Contextualise-Picture This

This project proposes the development of a Research and Visual Communication Lab, dedicated to reimagining how fashion is seen, represented, and communicated. Built on the pillars of research, conceptualisation and education, Contextualise will operate as a think lab for creative production and take the lead in producing progressive and professional forms of communication.

Through educational initiatives such as lectures, panels, and workshops across the UK and online, this lab aims not only to prepare the next generation of mindful creatives but also to foster mindful consumption of visual media among audiences.

PICTURE THIS was the first panel organised by Contextualise and brought together Harris Elliott, visual curator and stylist; Catherine Hayward, fashion editor and former Fashion Director at Esquire; Kian Bakhtiari, founder of Gen-Z consultancy The People and author of Marketing for Social Change; and Olga Mitterfellner, academic, author and former fashion industry professional. Together they represented a breadth of perspectives across publishing, advertising, academia and cultural practice, allowing the conversation to move between theory and lived experience.

Spanning the history of visual manipulation, the psychology of advertising, diversity in fashion’s decision-making structures, and the possibilities of more ethical communication, the discussion moved fluidly between theory and lived experience. It was not a conversation designed to reach neat conclusions. Picture This was built as a space for reflection, inviting the audience to think critically about the images they make, consume, and share.