I am a costume maker turned design historian, with an academic background in comparative literature. After my first degree, I spent a year working in the theatre and film industry, creating costumes for a wide range of productions from folk horror short films to science fiction street theatre. I decided to return to university with an intention to expand my knowledge of fashion history so I could continue working on period dramas, but have ended up contemplating a museum career.
As a design historian, my practice revolves around questions of identity and the community-building potential of performance. During my time at the RCA, I have gravitated towards late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century theatre history. I wrote my object essay on a travelling Victorian marionette troupe and their reception across Europe, investigating to what extent their performance was tailored to suit different audiences. Cross-cultural exchange has always been one of my core interests, stemming from my own immigrant experience.
I aim to integrate my background as a costume maker into my research, experimenting with historical reconstruction as a method of interpretation and bringing the stories of makers and technicians into the foreground in a field where designers have traditionally received most of the spotlight. In slightly broader terms, I am also interested in the intersection of private and public spheres, and theories of audience participation.
My dissertation explores the fan culture surrounding the Ballets Russes in London. I am aiming to use this as an opportunity to center queer and working class histories and to challenge the perception of the Ballets Russes as a sole product of “high culture”. I hope to discover how the Ballets Russes became a cultural touchstone for queer communities and helped foster a sense of belonging. I am especially interested in the spaces and objects that facilitated this process, such as the ballet souvenirs and memorabilia sold in Cyril Beaumont’s bookshop, or what appears to be a trend of wearing refashioned Ballets Russes costumes to fancy dress parties in the 1970s. Using ephemera as evidence, my project considers fans as part of a collaborative cultural phenomenon, and reflects on why the Ballets Russes continues to be relevant a century after its so-called “Golden Age”.
