Spike's research into the Port of London in the eighteenth century considers the construction of markets, both as concrete objects and explanatory categories.
Spike's interests encompass architecture, urban infrastructure, histories and philosophies of trade, and theories of modernisation and economics. He is also interested in the material cultures of risk, corruption and money.
Spike was educated in north London and began his BA History at UCL in 2002. After graduating in 2005, he spent a dispiriting time in music PR, before beginning his V&A/RCA MA History of Design programme. After a brief stint as a painter and decorator, he taught architectural history in the History of Art Department at UCL and began his PhD at Warwick in 2010. Appointed a tutor on the V&A/RCA MA History of Design in 2013, he is currently based in the V&A, where he is preparing publications based on his doctoral research.
