Some of my research outputs are edible. Inspired by museum collections, art history, and costumes designed for the stage and screen, my biscuit (cookie) sets celebrate the material culture of the past and present.
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I have worked with the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Dash Arts on various projects relating to Shakespeare and theatre history.
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It’s been 939 days since I started my PhD. My planned thesis submission date is 493 days from today. I still have plenty of time, right? Since my sojourn in the Valley of Shit/Tunnel of Doom last summer, I’ve managed to make solid progress on research and writing. My trusty (and, more importantly, healthy) new work…
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My workday always begins with this mug. When I take my first sip of coffee, surrounded by the fairy lights and motivational postcards of my workspace, my brain knows that it’s time to get writing. I write until my thoughts get foggy. Some days I can do three or four hours; other days I manage…
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If archaeologists dug up my PhD experience and interpreted the residual layers of rock and artefacts to figure out how the process evolved over time, the phase I’m currently living through would be known as ‘The Writing Age’. Right around the time I published this post about burning out, something clicked in my brain. I…
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On the 9th November 2017 I started a three-month placement in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Theatre and Performance department. A whole year has now passed and I’m still working at the museum! I enjoyed the experience so much that I applied to have the placement extended. I’ll be working at the V&A a few…
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PhDs are hard. I knew that when I signed up for one, but recently I’ve really come to understand what people have been talking about. The second year of a (full-time) PhD is described by many as the hardest. The honeymoon period of Year 1 has ended, but the finish line is still a long…
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I’ve just come to the end of an epic Amtrak adventure. I travelled just under 2,000 miles by rail over the course of a week, passing through four states and stopping off in four cities. It was – without doubt – the best journey I’ve ever made. I came across this blog post a couple of…
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It seems I’m already halfway through my PhD. I’m not quite sure how that’s come around so soon… Year 2 has been a busy one so far. Things have really started to get going on the research front, and I’ve thrown myself into all sorts of different side projects as the months have gone by…
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I recently attended my second short course at The School of Historical Dress. Having spent a weekend back in October learning all about the history of tailoring (read all about the experience here), my goal for this second course was to find out more about the various fabrics that have been used for tailoring and…
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The second year of my PhD has kicked off in style. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend a short course at The School of Historical Dress in London. The School of Historical Dress was founded by Jenny Tiramani (formerly Director of Theatre Design at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 1997-2005), Santina Levey, and Vanessa Hopkins in…
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I’ve officially finished my placement with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust! My time with the SBT came to an end last week after a fantastic six months of strongroom-digging, blog-writing, and research-presenting. (You can read more about the early days of my SBT placement here, and my two ‘Placement Diaries’ posts can be found here and…
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Ella Hawkins 