Nick Wees is a researcher and educator based in Montreal, Canada. He holds an MA in anthropology from the University of Victoria and a PhD in theory and criticism from the University of Western Ontario. His doctoral dissertation describes and analyzes a seemingly disparate range of creative urban practices grouped under the heading of “the arts of the street.” These include, but are not limited to, busking (all manner of street performance), street art and graffiti, street skateboarding, punk, and hip hop subculture.
His current research is focussed on the ways that street performers may influence how public urban space is conceived of, sensed, and put to use by members of the general public. As such, his research seeks to understand everyday individual sensory-affective experience in relation to regulatory apparatuses, architectural and urban design, and prevailing socio-cultural norms.
More generally, his research interests include the history and politics of the senses; public space; creativity and everyday life; busking, punk, bricolage, amateurism, and DIY practices; sound studies; urban ethnography; and, various branches of continental theory and philosophy. He also has long-time interests in small-scale food production and, especially, seeds and seed-saving. In addition to his ongoing research, he teaches anthropology and research methods at the college level and has developed and taught a well-received university-level course on ‘sonic ethnography.’ He is also an amateur musician and sometimes sound artist, which allows him to bring together his interests in sound with a commitment to practical and creative applications of theoretical concerns.
