MEET THE HEIMATOLOGIST
heima= a garment, an article of clothing
tologist= an expert in a particular branch of study
'The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly, that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself, before she felt herself falling down what seemed a deep well.'
(Carroll 1862-64)
'HER'-STORY
Lifelong Discovery
The Heimatologist’s early career unfolded in theatre, where she specialised in historical dress and developed a deep respect for the craft, precision and storytelling potential of costume. Her fascination with history and dress began at the age of seventeen, inspired by Mary Queen of Scots and the writing of scholar Rosalind K. Marshall — a spark that has shaped her research trajectory ever since.
After seventeen years working in theatre, she began a new chapter in 2010 as a Lecturer in Costume at Birmingham City University. Two years later, while searching for haberdashery for her students, she stepped into a darkened storeroom and discovered something unexpected: floor‑to‑ceiling stacks of archival boxes labelled 1890 Court Dress, extremely delicate Regency dress, and other enticing clues. What she uncovered inside these boxes was even more compelling -a hidden gathering of historical garments that opened the path to her ongoing research practice.
Raised in a household where performance was woven into everyday life, her PhD brings together all the threads that have shaped her in her PhD: a lifelong love of history, the tactility and intelligence of dress, the discipline of costuming, and the liveness of performance. Through The Heimatologist, she continues to explore how clothing holds memory, anchors identity and reveals the intimate relationships between people, places and the stories they inhabit.
CREATIVE OUTPUTS
Events and happenings
The Heimatologist has presented papers at a number of conferences internationally and in the United Kingdom. and events and exhibitions. They have been privileged to collaborate with some influential academics and practitioners.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND CONFERENCES
2016-current
Included are previous contributions to conferences, events, and publications:
(2026)[exhibition Review]. (pending). Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop. Studies in Costume for Performance.
(2023)[Journal Publication] ‘The Costumers’ Lens: Encounters with the Pink Silk Dress.’ Studies in Costume for Performance. 8 (1), pp. 105-120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/scp_00088_3
(2022) Narratives of Dress: the Pink Silk Dress, Great Western Arcade, Birmingham. 8th-26th June 2022.
(2021) The Red Cloak: "A Sister Dripped in Blood" Culture, Costume and Dress. (2021) Conference. Birmingham City University. 5th May 2021.
(2020) 'Cabinets of Costume: Renegotiating Participation Through Practice, Object-Based Study, and ‘Ghosts’ of an Assemblage of Dress.' Costume: the Journal for the Costume Society. [Special Edition] September 2020.
(2020)The Costume as Emissary. Critical Costume 2020: Costume Agency. Oslo [online] 21st- 23rd August 2020.
(2019). Renegotiating the Contract for Participation with Audiences of Dress and Fashion Exhibitions. Culture, Costume, and Dress. Birmingham City University. 2nd- 5th June 2019
(2019). Cabinets of Costume: Inspiring Tacit Knowledge and Curiosity through Object-Based Study. The Museum for All People: Art, Accessibility and Social Inclusion. Madrid University, 2nd -5th April 2019.
(2018). Making the Unseen Seen: The Kate Elizabeth Bunce Collection. The Proceedings of the 1st International Conference, Culture, Costume and Dress, Birmingham City University https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/id1346874249,
(2017) Cabinets of Costume, Co-curator (exhibition), Parkside Gallery, Birmingham City University, 9th May – 5th June 2017
(2017) Making the Unseen Seen: The Kate Elizabeth Bunce Collection, Culture Costume, and Dress Conference, Birmingham City University, 10th-12th May 2017 http://ccd2017.org/
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
(2021) A Chance Discovery: A Gathering of Dress from Kate Elizabeth Bunce. Lecture at the Pre-Raphaelite Society. 20th March 2021. https://youtu.be/p5pBuCl2oxw
(2020) A Brief Discussion of University Art and Design Archives as Catalysts for Creativity and Research. Edinburgh University Press Blog. https://euppublishingblog.com/2020/11/12/a-brief-discussion-of-university-art-and-design-archives-as-catalysts-for-creativity-and-research/
(2017) An Accidental Archivist: The Kate Elizabeth Bunce Collection, Locksmith Cottage, Willenhall,
(2016) Performing Aestheticism- Aesthetic Dress as Performance. AHRC funded project ‘Reading Art’ with Dr. Serena Trowbridge, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 16th April 2016 https://readingart.wordpress.com/
HAPPENINGS
The Heimatologist traces stories through cloth, working where history, memory and performance meet. Her fascination with dress began at seventeen, inspired by Mary Queen of Scots and the words of Rosalind K. Marshall — a spark that grew into a life shaped by making, researching and listening to what garments quietly hold.
Seventeen years in theatre embedded a deep respect for historical dress and the disciplined poetry of menswear tailoring. Later, at Birmingham City University, an unexpected discovery of archival garments — Regency muslins, Victorian coats, delicate traces of other lives — opened a new path, revealing costume as a living archive.
Her work now moves between theatre, opera, screen and outdoor spectacle, including Wondrous Stories, Aardman’s Comfort advertisement, Conservatoire operas, and intercultural projects such as Positively Red, Off Our Trolley, and the Gres Portela School of Samba.
Her PhD gathers these threads, exploring how historical dress shapes identity, embodiment and the stories we carry.
Review Narratives of Dress: The Pink Silk Dress from June 2022
PORTFOLIO
Practice- research, perfromed
Images from my practice in theatre are included here, with a selection of collaborations, partners and companies.
Included are a selection of costumes from A School for Scandal, (Northern Broadsides), From a Jack to a King, Insignificance, (Harrogate White Rose Theatre), Cyrano De Bergerac, and The Merchant of Venice, (The Royal Shakespeare Company).
Currently studying towards a Ph.D. at University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion with Amy de la Haye as my Director of Studies.
My Ph.D. title is, Costuming as an Authorial Practice: Reading and Re-Authoring an Assemblage of Every day, Aesthetic Womenswear from the Birmingham School of Art 1795-1885.
The Heimatologist teaches has taught at a number ofhas taught at Birmingham City University since 2008.
Specialising in costume design and practice , the Heimatologist has developed the programme initially, on the BA Hons Fashion Design with Design for Perfromance and now the new BA Hons. in Costume Design and Practice to prepare graduates for the costume industry.
All Videos
Narratives of Dress: the Pink Silk Dress (June 2022)
PRS Lecture Louise Chapman on Kate Bunce
Conference Paper / Louise E P Chapman
GET IN TOUCH
Contact The Heimatologist to discuss their published work, teaching, collaboration opportunities or for any other inquiries.
London Collge of Fashion