​​Photography and the Trace: indexical and temporal paradoxes​

​​​​The proposed study will explore the space within and around the photograph, giving weight to its diverse temporal aspects as intricate political, social, and philosophical phenomena. It will investigate the paradoxical tension between presence and absence, particularly concerning trace, melancholia, trauma, mourning and grief.

​Margaret Iversen (2017), writing on the relationship between trauma and photography, locates psychological distress in an unexpected and unassimilated event which disturbs the ‘linear temporality of experience’ and divides the subject from themselves.

​Photography can be characterised as a tool for contemplating imperceptible traces of events, especially when they no longer exist due to the passage of time, or through intentional distortion, erosion or concealment. The study will challenge prevailing historical narratives and probe the concept of truth by focusing on this absence and the existential void between an event and our ongoing existence.

​The concept of indexicality asserts that a photograph is inseparable from its referent and captures a residue of the past. In contrast to abstract symbols, photography preserves tangible qualities as a representation of what once existed, functioning as an index of history. The research will underscore photography's capacity to ponder the presence or absence of an object, whose image often interplays or is superimposed on our consciousness.

​There is scope to explore these processes and emphasise the foundational relationship between photography, time and death. The research may encompass questions around how photography extends and intersects timeframes linked to grief and mourning - issues made more apparent and urgent through Covid, with the isolation of lockdowns and distancing - as well as contemplating the connection between internal, private time and external, measured time. Its objective is to comprehend how photography enables expressions in both private and public dimensions and assesses their reciprocal influence in the context of death.

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
• Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• For VCRS Awards, Masters at 75%
• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project

The University offers the following levels of support:

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

​​Baetens, Green & Lowry (2009) Theatres of the Real Antwerp: Photoworks/FotoMuseum

​Burgin, Victor (1996) In/Different Spaces: Place and Memory in Visual Culture London: University of California Press

​Forman, Frieda Johles (ed) (1989) Taking Our Time: Feminist Perspectives on Temporality Oxford: Pergamon Press

​Iverson, Margaret (2017) Photography, Trace and Trauma Chicago: University of Chicago

​Kolk, Bessel van der (2015) The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma

​Phu, Thy & Brown, Elspeth H (2014) Feeling Photography Durham: Duke University Press