Sophie V Ellis

An amazing time was had (as always) at #SFSBristol @frenchstudies.bsky.social ! As well as collecting my R Gapper Postgraduate Essay Prize, I got to see the fameux hot air balloons and sample some culture – scrumpy included 🎈

Voilà the visual impact case study that I was commissioned to make for Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art! It weaves together quantitative and qualitative data to map the impact of our wonderful exhibition, We all came here from somewhere, which drew in over 27,000 visitors 🤯

'We all came here from somewhere is a powerful and uplifting example of how research and creativity can come together to inspire hope, action and belonging ... rooted in oustanding Newcastle Uni research, [it] is energising and empowering - a joyful celebration of hospitality' 🥹

Was so pleased to present our shortlisted project at the @newcastleuni.bsky.social #EngagementAwards2025. We may not have won (big congratulations, @astrofawcett.bsky.social 🥳) but co-curating this exhibition remains one of the highlights of my PhD and the jury's words had me brimming with pride:

Proud to see our exhibition, 'We all came here from somewhere', nominated for an Engagement and Place Award. That it totalled over 27,000 visitors makes me hopeful for tackling inhospitality in the North East 🧡

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Merci beaucoup to all the jurors who took the time to consider my essay; I can't wait to read that of my fellow winner and to celebrate at SFS Bristol! @french_studies @FrenchUoB1

I'm over the moon to have won the R. Gapper Postgraduate Essay Prize for my essay, 'Digesting (in)hospitality: Consumption, Contamination, and Capital in Olga Kisseleva's Photographic Still Lifes (2010)'! 🥳

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Today is the last day to see 'We all came here from somewhere', an exhibition of hospitable practice at @balticgateshead. Co-curating this has been the highlight of my PhD; i couldn't be prouder of what we have achieved !

And a further thank you to @adina_s for first putting me on to Depoorter and Kay's work back in 2022. I have been shouting about it to anyone who will listen ever since!

Merci mille fois to my peer reviewers for their thoughtful suggestions and to Caitlin Sturrock and Rachel Hayes for their hard work editing this exciting volume (which is open access, woo!):

mhra.org.uk/publications/W…

Proud to see my latest article out in @MHRABooks Working Papers in the Humanities! In it, I consider the body (of work) as a site of (in)hospitality in the 'Agata' photobook to ask how we might engage more hospitably with the visual text and the marginalised bodies within it.

ncl.ac.uk/press/articles…

'From having everything to nothing' - Asylum seekers shed light with exhibition | ITV News The exhibition We All Came Here From Somewhere hopes to give some of Tyneside's most vulnerable people a voice. | ITV News Tyne Tees

itv.com/news/tyne-tees…

Some amazing coverage of our exhibition, We all came here from somewhere, that runs at @balticgateshead until 8th Feb 2025 🧵

Had a gorgeous time in Durham yesterday presenting my work on @olgakisseleva's contemporary still lifes at a Food Studies symposium. Was great to think about food as both a lens and methodology and I even got to speak Russian and chat about merguez ... a win-win !

3 days until 'We all came here from somewhere' previews at @balticgateshead ... so excited for the world to see it ! 🧡

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I was recently in Paris to review La Haine en comédie musicale immersive ! Novel use of media, an inspired BO, lots of fan service and an explicitly engaged (if at times twee) political through-line. Plus a surprise appearance by Kassovitz himself ! More thoughts to come ...

*CONTENT WARNING: The presentation 'Less Magic, More Tragic: The Untold Truth of Witch Hunts' includes references to femicide, the targeted murder of women and a reference to a homophobic slur (34:33 onwards). Winners of the public lectures competition describe their cutting-edge research: Curating Welcome: from Theory to Practice by Sophie Ellis School of Modern Languages So when do we get to be post-race? by Heather Proctor School of Arts and Cultures Less Magic, More Tragic: The Untold Truth of Witch Hunts by Zoe Waters* School X: Philosophy ----------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for watching. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/INSIGHTSPublicLecturesNCL Follow INSIGHTS Public Lectures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/InsightsNCL Visit the INSIGHTS Public Lectures Website: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/events/public-lectures/ New voices on arts, humanities and social sciences by Sophie Ellis, Heather Proctor and Zoe Waters

My public lecture, 'Curating Welcome: from Theory to Practice', is now live on YouTube! Bonus points if you spot my excitement at using a clicker for the first time:

youtu.be/fmMvUK3Hoc0?si…

This is today ! Looking forward to talking all things hospitality, curation, and ... pickles (?!

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Buzzing to share that my talk got the most votes ! Do tune in if you fancy (I believe it will be uploaded online shortly after); merci Twitter friends for your support 🥳

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I have been shortlisted to give a public lecture! If you like the look of my talk, which reflects on my co-curation of an exhibition all about welcome, I would be très reconnaissante for your vote:

ncl.ac.uk/events/noticeb…

An inspiring morning meeting with our communities working group who are consulting on the exhibition I'm co-curating at @balticgateshead ! Here we are taking inspiration from @JoanneRCoates' 'Middle of Somewhere'. Details of said exhibition coming very soon ...

Brat summer: over
Writing up year: begun

Let's gooooo !

Over 3000 counter-protesting and no fash in sight, I'm so proud of my city ! 🧡

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The (beautiful) volume can be found here:

link.springer.com/book/10.1007/9…

Whilst it feels icky to be publicising myself amidst a backdrop of fascist violence in the UK, I hope that the chapters emphasis on inhospitality and the arbitrariness of place can make sense of the 'defensive domesticity' we're seeing - and perhaps usher towards an alternative.

The chapter develops my Master's research, using Michael Haneke's 2017 film, Happy End, to explore how digital spaces might destabilise the construction of a national 'home' and uncover new conceptions of hospitality not contingent on place.

Very surreal to see my first publication in print: a chapter in 'Dwelling: Cultural Representations of Inhabited Places', thoughtfully edited by @OKPetocz and Naomi Segal.

Had THE best time at #sfs2024 seeing old/new friends & being inspired by the wealth of research (& approaches to hospitality) in French Studies. Personal highlights: Lydie Moudileno's fabulous keynote, @Onedeepthinker's 'Je Suis la France' film & ceilidh-ing into the wee hours 💃