Biography
Gaining her degree in Fine Art at the University for the Creative Arts, and an MA in Visual Culture at the University of Nottingham, Sheona Beaumont completed her doctorate at the University of Gloucestershire in the International Centre for Biblical Interpretation in 2017. Her research into the history and hermeneutics of the Bible in photography was sponsored by Bible Society, and also supported by Trinity College, Bristol, during her year’s appointment there as Artist-in-Residence. Alongside her published work, she has exhibited and curated across ecumenical contexts nationally for over fifteen years, with previous solo exhibitions with her photographic work in Bristol, Cheltenham, and Birmingham. She is the current Bishop Otter Scholar for the Diocese of Chichester, and is also a Regional Associate for Art and Christianity.
Research interests and PhD supervision
- History and theory of photography, with special regard for religious representation and interpretation
- Reception history of the Bible in visual culture during the modern period
- Biblical hermeneutics and the visual spiritual imagination
Dr Beaumont’s research and practice are concerned with the visual expression of theological ideas, particularly through the medium of photography. In interdisciplinary terms, she explores the reciprocal relations between visual culture criticism & fine art theory, and religious studies & biblical hermeneutics. In particular, photography’s interpretative contexts are considered for relations between perceived realism and theological/spiritual belief (or image ‘covenants’ – David Morgan).
Selected publications
-
Sheona Beaumont (2016) Eye See Trinity: Trinity College Artist-in-Residence 2014-15. Bristol: Blind Sight Press.
-
Sheona Beaumont (2015), ‘Still Small Voice: British Biblical Art in a Secular Age’, in Art and Christianity, No. 82. p.8.
-
Sheona Beaumont (2011), Bristol Through the Lens: An Exhibition and an Essay. Bristol: Tangent Press.
Expertise and public engagement
Dr Beaumont is the convenor of the Visual Theology Symposium and continues to present her work with public exhibitions, her blog, and related events. www.shospace.co.uk