Ali Williams

United States °1974
research interests: creative practice research, embodiment, cognitive science, mind, ceramics, movement, sound, interconnectedness, relationality, attention, transdiciplinarity, collaboration, creative process
affiliation: Transart Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, University of California Santa Barbara
en

Ali Williams is a transdisciplinary creative practitioner, researcher, educator, and strategic consultant.  Ali is the founder of ARO (Artist Research+Residency Ojai) and currently a Continuing Lecturer in the Writing Program at UC Santa Barbara. Her instruction focuses on multimodal composition and communications in media, culture, and the arts, courses that stem from her pre-academic background as founder/CEO of Raconteur, an international creative strategic brand consultancy based in her home town of Los Angeles, CA. Ali has partnered with hundreds of individuals and organizations creating influential ideas and content to explore their distinct identities, systems, histories, and challenges, helping them to transform their insights into meaningful actions and work. Ali holds an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English from Chapman University, and a BA in Comparative Literature from New York University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in research-based creative practice through the Transart Institute and Liverpool John Moores University College of Art & Design.

research

TERRESTRIAL DEBRIS

  • Debris Flow | 2022-2023 IHC Platform Gallery (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    Debris Flow - FEMA Map I Debris Flow - FEMA Map II Handbuilt black clay spheres, screenshot FEMA Disaster Map, Goleta Beach (sand, sea, organic material, terrestrial debris) 2022 The 2022-23 Platform exhibition engages with the IHC’s public events series theme, Too Much Information, which considers what it means to live in the Information Age. How does the human brain process the ceaseless influx of information in our media-saturated world? How are the capacities for attention and relaxation, and mental and physical health, affected by “information overload”? How are democratic practices, social movements, national policies, and security decisions influenced by the global circulation of data and the ubiquity of misinformation?
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  • CAD+SR Residency \ Un-Writing Nature (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    Center for Art Design + Social Research Un-Writing Nature Spoleto, Italy
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research expositions

  • Exhibition Curation | Transart London Residency 2025 (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    Development of Curatorial Guidelines for the Transart Residency Exhibition at London's Borough Road Gallery in July 2025. The Anthologies Assembly, London 2025, extends a call for proposals for a vibrant, student-guided convergence of research inquiry and creative exploration. Building upon the inaugural assembly, participants are encouraged to embrace "research-based creative practice" as a means of knowledge generation where diverse disciplines intersect and boundaries blur. We welcome proposals that illuminate PhD research, including nascent "works-in-progress," emphasizing the value of ongoing inquiry. Guided by student feedback expressing both a desire for grounding in practice and community as well as exceptional moments that inspire, we aim to create spaces for genuine encounters and shared learning, where participants leave with lasting impressions on research and creative endeavors that continue to spark curiosity throughout the year. Our curatorial framework centers on the concept of investigation, as both a rigorous pursuit and an introspective exploration. Drawing from its etymological roots, we conceive of investigation as a tracing towards something no longer present—a turning-towards truths hidden or lost in time; and a nuanced examination of practices, be they social, political, or personal.
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  • Gibraltar Point Residency 2025 (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    This is a presentation to fellow residents at a residency hosted by PopeCullen at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts focused on research-creation and practice-led approaches to graduate research with Simon Pope. I explore the following questions offered by Simon Pope as points of focus to develop my approach to my practice and research.
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  • Creative Practice PhD Research: A Wine-Dark Sea (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    A collection of documentation and research branches as I navigate my PhD journey. Transart Institute / College of Art + Design, Liverpool John Moores University Advisors LJMU: Prof. Joasia Krysa (https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-arts-professional-and-social-studies/liverpool-school-of-art-and-design/joasia-krysa) TT: Sarah Bennett (http://www.sarahbennett.org.uk) TT: Dr. Tracey Bensen (https://traceybenson.com/about/)
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  • Lexicon | Attention+Creative Process (last edited: 2025) author(s): Ali Williams This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
    A growing lexicon of words and phrases related to attention and creative process. Developed for PhD in creative practice. Transart Institute / College of Art+Design, Liverpool John Moores University
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