Susannah is a theorist in contemporary art and critical theory.
Susannah is a theorist, writer and lecturer in contemporary art and critical theory. They teach arts and humanities on the Graduate Diploma Art and Design, supervise doctoral research in the School of Arts and Humanities, and convene the critical pedagogies reading group.
Susannah previously taught at the Royal College of Art in Critical Historical Studies; at University of the Arts London in Contextual Theoretical Studies; and at Goldsmiths in the Visual Cultures Department.
For ten years Susannah has worked with artists, scholars, organisers, policy makers in research, education and cultural institutions writing and talking about art education and its alternatives.
Key details
School, Centre or Area
Gallery
More information
Research interests
Susannah is currently reading and writing about love as a condition for critical pedagogy drawing across queer theory and institutional-infrastructural critique. Their current research asks what of the relationship between love and work: ranging loving and equitable conditions of arts and humanities education, cultural institutions and infrastructures; queer exceptions, critical subjects, solidarities, pedagogies, practices and environments; educational alternatives and expansions.
Susannah works collectively: currently with Ekua McMorris and Apex Zero on the premise ‘love in conversation’; with Tom Clark and Bernhard Garnicnig in a working group on practices of instituting and critical infrastructure studies; with Benji Jeffrey on Dream Art School, a broadcast project imagining the perfect conditions for contemporary art education; and with Sophie Orlando thinking about critical pedagogy.
Current and recent projects
From Visual Identity to Cognitive Infrastructure: How Institutions Think and What Design Agencies Need to Know. August 2025 – Present. Collaborative research, curriculum and writing project with Dr Tom Clark (Manchester School of Art) and Dr Bernhard Garnicnig (University of Applied Arts, Vienna)
On love and critical pedagogy. May 2023 – Present. Research into the place of love at/in work, and as pedagogy. Multiple informal collaborators include Sophie Orlando, Ekua McMorris, Apex Zero, Benji Jeffrey; and outcomes including public talks, seminars, broadcast and contributions to publications.
Publications, exhibitions, other outcomes
Selected public outcomes:
forthcoming Haslam, S (2026) Love at work. In, M. Newth et al., ed., Survival Strategies [book chapter]
‘Alternative Models of Art Education’, ROOM, Freelands Foundation, London. June 2025 [chair]
FOUNDATIONAL symposium in collaboration with INFE and University of the Arts Helsinki, Royal College of Art, London. June/August 2024 [conference organiser]
Dream Art School. Spring 2024 [broadcast]
‘Love at work’, RCA podcast, Royal College of Art. December 2023 [podcast]
‘Love in Conversation’, Powers of Love: Enchantment to Disaffection, PARSE University of Gothenburg. November 2023 [seminar]
‘Rethinking Pedagogies’ seminar, Institut Français, London. June 2023 [chair]
Haslam, S (2023) Where left to seminar in 2022? Art & the Public Sphere, Special Issue: Politicizing Artistic Pedagogies: Disciplines, Struggles, Teachings, 11(1), pp. 123-50 [journal article]
Haslam, S., (2022) Open Curriculum on carbon, solidarity and the work of art [online publication]
Haslam, S., (2021) Infrastructuring Four Conversations on Cultural Infrastructure. London: TM Editions [book]
Haslam, S., and Clark, T., ‘What if the ground is not art?’ in: MARCH a journal for art & strategy, issue 1 (October 2020) pp.60-70 [essay]
Haslam, S., and Clark, T., (2020) Unbuilding Infrastructure. Basel: Institutions as a Way of Life [online publication]
Mezze Pizza (2019) Art Licks radio, 19 October 13:31 [broadcast]
‘Homemade Art’, Backstage Production, Civic House, Glasgow. June 2019 [panelist]
‘Alternatives to the alternative, or, the undercommons of art(s) education’, Forest Rangers. Jupiter Woods, London. April and May 2019 [residency workshops]
Haslam, S., and Clark, T., (2019) ‘Indeterminate – Infrastructure’, SAR International Conference on Artistic Research, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich. March [conference paper]
‘Remaking museums for new cultural politics’, Talking with Neighbours: Reimagining the Institution, Tate Modern, London.
16 February 2019 (panel chair)
NEWS Season School, Berny-Rivière. August 2018 [residency]
Haslam, S., and Clark, T., (2018) ‘When asking what one institution (the museum) can offer another (education), what if the answer looks like neither?’ BxNU symposium: In Need of Education, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle. November [conference paper]
Haslam, S., (2018) ‘Writing as Practice’ Visual Pedagogies conference International Association for Visual Culture, London College of Communication, London. September [conference paper]
Haslam, S. (2018) ‘Here we go, here we go …’ School of the Damned: Vision & Signs. Sluice, London. July 2018 [exhibition catalogue]
‘School’s Out’, Turncoat debate part of the Test Unit summer school, Civic House, Glasgow. June 2018 [panelist]
‘Alternatives to the alternative art school’ Antiuniversity 2018, London. June [convenor]
‘Friendship as Pedagogy – towards a dialogic, hybrid model of arts education’, Teaching Artistic Research symposium, University of Applied Arts, Vienna. May 2018
[conference paper]
The 100% Official Unofficial Open Day for Alternative Art Education, SET Space, London. September 2017 [speaker]
South London Tate Late, Tate Modern, London. September 2017 [panelist]
Haslam, S., and Mundey, J. (2017) ‘Alternative action(s) as a mode of address knowledge mobility and The IF Project’, in Mateus-Berr, R., and Reitstätter, L. (eds.) Art and Design Education in Time of Change. Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 31–35 [book chapter]
Haslam, S., Camargo, A., and Fritz, A., (2017) Structuring Knowledge Mobility From Coworking to Smart Spaces. London: THECUBE [online publication]
Haslam, S., and Mundey, J. (2016) In dialogue – knowledge: its movement, value and organisation or, its criticality, values and struggle [online publication]
Haslam, S., (2016) ‘Towards an Ethics of Intimacy’, Flee Immediately!, 2 [online publication]
Research Funding
Future reimagined: UK/Ukraine Season of Culture 2022, British Council (2022)
Research Fellowship, Theatrum Mundi (2019-2021)
Doctoral Studentship, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK (2013 – 2017)
External collaborations
University and College Union (UCU), Arts Emergency, the Parallax Network Group (.png), Friends of the Future, Theatrum Mundi, adpe, University of the Arts Helsinki, International Network of Foundation Educators (INFE), Society for Artistic Research (SAR), Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures, Academy of Art and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland; BxNU Institute; Design School, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London; Department of Visual Cultures, Goldsmiths; Art and Education department at University of Art and Design, Linz; Antiuniversity; Test Unit; Assemble; School of the Damned; Art&Critique; the IF Project; Wysing Arts Centre; Leeds Creative Timebank; Culture Lab, Newcastle University; Imagination Lancaster, University of Lancaster
