Dr Graeme Whitehall

Biography

Dr Whitehall has been involved in teaching and research within the HE Sector for nearly 20 years and has had a stress on research informed teaching and delivering modules that replaced a traditional Euro-centric curriculum with a more global focus that better reflected the cultural diversity of his students. Historically Dr Whitehall’s module designs have reflected both his research and wider intellectual interests, with teaching containing a focus on Sustainability, the Picturesque, Site specificity, Hybridity, Orientalism, aspects of colonial urban development – and further reflecting his interest in visual literacy.

He has produced a number of publications, been involved in a range of collaborations and appeared on BBC television and radio.

At our university he has been Chair of the Research Ethics sub-committee and sat on other deliberative committees including the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Committee and Research Committee. He authored our project module guide ‘A Guide to Effective Research Project Management’.

Appointments

Dr Whitehall is a trustee of the Maharajah’s Well Trust a self-sustaining charity which has the sole responsibility for the conservation and sustainable management of a listed and culturally significant Indo-Saracenic architectural site.

He worked in collaboration with ArtsAsia.org on the Heritage Lottery Fund Project ‘In India’s Image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian architecture in the South East of England’ (2017-2019). He was both on the Psycon (University of Wolverhampton) Planning Committee and Chair of the Psycon Scientific Review Committee for the International Conference on Construction Futures/Psycon, 2018.

Qualifications and memberships

Teaching

Research interests

Industry

Qualifications and memberships

Qualifications

BA History and History of Art, University of West London
PGC(F)E, University of Reading
PhD, University of the West of England

Memberships

FRPS (Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society)
FRGS (Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society)
SFHEA (Senior Fellow of Advance HE)

Teaching

Dr Whitehall leads the postgraduate project (dissertation) module for MBA and MSc programs which incorporates Research Methodology. He has previously taught at all levels from Access courses, through to Masters.

He taught dissertation, and historical, contextual and critical theory modules at the University of West London (2005-2012) (on BA Fashion & Textiles, Photography and Fda/BA Interior Architecture), and at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), Farnham, (2007-2011) (on BA Fine Art). He also recently contributed to the MSc Sustainable Heritage programme at UCL’s Bartlett School, Institute of Sustainable Heritage. He has taught at the University since 2016.

Research interests

A transdisciplinary cultural historian, Dr Whitehall works in the gaps between disciplines, with a focus on South Asia, mentalities and hybridity or acculturation. Interests include Indo-Saracenic architecture, aspects of Anglo-Indian cultural intertwining, intercommunal interpersonal relationships, technology, social space and order. Also, in the Picturesque, psychology and landscape, and taking inspiration from Gaston Bachelard’s ‘Poetics of Space’, the idea of an oneiric parish. He uses photographic and other visual methodologies as prompts for research. Following Giovanni Morelli’s idea of the significance of insignificance details he is concerned with the history of small things and ephemeral objects and the narratives they reveal – and with both tangible and intangible heritage.

Industry

Before lecturing he ran a specialist international trade-aid social enterprise and research consultancy. Consultancy clients included amongst others, the Governor of Goa in relation to the art collection at the former Portuguese Vice-Regal Palace, Lord Deedes on the Africa ’95 exhibition and English Heritage. He undertook market analysis, procurement, object, archive, architectural and artist research – pioneering the world’s first online archive, photographic and studio auction sales. He curated a number of exhibitions including: ‘Catherine Lyons (1794-1857) – In the Shadows of Mountains’, (2001) in collaboration with The Radnorshire Museum with funding from The Council of Museums in Wales.

Publications

Books

Whitehall Graeme, (2019), In India’s Image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian Architecture in the South East of England, London: Artsasia.org (e-book) ISBN: 978-1-9161240-1-1.
Whitehall Graeme with Artsasia.org (2019) Catalogue for India’s Image Exhibition, Reading Museum, In India’s image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian Architecture in the South East of England, London: Artsasia.org/Heritage Lottery Fund ISBN: 978-1-9161240-0-4.
Whitehall Graeme, (2016), The Maharajah’s Well – an illustrated history, Oxford: Maharajah’s Well Trust.
Whitehall Graeme, (2004), The Fine Art of Tracing Your Artist Ancestors, Kingston-upon-Hull: Satyananda-Sarvodaya Press.
Whitehall, Graeme, (2001), Catherine Lyons (1794-1857) – In the Shadows of Mountains, Powys: Radnorshire Museum.

