Laura’s work and research during her time at Open School East centred around global flows of capital and urban spaces of speculative investment – in particular, the role that current property developments within London play in reinforcing the notion of a World City and the effect this has upon everyday domestic life. She developed a new video work around these ideas as well as a body of new sculptural works made from household products and debris; considering questions not only of economic investment but of our investment in language, labour and material, and where the corresponding lines lie between need, desire and excess.

In addition to this, Laura has collaborated with Leslie Kulesh on the project Co-Pourri, with an exhibition at Caustic Coastal in Manchester in July. She also organised a two-part confidence and body language awareness workshop in September with drama-therapist Debra Colkett. This workshop falls under a larger programme of events Laura is developing entitled B*Yourself PLUS. The project attempts to rethink ideas of self-improvement, self-enhancement and everyday acting; and how we might achieve success, dominate a situation or empower ourselves through the effective use of language, body language and voice.