About
Carmen Byrne is an interdisciplinary artist and arts-based researcher.
She loves exploring different ways to identify, create and share stories to inform change. Her enthusiasm for co-productive working stems from the belief that the most influential and inclusive changes happen when individuals with different experiences and perspectives come together.
Often she works alongside marginalised individuals, groups and communities in sharing their stories, calling for and making social change.
She has worked with organisations such as Shelter, Crisis, Centrepoint, StreetSupport Network, Poverty Truth Commission, Theatre in Flow and Oxford University (plus more).
Carmen has been freelance for c7 years after escaping the creative industries where she worked across multi-channel projects for global brands and hyper-local public health behaviour change campaigns (amongst others).
She has also just completed a 10-month funded project exploring ways to bring her autistic sensory experiences to life using creative coding (P5.js): funded by the Arts Council as part of Developing Your Creative Practice.
“As a practitioner I’ve always been most fascinated by the power of image and story – it’s great to be able to bring these together in my work and to be part of the changes which happen as a result.”
Part of Mayhem, monsters and mice — Arts Council funded project
Inspiration
Carmen’s artwork is rich in storytelling, influenced by a combination of the social commentary of Northern artists such as Stephanie Dingle, Roger Hampson and L.S. Lowry, and the rich multi-layered narratives of Indian art and design.
The wonderful 1950’s Festival Pattern Group has also been a longstanding source of inspiration – the interdisciplinary nature of science, technology and art endlessly fascinating. Perhaps then, it is unsurprising that Carmen moves between digital and traditional art methods, finding that different approaches bring different storytelling opportunities.
Underpinning all her work is ongoing fascination of the interplay between mind-body and place; this is something she has continued to explore beyond her doctoral research.
International Women’s Day at Theatre in flow (image by Rebecca Lupton)
Working together
The great thing about working freelance, is meeting and working alongside different teams to bring a project to life. Of course, as an advocate for co-productive working Carmen likes working in a non-hierarchical way — in recognition that all our different experiences are equally valuable.