Who we are

Joe is the Co-Founder and Director of Design & Advertising agency Arch Creative, who work with national and global brands. Joe is founder and creator of Street Stories, an innovative art trail project to help the UK’s high street. Joe’s film Moving in the Shadows, which he wrote and directed, is a feature-length documentary about the creative scene during the sixties. He has also produced a number of interviews and short-films for a range of high-profile musicians and artists. Joe was co-curator of the 2019 exhibition, Mods 19:64, held at the LCB Depot, which was based on Joe’s black and white photographs. Joe is a trustee of charity BrightSparks Arts in Mental Health, a published children’s book author and won East Midlands Entrepreneur Collaborator of the year at The Real Entrepreneurs Awards 2024.

Joe can be contacted at joe@socialgallery.co.uk

Chris has a wide range of experience in creative and heritage programme development, management, design, curation and fundraising with a background in design and the arts.In the early-mid 80s, she had an alternative fashion store in Leicester’s iconic Silver Arcade and played bass in Leicester bands including Grebo legends Crazyhead.  She joined Leicester youth arts charity, Soft Touch Arts in the mid-90s as business development director, and over the 29 years she worked for the charity developed many successful arts and heritage projects and events,  using her strategic and business skills to help the charity grow and develop. Chris is a part-time lecturer in Arts & Festivals Management at De Montfort University and works as a freelance consultant in the arts and heritage sector. She also recently completed an MA in textile design.

Chris can be contacted at chris@socialgallery.co.uk.

Music and social history author Shaun Knapp is the author of High Flying Around: Memories of the 1960s Leicester Music Scene (2017), Mods 19:64 (2019), Mods: Two City Connection (2019), Punk: Rage & Revolution (2023) and High Flying Around: Memories of the 1960s Leicester Music Scene Volume 2 (2024). Prior to the above, Shaun was Marketing Manager at Leicester City Council where he worked on a variety of projects including the discovery of King Richard III, the Queen’s official gift from the city for her Diamond Jubilee visit in 2012 and the exhibitions Picasso Ceramics: The Attenborough Collection and Ortonesque: Joe Orton 1933 - 1967. Shaun was also the co-curator of the 2019 exhibition, Mods 19:64, which was held at the LCB Depot.

Shaun can be contacted at shaun@socialgallery.co.uk.

Dr Emma Parker is Associate Professor of English at the University of Leicester. She is an expert on twentieth century and contemporary literature and culture, with a special interest in gender, sexuality, Thatcherism and music. Her books include British Women Writers (2004), Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane: A 50th Anniversary Edition (2014) and The History of British Women’s Writing, 1970-Present (2015). She co-curated the exhibitions ‘What the Artist Saw: Art Inspired by the Life and Work of Joe Orton’ (Museum of Contemporary Art/Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, 2017) and ‘Crimes of Passion: The Story of Joe Orton’ (National Justice Museum, 2017) and contributed to ‘Punk: Rage and Revolution’ (Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, 2023). She is the recipient of an East Midlands Women Award for Art, Media and Music (2018) and a Saboteur Award (2018).

Steve Chibnall is a Professor of British Cinema and Visual Culture at De Montfort University, where he also serves as Director of Archives for the Cinema and Television History Institute. An expert in crime journalism and 20th-century popular culture, he has authored or edited over a dozen books and numerous academic articles. Steve has co-curated exhibitions and live events at prestigious venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Brighton Pavilion Museum. His most recent exhibition was ‘Scandal ’63 Revisited: The Profumo Affair in Art and Artefact’, which was selected as ‘Exhibition of the Week by the Guardian. His work focuses on uncovering and highlighting overlooked aspects of cultural production, supported by his significant private collection of film memorabilia, pulp fiction and popular culture artefacts.

Fitz Samuel began his music journey by launching a mail-order punk and new wave record business while still in school. He expanded to record fairs and sold vinyl via Ch4 Teletext pages across the UK, gaining experience in various record shops. Becoming a DJ four decades ago, Fitz has captivated audiences by seamlessly blending subcultures and genres, transitioning from vinyl to digital formats. His deep knowledge of musical trends and crowd-reading ability have kept him at the forefront of the scene. Today, Fitz continues to push DJing boundaries with live remix sets, bringing a cutting-edge to his performances.

Dr Kelly Jordan is a Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Arts at De Montfort University. She trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and has recently written and directed, Spinners, performed at the Y Theatre, Leicester. Based on true accounts, the play simultaneously explores 70s Northern Soul and 90s Clubbing, and the role that Leicester played in these movements. Kelly has created and taught Contemporary Theatre for over twenty years, and has presented her research internationally at conferences and in journals and books, particularly in relation to her doctoral study on audience participation and immersive practices.

Wayne Large started his photographic journey in the 1970s, as a Regimental Photographer in the British Army. He then became a freelance photographer undertaking editorial, social documentary and scientific assignments. He spent his spare time documenting the UK punk scene in the 70s & 80s, before embarking on a long and successful career in clinical healthcare and undertaking personal and commissioned photographic work. Wayne now concentrates full-time on his photography, contributing to exhibitions, books, magazines and editing. Some of his work has been featured on TV and radio and can also be seen in The British Culture Archive.

Sarinda is a marketing and communications professional with a background in arts and heritage. Her expertise includes strategic marketing, media relations, content creation and digital campaigns, across roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She has demonstrated success in driving tourism, investment and public engagement with arts and culture, with notable projects including the award-winning King Richard III Reinterment campaign and Leicester’s WWI Centenary celebrations. Sarinda’s skills are complemented by an academic background in modern history and literature, focusing on social change in Cold War Europe.

Chris is a PhD student at the University of Leicester’s School of Museum Studies, and works freelance as a mindfulness and museums practitioner, and as a researcher within the museums and heritage sector. He is interested in the relationship between cultural participation and health and wellbeing, particularly in populations facing mental health difficulties. Chris previously led research projects with a heritage, health and wellbeing focus for Historic England and The National Trust, and is currently supporting University Hospitals of Leicester as they explore the health and wellbeing impacts of museum object-led creative activities for in-patient groups.

David is a graduate of both De Montfort University (then Leicester Polytechnic) and the University of Leicester. After deciding against a career in Law, he became a marketer, eventually serving as Director of Research and Professional Development at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, where he focused on innovating marketing practice and professional development. He has held senior management roles in professional bodies for nearly 30 years, including as Managing Director of the Security Institute and now as Executive Director at the Business Continuity Institute. With over 20 years of board experience, David brings expertise in business planning, marketing strategy, and project delivery. He also has a keen interest in the Arts, from music and literature to theatre and pop culture.