RESEARCH

Shimmer as Feminist Methodology

Hannah Shillito's practice-led research explores shimmer as an eco-materialist feminist methodology, questioning how surface, material and perception shape our understanding of identity, femininity and value.

Working across sculpture, textiles, fashion, performance and installation, she challenges the idea that glamour, decoration and excess are merely superficial. Instead, she investigates how reflective, synthetic, reclaimed and bio-derived materials can disrupt established hierarchies between beauty and substance, art and craft, permanence and disposability.

Through experimentation with iridescent surfaces, translucent fabrics, light and movement, Hannah explores the shifting relationships between bodies, materials and their environments. Her research considers the cultural and ecological contradictions of materials associated with both glamour and waste.

Making is central to this enquiry. From playful experiments with shimmering materials suspended among trees to speculative digital installations and participatory performances, Hannah approaches artistic experimentation as a way of generating knowledge rather than simply illustrating existing theories.

What if shimmer is not simply something we see, but a way of understanding the world?