Thinking Through Making 

2nd Feb 2023 - 8th Feb 2023 

Thinking through Making hosted by the Centre for Design History at the University of Brighton and supported by Techne Doctoral Training Partnership.

What can historians and theorists of design and dress learn from the practices of making? How can we know fashion and clothing better, as a system and a set of practices, through pattern and stitch?

In her influential article, ‘The Embodied Turn: Making and Remaking Dress as an Academic Practice,’ (2019) Hilary Davidson outlined the many ways in which dress and textile scholarship might benefit from remaking historical clothing and embracing embodied research methodologies to understand how textiles were produced and experienced by makers and users. Such an approach is also at the heart of large-scale research projects in contemporary fashion, such as the AHRC funded ‘Exploding Fashion: Cutting, Constructing and Thinking Through Things’ (2019–). This Thinking through Making two-part event is designed to provide Techne students of dress and textiles – both historical and contemporary – the chance to gain direct knowledge of the benefits of these emerging methodologies. All Techne-funded PhD students, across all disciplines, are welcome to participate.

Part One is an online symposium with invited speakers (practitioners and theoreticians of practice) sharing their experience and reflections; Part Two provides an opportunity to test and apply ideas during a practical in-person making and sewing workshop held at the University of Brighton and led by an experienced textile maker and creative facilitator.

The workshop is organised by Dr Suzanne Rowland and Jo Lance, AHRC Techne PhD student.

 

Online symposium Thursday 2nd February 2023 (1.45pm – 5.00pm UK)

Confirmed speakers include Hilary Davidson, Professor Alistair O’Neill and Professor Emerita Caroline Evans, Dr Frances Casey, and PhD students Jo Lance and Elli Michaela Young

Ticket booking: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/centre-for-design-history-university-of-brighton/thinking-through-making-symposium-and-workshop/e-zammvo

 

Workshop Wednesday 29th March 2023 (1.30-4.30pm UK)

This workshop was postponed from 8th February to 29th March 

This in-person workshop with experienced tutor and textile artist Rachael Matthews of East London Arts will include the opportunity to handle, examine and draw from nineteenth century garments from the University of Brighton’s Dress History Teaching Collection. Rachael will lead the group in creative techniques taking patterns from historic garments in order to better understand them from the 'inside out' and to consciously engage with the processes of making. This session is designed to co-operative and accessible to all skill levels – from basic to experienced. All Techne students with an interest in making are most welcome!

 Just a reminder that Techne students can reclaim travel expenses for travel to Techne events (unless it takes place at your home institution). 

Numbers are limited. To book a place, please email Dr Suzanne Rowland s.rowland2@brighton.ac.uk and Jo Lance j.Lance2@brighton.ac.uk