Dr Tricia King is a researcher in creative arts health, specialising in innovative approaches to enhancing older adults' well-being through participatory visual methodologies. Her work employs lens-based techniques like photo voice and collaborative photography to explore and amplify the lived experiences of older adults, challenging visual ageism and promoting social connection.
Among her recent projects, Dr King founded the community led Ageing Well Creative Lab where she develops interdisciplinary programs that bridge creativity, technology, and social engagement. This fortnightly program introduces older adults to cutting-edge technologies including augmented reality, photographic editing, and drone photography, fostering intergenerational learning and technological empowerment.
She is a founding member of the UniSC Creative Ecologies Research Cluster and theme leader in the Healthy Ageing Research Cluster, – working across both clusters to promote place based environmental and social connectedness for older adults and explore how embodied experiences in natural environments can cultivate ecological empathy and cultural knowledge. Her approach uniquely combines creative practice, social research, and place-based methodologies.
She is currently convenor of the Australian Association of Gerontology’s Creativity, Art, and Design Special Interest Group and National Leader of the Student and Early Career Researcher Communications Working Group. Tricia is a member of the QLD Arts Health Network, is an Associate Editor of the Arts & Health Journal (Taylor & Francis), and a founding editorial member of the Journal of Creative Research Methods (launching late 2025). Dr King's ongoing research continues to further knowledge understanding of creativity's role in healthy aging and social connection.
Professional memberships
- Queensland Arts Health Network
- Australian Association of Gerontology
- Australian Association of Gerontology Student and Early Career Research Group – Communications Intern
- International Society for Visual Sociology
Awards and Fellowships
- 2019 – State Library of Queensland Placemaking Fellowship
- 2016-2018 - Australian Postgraduate Award
Professional Social Media
Potential research projects for HDR and Honours students include:
- Arts for health
- Creative Ageing
- Creative Arts
- Contemporary photographic practice
- Creativity Ageing and dementia
Research grants
|
Project Name |
Investigators |
Funding Body |
Year |
| Picture Yourself: Co-creating authentic images of ageing |
Dr Tricia King, Dr Zalia Powell, Dr Leah Barclay, Megan Williams |
Creative Australia LAUNCH |
2024-2025 |
|
Creativity and Movement in Ageing Communities – Pilot 1 (Aged Care) |
Dr Tricia King, Dr Dan Wadsworth, Dr Leah Barclay |
School of Business and Creative Industries Research Potential Funding, University of the Sunshine Coast |
2022-2023 |
|
Creativity and Movement in Ageing Communities – Pilot 2 (Ageing in Community) |
Dr Tricia King, Dr Dan Wadsworth, Dr Leah Barclay |
University of the Sunshine Coast LAUNCH |
2022-2023 |
|
The Beeyali Project – Visualising Acoustic Ecology with Cymatics on Kabi Kabi Country |
Dr Leah Barclay, Dr Tricia King, Mr Lyndon Davis |
Australia Council for the Arts |
2022-2023 |
|
In Residence: Interdisciplinary practice and creative exchange in Regional Queensland |
Dr Leah Barclay, Dr Tricia King, Ms Megan Williams, Dr Andy Ward, Dr Hannah Banks, Dr Briony Luttrell |
Arts Queensland |
2022-2023 |
|
State Library of Queensland Memory Award – SLQ Fellowship |
Dr Tricia King |
State Library of Queensland |
2019 |
Research areas
- Arts health
- arts-engaged practice in gerontology studies
- ageing and dementia
- photographic methods in research
- visual sociology
- contemporary photographic practice
Teaching areas
- Photographic Practice
- Creative Engagement
- Sensing Environments
Program coordinator
Key recent research publications
- King, Tricia (2022) Remembering and forgetting: using photographs as social artefacts in an aged care setting, Visual Studies, 37:1-2, 128-139
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1472586X.2021.1963828
- Barclay, King, T., & Davis, L. (2022). Cymatic patterns of the Black Cockatoo: Visualising the calls of wildlife in Australia. Eva London. 38–45. https://doi.org/10.14236/ewic/EVA2022.9
- King, T, Miller, E. Where were you during the Queen’s visit? Using photographs to facilitate collective storytelling, resident identity and positive care relationships in aged care. Australian Journal on Ageing. 2021; 40: e269– e272.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajag.12979
- King, Tricia (2021) Listening with images: Photographs and their relationship to identity in the lives of older people in aged care. PhD by Publication, Queensland University of Technology. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/212114/
- King, Tricia, Miller, Evonne, & Donoghue, Geraldine (2019) Spaces, sauce and schedules: A photographic journey of aged care. Social Alternatives, 38(1), pp. 35-44.
Tricia King's special areas of knowledge include visual methodologies, contemporary photographic practices, arts-engaged health and wellbeing, social photographic practices.
In the news
The surprising power of photography in ageing well
4 JunUniSC's Tricia King explores how photography can support healthy ageing – enhancing memory, identity, and social connection for older adults through creative expression
Creative ambitions: Healthy ageing project could start a movement
22 Sep 2023A very simple creative project at the University of the Sunshine Coast has hit on a winning formula for improving the lives of older Australians