All of our lectures are live streamed and are open to anyone to join us online, Fellows and Non-Fellows.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
Join us for a scrumptious lunchtime lecture from Dr Ella Hawkins!
How can the process of creating edible art function as a form of close reading? In this lecture, Ella Hawkins will discuss her work as a biscuit artist. Ranging from recreations of archaeological artefacts to explorations of literary history and contemporary costume design, Ella’s biscuit sets provide an unusual perspective on material culture. What can rendering the binding of Shakespeare’s First Folio in royal icing reveal about Elizabethan publishing practices? Is it possible to trace developments in fashion history through edible reproductions of lace, embroidery, and printed cottons? What are the patterns and wear marks that feature on ancient pottery sherds, and what is the point of producing new, ephemeral versions of such objects? Join Ella for an in-depth insight into this artistic process and its intersections with her academic research on Shakespeare and design history.
Dr Ella Hawkins is a Shakespeare scholar, design historian, and artist. She shares her fascination with design by creating edible art inspired by historical textiles, objects, and costumes, working with cultural institutions including the British Library, Jane Austen’s House, and Milton’s Cottage. She is Senior Lecturer at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and author of Shakespeare in Elizabethan Costume: ‘Period Dress’ in Twenty-First Century Performance (Bloomsbury, 2022).
