistic practice builds upon the notion of "place as apparatus," framing the filmmaking process as a site-responsive, collective act. Julie’s work integrates experimental filmmaking techniques with a documentary approach to investigate and articulate the material, architectural, social, political, and institutional discourses embedded within 'site'. Her recent projects, Assembly and Moving Pictures, specifically work with diaspora faith communities by offering creative agency through film as a tool for self-representation and storytelling. These projects highlight personal and collective experiences while addressing broader social, cultural, and political issues.
Julie is a researcher at the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM) and the research lead for the Arts, Communication, and Culture Research Community at the University of Westminster. She is involved with The Deep Field Project, located at the intersection of contemporary art practice and ecological, environmental, and social justice, and is an active member of HOMELandS (Hub on Migration, Exile, Languages and Spaces) at the University of Westminster. Her research findings have been shared internationally through conferences, journals, screenings, and exhibitions.
Julie’s work as a practice-based researcher redefines the boundaries of nonfiction filmmaking, investigating the intricate relationship between art, society, and spatial agency. A key innovation in her work is the development of the research methodology "site-integrity" featured in the Journal for Artistic Research, Issue 19 (2019). This approach investigates how camera-motorised devices can 'perform' a site through an ethically and culturally informed lens, creating critical experiences for audiences that open debate and question social spaces. In this methodology, the camera actively collaborates with both human and non-human agents to highlight the dynamic, emergent, and relational nature of place. Julie’s research has been shared internationally through site-specific film screenings, conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and exhibitions.
Recent research and arts grants include: