Flora Dennis

Prof Flora Dennis (she/her) is Professor of Cultural History (Art History) at the School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex. Her research explores the visual and material culture of music and sound in Italy between the mid-fifteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Her work traces how sound shaped domestic spaces, objects, and social relationships. She has held fellowships at Villa I Tatti, the V&A, the Italian Academy (Columbia University), and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

Research Interests include material culture, sound studies, Renaissance Italy, and the intersections of sonic, visual, and domestic experiences. She has supervised PhD projects on topics like Material Culture of Childhood in Renaissance Bologna and Chinese Wall-Paper at the Royal Pavilion.

Scientific Awards include fellowships from Villa I Tatti, V&A, Italian Academy, and Max Planck Institute. She received grants from the AHRC (2010-11) and Leverhulme Trust (2023-4).

Professional Roles encompass being a Trustee at Towner, Eastbourne, member of the British School at Rome’s Faculty of Archaeology, History, and Letters, and advisory roles for the Benton Fletcher Collection and past projects like Refashioning the Renaissance.