Malcolm Ferris is a founding member of Resolve Parkinson’s and currently serves as Resolve Parkinson’s Vice President.
Malcolm’s professional life has developed around work as an independent curator alongside positions in art and design education. Formerly Research Director at Arts University Plymouth (AUP), Malcolm researched and curated the first seven editions of the biennial research conference “Making Futures” at AUP, exploring contemporary art, design-to-make and neo-artisanal micro-manufacturers as change agents in developing forms of cosmopolitan localism. Under his direction, the conference became one of the foremost international events in the sector, with invited editions appearing at Beijing Design Week (China), the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (South Korea), and Cebu (The Philippines). In 2019 AUP awarded Malcolm an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his formative contribution to the development of the University’s curricula and research profile.
Malcolm also researched and curated the flagship digital gallery for the UK’s National Media Museum – a project that won two national design awards and is widely seen as pioneering digital media art in mainstream UK museum sites. As a Director of the Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium, Malcolm worked with PVAC and the Hayward Gallery to help bring the nationally acclaimed British Art Show to Plymouth across five citywide sites. Other projects have explored the dynamics of contemporary Chinese art production and include shows at the 798 Art District (Beijing), DadaPost Gallery (Berlin), Asia Pacific Weeks Festival (Berlin), and Yerba Buena Centre, (San Francisco).
Malcolm has also presented papers and published essays in numerous catalogs, journals, and international forums, including the Association of American Geographers; the American Comparative Literature Association; Akademie der Künste, Berlin; the International Research Center for Cultural Studies, Vienna; the Association of Art Historians, and Ephemera, among others.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2016, Malcolm became involved with Resolve Parkinson’s because of his need, as he puts it, “to connect with those who truly understand Parkinson’s (i.e., other people with the syndrome) especially those with an active interest in grassroots research into possible ways to ameliorate their symptoms.”
When not dedicating time to supporting the work of Resolve Parkinson’s, Malcolm continues to practice as a curatorial consultant, and to creatively explore his interests in landscape.
