For Elspeth the project of reading extends to visual culture, in particular film and video. There are some films that inspire a particular way of reading, such as the work of Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Trinh T Minh-Ha or Sadie Benning. Or there are films that read you, whether by asking you to reflect on your position in the world or by conjuring an affective response so strongly that you lose yourself in the work, like the work of Chantal Akerman or Tracey Moffatt.

Elspeth is a PhD researcher at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds supervised by Professor Griselda Pollock. Her doctoral project examines the figure of ‘the girl’ in the moving image and feminist philosophy. She recently co-convened the second international Feminist Readings symposium held at the University of Leeds in 2016. Elspeth is also a co-editor of parallax, an international journal in cultural studies, critical theory and philosophy.

Alongside her doctoral project she is a member of SPUR a contemporary art and writing collective based between Leeds and Manchester, UK. SPUR programmes screenings, reading groups as well as producing independent publications and online exhibitions.