Alison Hart

I am the Senior Technician working with BA (Hons) Costume, BA (Hons) Performance Design and Film Costume, and MA Historical Costume.

My background is in fashion and textiles; I worked in London for several years on the buying floor at a fashion retailer before moving to Bournemouth and taking up the role of Technician Demonstrator at Arts University Bournemouth.

I ran the Dye Room for many years, working with students instructing in different textile techniques, surface decoration, screen printing, fabric dyeing and the art of ageing fabric and breaking down costumes for the stage and screen.

I have worked with students on live projects such as exhibitions, theatre shows, films and outdoor site-specific theatre in various locations around Dorset and nationwide.

When I moved to the Senior Technician role, I was working with both the Costume and Performance Design course and the BA (Hons) Make-Up for Media and Performance course which was rewarding as whilst the courses are very different in content, they collaborate closely working together on many projects.

My current role as the Senior Technician for BA (Hons) Costume, BA (Hons) Performance Design and Film Costume and MA Historical Costume is varied and busy. I line manage a team of five, and we all work together with the academics to support the students.

I have qualifications in health and safety and also oversee the budgets for the live projects within the courses.

My own research is about millinery, looking at the history and also combining textiles techniques, different materials and shapes with traditional construction methods to create practical but innovative headwear.

I have qualifications in millinery and in 2019, I wrote a book titled Making Hats, which was published by Crowood Press.

I am currently researching into the shapes of hats from the 1930s and '40s.