About Me
I am Dr Jo Gane, I have a PhD in the practice of early photographic processes via my research into the work of George Shaw (1818-1904). My thesis is available to read here.
I'm an experienced interdisciplinary artist, researcher and teacher with twenty years of practice. My work contributes to the fields of photography, art practice, history and social practice.
Visual Arts
I am a visual artist, making artwork with expanded photographic techniques that often involves people and communities. I make contemporary photographs using historical photographic materials, including the daguerreotype, calotype and wet plate collodion process. These images underpin my work in print and three-dimensional forms. Recently commissions include work for Coventry Biennial of Contemporary Art and Open Eye Gallery, exhibited at Compton Verney gallery (2024) and Southbank Centre (2026).
Research and Writing
My research unpicks historical narratives about the development of photography from 1839 in industrial Birmingham. I’ve researched and written about a rare collection of early 1840s daguerreotypes made by Victorian patent agent and chemistry lecturer George Shaw (1818-1904), and his network of collaborators including metallurgist John Percy (1817 -1889) and landscape painter Frederick Henry Henshaw (1807-1891). My AHRC funded PhD thesis ‘Revealing George Shaw…’ is available on the Birmingham School of Art research repository here.
Recent publications include;
- ‘Photography and Electroplate in 1840s Birmingham,’ Science Museum Journal, Autumn 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15180/232014
- ‘In the highest degree satisfactory to himself and honourable to the town: George Shaw and electromagnetism.’ Photography and Electricity PhotoResearcher, special issue, spring 2026.
Teaching
I am an experienced lecturer, leading higher education modules in photographic theory and practice with specialist expertise teaching experimental and historical photographic processes. I’ve led specialist workshops at the Courtauld Institute and Lacock Abbey alongside teaching BA and MA Photography at De Montfort University, Leicester, Coventry University and Birmingham City University. I often consult on and devise specialist educational programmes for museums and galleries. I’m capable of translating specialist knowledge into accessible educational activities for all levels from primary schools to research students.