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MY PHD PROJECT

A DYING FOX TURNS ITS HEAD TO HOME

Since 2019, I have been working on my PhD research project focused on the meaning of home in London.

It's an in-depth exploration of the topic with two outcomes – a feature documentary film and a thesis.

theory

practice

What does ‘home’ mean in a city like London? The feature documentary film The Dying Fox Turns its Head to Home follows the intertwined journeys of five Londoners – Jamaican-British Andre, British Caroline, Russian-British Zinovy, French-British Emilie, and Irish-Ukrainian Maria – as they reflect on what home means to them, not just today but throughout their lives. Alongside their stories, the director embarks on her own search for belonging, questioning what it means to live in London and exploring homes that are abstract and concrete, temporary and permanent, private and public, real and imagined. Made through a collaborative process, the film invites its participants to actively shape its form and meaning – including moments where the director reveals her own home and welcomes others into her space.
Shaped by the pandemic’s heightened focus on home, the film shifts form and style as we grow closer to its characters – emotionally and physically – blurring the lines between observational documentary and personal reflection. A deeply universal yet intimate exploration, it invites us to ask: How can one truly have a home in London?

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DOP: Fraser Stephen

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STAGE: Postproduction​​

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The (unfinished) project was presented at:

  • Refugees and Participatory Approaches: Bridging Narratives Through Research and Art Symposium (April 2025)

  • Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences meeting in London (February 2024)

  • London Calling! (September 2023, September 2024)

  • RAI (Royal Anthropology Institute) Film Festival Work In Progress session (March 2023)

  • Anthropology of Home course by UCL & Open City Documentary Festival (Autumn 2022, Spring 2023 & Spring 2025), led by Dr Barbara Knorpp

  • Good City Conference on Urbanism at the Kent School of Architecture (October 2022)

  • Connections PGR SOA Conference at the University of Kent (June 2022)

  • NonConference – PGR SOA event at the University of Kent (June 2021)

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The creation of the project was supported by:

  • Vice Chancellor Scholarship at the University of Kent

  • Migration and Movement Fund

  • Arts & Humanities PG Research Fund

  • Research Training Support Grant (through UKRI – UK Research and Innovation)

  • GRC PhD Top-Up Fund

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