Daisy Hana James

About

I am an artist based between the North West of England and London. I design socially engaged projects and develop site-specific artwork. My practice is research-led and my work takes the form of conversation, participatory performance, publication, installation and writing. I think through making and advocate for learning by doing.

My research questions (and practice-based responses) are grounded in the practice of living, encompassing both daily acts of interruption, refusal, and resistance, on the one hand, and economies of love, care, and reciprocity on the other. The projects that I have undertaken at the RCA have resulted in collaborative action and interventions that situate my practice within the frameworks of institutional critique.

In current and upcoming work, I am addressing concerns around the suppression of alternative perspectives, and challenges faced by individuals or groups in asserting their presence and influence in public space. My chosen methods of engaging with this subject involve bootlegging, craft versus craftiness, DIY practices and being undisciplined.

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In Autumn 2024, Daisy will begin a project commissioned by the UCL Trellis programme, experimenting with the sense of smell and working with community groups local to Brick Lane to question how the nose can be activated as a mechanism for spatial navigation. Before attending the RCA, she designed various participatory art projects, public interventions, and workshops. Her partners include Theatrum Mundi; Boijmans Van Beuningen (N.L); Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft; East Street Arts; Super Slow Way; and Culture Warrington. Alongside her public-facing practice, she has designed graphics for London Fashion Week; British Fashion Council; and Girlguiding. Daisy previously studied at Manchester School of Art and at the Willem De Kooning Academy (N.L). Her studies at the RCA have been supported by the Burberry Scholarship.