The Iris Murdoch Society podcast

Iris Murdoch and Artistic Inspiration Podcast

The Iris Murdoch Society podcast

Show Notes

In this episode Miles is joined by artists Kevin Petrie (University of Sunderland), Matthew Richardson (University of Kingston) and Carol Sommer to discuss their latest work which has been inspired by Murdoch's writing.

Kevin Petrie is Head of the School of Art and Design and Professor of Glass and Ceramics at University of Sunderland. He is known for his artwork on ceramics and glass, especially in combination with printmaking and drawing. Kevin has also written and edited a number of books and articles about ceramics and glass and lectured around the World. Kevin’s artwork is held in a number of private and public collections including National Glass Centre and National Museums of Scotland. In recent years, Kevin has focused on his painting practice and this work can be seen on his website at https://kevinpetrieart.com.

Matthew Richardson is an artist and illustrator who works across physical and digital media seeing how things fit or collide through processes of collage and assemblage. He is interested in how, why and what is kept or discarded, lost or found, and left behind. He studied at Central St. Martins and Cardiff University and is currently completing a practice-based PhD at Kingston School of Art, titled Para-illustration: Gaps, fragments and spaces of the literary imagination, which explores the materiality of a writer’s notes, drafts and archives as a method for making literary images. https://matthew-richardson.co.uk/

Carol Sommer visual artist and art educator based in Darlington, Co. Durham. I’m interested in the potential of piracy to interrogate value systems. Sometimes within the aesthetic context of conceptual writing, my practice includes making books, videos, performances, installation and an Instagram account @cartography_for_girls. In 2019 I completed a practice led Ph.D. at Leeds Beckett University, and I am the author of ‘Cartography for Girls, an A-Z of Orientations Identified within the Novels of Iris Murdoch’. Her work is currently being exhibited at the Phoenix Art Space in Brighton until the 19th November as part of the ‘Are you a Woman in Authority’ exhibition. https://www.carolsommer.net/ https://www.phoenixbrighton.org/Events/are-you-a-woman-in-authority/

More from The Iris Murdoch Society podcast

Oct 19, 2026

In this episode Miles is joined by Justin Broackes (Brown, USA) and Matt Dougherty (CEU, Vienna) to discuss the influence of Martin Heidegger on Murdoch's philosophy, and Murdoch's forthcoming work on Heidegger which has been edited by Justin.

Oct 6, 2026

In this episode Miles discusses Murdoch's eighteenth novel, Henry and Cato, on the 50th anniversary of its publication.

Sep 21, 2026

In this episode Miles is joined by Elizabeth Whittome to discuss the profound influence Shakespeare had on the fiction, poetry and philosophy of Iris Murdoch. The conversation ranges widely across Murdoch's life and work, with special attention paid to her novels of the 1970s, including The Black Prince and The Sea, The Sea.

Aug 22, 2026

In this episode Miles is joined by Rebecca Moden (Birmingham Newman University, UK) to discuss the new exhibition at the University of Chichester, Iris Murdoch among the Artists. Drawing on newly-discovered artworks by Murdoch, those by her friends, students and collaborators, and new works by three contemporary British artists responding to her fiction and philosophy, the exhibition runs until the 10th December.

Aug 8, 2026

In this Birthday Lecture Daniel Read (Kingston University, UK) discusses Murdoch's dramatic work and the connections to her life, fiction and philosophy. Although lesser-known, Read makes the case that her dramatic work needs to be reassessed in the light of new materials and biographical insights.

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