Lorna Bircham

Lorna Bircham has been a member of the teaching team at Chelsea College of Art and Design since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1978. Her work as a free lance weave designer and consultant has played an important part in her contributiion to student specialist knowledge. She is currently working on both the BA and MA textile design programmes. She is a founder member of TED, the Chelssea Research project, established in 1996. An early contributrion to the project was a collection of fabrics woven with Tencel and paper yarns for an exhibition "The Story of Tencel" at the Science Museum, london 1999. images www.scienceandsociety.co.uk In 1999 and 2001, she undertoook two related woven product development projects in Assam, India working with rural weavers using the local silks eri and muga. see publication Research@Chelsea5 1SSN 1740-9241 Lorna has built up many international connections through academic assignments in Europe, India and Thailand. These have resulted in reciprocal educational and research opportunities for both undergraduate and postraduate students. Her current research "Mind the Gap" is concerned with developing a new approach to the aesthetic and function of the universal hospital gown. Areas of importance are design and dignity, material choices, methods of production, maintenance and disposability. Phase one of the research will contribute to a collaborative exhibition with public artist, Sue Ridge, to be held late 2006 to launch the new BCAD unit at Central Middlesex Hospital, Park Royal, London. Phase two will be sample production and user trial. Lorna is an avid collector of vintage and antique textiles, some of which will feature as part of her pesonal involvement with the TED "Worn Again" AHRC project, directed by Becky Earley