Chapters in Books

Thakore Renuka; Kavantera Aino; Whitehall Graeme, (2021) Chapter 3 ‘Systems-Thinking theory: Decision making for sustainable workplace transformations, in ed. Vitalija Danivska and Rianne Appel-Muelenbroek, (2022) A Handbook of Management Theories for Office Environments and Services Transdisciplinary Workplace theories, Vol.II, Abingdon: Routledge.

Refereed Conference Papers

Conference Papers

Aino Kavantera; Renuka Thakore; Graeme Whitehall (2020) “Emerging Agile Workplace Strategies in Hong Kong”, in Annette Kämpf-Dern, Mascha Will-Zocholl (eds.) Future Workspaces. Conference Proceedings of the 2nd TWR Conference, Frankfurt: TWR, pp128-138.

Conference Presentations, Workshops & Research Talks

UCEM, Reading, 1st International Research Workshop on Sustainable Futures: Progress through partnerships, ‘Psychology, Aesthetics and the Management of scarce resources as drivers for the conservation of the ‘Simla Hill Forests’ 11 February 2020.
Reading Museum, Heritage Lottery Arts Asia Research Talk ‘In India’s Image: Strange tales from the Chiltern hills – the story of the Maharajah’s Well’, 3rd August 2019.
Reading Museum, Heritage Lottery Arts Asia Research Talk ‘In India’s Image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian Architecture in the South East of England’, 29th June 2019.
ICCF / Psycon, ‘Landscape and Psychology: Explorations of the Oneiric parish’, University of Wolverhampton, 19th December 2018.
Birmingham City University CHOBE iBEE ‘Learning Matters’ Conference: Beyond disruption and technological bedazzlement: brave new horizons in the built environment digital dissertation’, 7th September 2017.
University of Reading, UCEM NIESV Conference Presentation: ‘Slow train to Simla: Himalayan Construction Projects (1850 – 1910) – transforming the preposterous to the prosperous’, 12th August 2016.
HEA Conference: Ready for Retention: effective systems for transition and student success, University of South Wales. Presentation and workshop ‘No Student Left Behind: A proactive approach to student retention and success – using impersonal tools to build personal stories’, 7th July 2016.
Birkbeck History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, Royal Photographic Society Historical Research Talk ‘Vignettes of Simla – the representations of Samuel Bourne and Federico Peliti’, 9th January 2016.

Journals

Whitehall, Graeme, (2003) ‘James Storey and Alexander Frey-An Account of the First Professional English Artists in India (1583-1614)’, The Indiaman, Issue 28, July, 2003, 18-20.
Whitehall, Graeme, (2002) ‘The Paintings of Velha Goa 1538-1700 the Formation of an Indo-European Legacy’, Purabhilkh Puratatva-The Journal of the Goa Directorate of Archives and Archaeology, Vol.II, No.2, January 2002, 32-55.
Chana, Amrita and Whitehall, Graeme (2023) Why mediation is gaining more attention MODUS RICS Construction Journal (In press online)

Public Output

Working with ArtsAsia.org – on the Heritage Lottery Fund ‘In India’s Image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian Architecture in the South East of England he contributed to a number of public outputs:

a) In Collaboration with The Maharajah’s Well: As well as a series of talks and guided tours 2018-19; produced a set of historical and contextual information boards as part of a new site trail at the Maharajah’s Well (October 2019).

b) In Collaboration with Burnham Library: Anglo-Indian Installation (May 2018) The project has involved collaboration with Burnham Library, ArtsAsia.org, artist Bhajan Hunjan and arts students at Burnham Grammar School to create an Anglo-Indian inspired window installation at Burnham Library.

c) In collaboration with Reading Museum: Interactive exhibition at Reading Museum (June- September 2019) entitled ‘In India’s Image: Rediscovering Anglo-Indian Architecture in South East England.

Exhibition Curation (selected)

He conceived, curated and produced a catalogue for the touring exhibition Catherine Lyons (1794-1857) – In the Shadows of Mountains, (2001) in collaboration with The Radnorshire Museum with funding from The Council of Museums in Wales. Press coverage including a BBC Radio Wales interview. Subsequently prepared an Accession Catalogue for Catherine Lyons’ work held at the Radnorshire Museum (2003).
Anthony John Millard – Camberwell Amongst the Cambrians, Radnorshire Museum (Nov 2000–Feb 2001), in collaboration with the Gulbenkian Prize winning artist to curate the museum’s first artist retrospective – featured as a lead article the Western Mail’s ‘Arts Wales’.
Adu Zatua -Tribal Art from the Indonesian Archipelago at The London Ecology Centre, Covent Garden (1992).