Short bio:
Nicola Triscott is a cultural leader, curator and researcher specialising in the intersections of art, science, technology and society. She is Director/CEO of FACT Liverpool, a major UK centre for digital and screen arts, internationally recognised for groundbreaking commissions and critically engaged exhibitions. Previously, Nicola was founding Director of Arts Catalyst (1994-2019), dedicated to ambitious artists’ commissions and cross-disciplinary art/science projects. From 2017-2019 she was Principal Research Fellow at the University of Westminster. As curator and scholar, Nicola examines art’s engagement with science, technology and ecology. Recent research focuses on cultural institutions’ responses to technology’s societal impacts, critical engagement with AI and genetic technologies, and digitally-enabled storytelling approaches to biopolitics and identity. She has edited books on the culture of physics, Arctic art and technology, art and space, and ecological art. Nicola serves on the boards of Liverpool City Region’s Creative Industries Cluster and LCR Culture Network CIC.
Long bio:
Nicola Triscott is a cultural leader, curator and researcher specialising in the intersections of art, science, technology and society. She is Director/CEO of FACT Liverpool, a major UK cultural centre for digital and screen arts, internationally recognised for groundbreaking commissions and critically engaged exhibitions.
Since joining in 2019, Nicola has led FACT through significant transformation, advancing its role as a talent development and research hub where art, film and emerging digital platforms converge. She has shaped an acclaimed artistic programme championing speculative, experimental and socially responsive art that blends physical and digital media, while championing inclusive programming and access, informed by data analysis, that have substantially diversified audiences and increased visitors under 35. Despite post-pandemic challenges, FACT’s gallery audiences have exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
She has instituted a dynamic, artist-centred ecosystem encompassing commissions, exhibitions, residencies, and artist development, establishing FACT’s Studio/Lab in 2024. Studio/Lab provides artists and emerging creatives with cutting-edge tools and mentoring in XR, interactive media and AI, positioning FACT as a force shaping hybrid artistic practice while amplifying marginalised voices.
Previously, Nicola was founding Director of Arts Catalyst (1994-2019), a UK arts organisation commissioning ambitious artists’ projects and cross-disciplinary research. Arts Catalyst pioneered art’s engagement with biotechnology, animal studies, ecology, sustainable technology and space exploration. Nicola was cultural consultant to the European Space Agency (2005-8) and co-organised several zero gravity flights with Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Arts Catalyst fostered international artist collaborations across Europe, Mexico, Russia and the Arctic. From 2017-19, Nicola was Principal Research Fellow for Interdisciplinary Art and Science at the University of Westminster.
As a curator and scholar, Nicola examines art’s engagement with science, technology and ecology. Her research focuses on how cultural institutions address technology’s societal impacts, critical artistic engagement with AI and genetic technologies, and digitally-enabled storytelling approaches to biopolitics and identity formation. Recent essays explore contemporary art and animal studies, new cultural approaches to space, and the racialisation of science and technology. She lectures internationally and has edited books on the culture of physics, art and technology in the Arctic, art and space, and ecological art.
Nicola is a board member of Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority’s Creative Industries Cluster, LCR Culture Network CIC, and Cement Fields, a North Kent visual arts organisation.
Nicola Triscott 