Dr. Carolyn Defrin began her position as an affiliate researcher on the Elastic Borders project in October 2023.  As a Marie Curie post-doctoral fellow, she is examining the role of art in border zones and will carry out practice-based research in the project’s three case study locations, contextualized by arts practice in borderscapes globally.

Dr. Defrin’s research explores how artistic practice can illuminate, express and build understanding across different stakeholders in socio-political contexts.  Her PhD thesis Intra-vulnerabilities: An artistic strategy for co-creating culture and policy, explored how vulnerable communities, artists and local funding bodies could open up differently to each other through arts activities in order to better understand community needs. Follow on research has focused on the role of art in migration contexts– how migrant artists find home through artistic practice and how artistic practice can expand singular views of the migrant experience to other stakeholders such as political and cultural policy makers.

Dr. Defrin received her PhD from London South Bank University in 2021, an MA from Central Saint Martins College of Art (London) and a BA in Drama from Northwestern University (Chicago.) Her artistic work has been awarded funding from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts Council England, London South Bank University’s Knowledge Exchange Voucher with recent commissions including an interactive digital artwork for the children’s health service at the Tessa Jowell health centre (Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2022-2025) and a series of 28 moving image artworks about cycles and power (Camden People’s Theatre, 2021.)