Made & Worn Away Day
This guest blog by Liz Burton reflects on the recent Made & Worn Away Day at Winterbourne House: Exploring Heritage, identity and sustainability.
On a crisp and bright Monday, 16th June, in Birmingham, minds gathered, stories bloomed, and ideas took root at Winterbourne House & Garden for a special “Made & Worn” away day! Hosted in a small lab surrounded by flora hanging from the ceiling, a refreshing vibe to the usual design rooms. This event brought together academics, from Fashion, Textiles and Jewellery to explore the intersections between heritage, identity and sustainability.
The day featured three insightful speakers, each offering a unique perspective on research, creative practice and the transformative power of heritage spaces to inspire change.
Lee Hale: Kicking things off with chickens, printing press and big questions.
The day began with a welcome from Lee Hale, Director of Winterbourne House & Garden at the University of Birmingham’s very own botanic garden and Arts Council-accredited museum. With a passion for the relationship between heritage and horticulture, Lee brings both academic and practical expertise to his role.
Lee’s talk took us through a journey into Winterbournes rich past, beginning with the Nettlefold family who championed sustainable living long before it became a buzzword- think chickens and homegrown veg. Fast forward to today and the museum is not stuck in the past, its thriving as a dynamic space powered by students, researchers and volunteers and a top-tier tearoom! One of the wonderful surprises we found out was we were sat in 1 of ten University botanical gardens in the UK – a real powerhouse for biodiversity and education. Lee also unveiled some hidden gems like the printing press and the printing library tucked away for creative discovery! Lee’s talk left us reflecting what does heritage mean today? And how we can support our students to help them connect and preserve their own?
Anisha Parmar: Adornment as Resistance, Storytelling & Liberation.
Next, Anisha Parmar, a multidisciplinary artist, cultural practitioner, and founder of Anisha Parmar Studio delivered a deeply moving and thought-provoking talk titled "Decolonising Through Adornment: Feminine Energy in Heritage Spaces." Drawing on her own British – South Asian heritage, Anisha utilises jewellery and material culture as powerful tools for storytelling, resistance and reclamation.
Through a touching video with her Mother, she shared her wedding jewellery, her own mother designed and the family jeweller crafted. The video revealed how a physical object can hold generations of untold stories giving Anisha a deeper insight into her family’s lived experiences often overlooked.
Anisha spoke of work in colonial spaces like Kedleston Hall highlighting how emotionally difficult it can be for people from global majority backgrounds to work in places with a history of excluding them. One powerful, goosebump inducing moment was her reclaiming of jewellery from lifeless display cabinets — once crammed together with small, generic tags. She described hearing their silent screams and giving them a voice, bringing each piece to life through storytelling, performance, and film.
Rooted in her British-South-Asian heritage, Anisha’s talk reflected on working in colonial heritage spaces; Kedleston Hall and the emotional labour this entails for global majority practitioners. She unpacked how jewellery often dismissed as decorative, can be a radical act of memory and empowerment in spaces historically built on exclusion. Anisha continually challenges the status quo – a bold and courageous act the demands strength, conviction and energy. Her inspiring talk was a call to action to focus on collaboration, wellbeing, and alternative ways of knowing, challenging dominant museum narratives and opening space for new, inclusive futures for all.
Nigel Guérin-Garnett: Creative Practice Across Disciplines – Dancing with A.I.
The final talk of the day was delivered by Nigel Guérin-Garnett, an interdisciplinary practitioner whose work bridges digital technologies and the arts—including fashion, textiles, materials, and especially the performing arts, with a strong emphasis on dance and choreography. From working in Fashion at Saks 5th Avenue to his research focusing on how A.I., movement, and systems can become tools of creative exploration.
Nigel’s talk took the audience through a series of examples showing how creative practice and research unfold across multiple contexts—from academia and industry to art production and R&D. He emphasized how the body and movement are not only mediums of performance, but also sites of inquiry and knowledge, particularly when augmented by emerging technologies. Imagine dancing with A.I?
Drawing connections between disciplines and his passions, Nigel offered a compelling vision of interconnected creativity: how digital systems, physical expression, and material processes can co-exist and inform each other in surprising, dynamic ways. His talk sparked important dialogue about the future of collaboration, art-tech innovation, and the value of interdisciplinary practice.
A Day of Exchange and Inspiration.
Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to reflect, question, and connect. Through the lens of heritage, identity and sustainability each speaker reminded us of the transformative power of looking deeper into our own roots, passions, stories and the potential of meaningful collaboration.
The setting of Winterbourne is rich in both natural beauty and layered histories which offered the perfect backdrop for this multi-disciplinary exchange. From informal conversations in the garden to thought provoking presentations, the atmosphere was one shared curiosity and learning.
Stay tuned for future events, and if you haven't yet wandered through the gardens or explored the house, now is the time to discover this hidden gem in Birmingham; a space where past and present meet to inspire new ideas.