Katherine May
Katherine works as a designer/researcher, examining the life of textile materials through research and making.
Staff details
Katherine works as a designer/researcher and facilitator examining the life of textile materials and objects through research and making.
Katherine uses acts of making as a tool to interrupt habitual behaviours, and to heighten awareness to material and social surroundings. Her projects explore performative and participatory methods in a variety of contexts from high streets, gardens, residential developments and community halls to gallery spaces and museums. Katherine trained in textile design (BA) at Chelsea College of Art and Design, and in material culture/design anthropology (MA) at University College London. Katherine has extensive teaching and mentoring experience in education institutes and in community/arts led education contexts, including work with The Crafts Council, Victoria and Albert Museum and The New Economics Foundation.
Publications and research outputs
Edited Book
- DDB 2024-2025 Park, Soomi; May, Katherine; Haines, Agatha and Rigby, Bethany, eds. 2025. DDB 2024-2025. London: School of Design, Goldsmiths, University of London. ISBN 9781913380892
Book Section
- Practicing Solidarity. Blueprints: towards teaching fashion with care May, Katherine. 2025. Practicing Solidarity. Blueprints: towards teaching fashion with care. In: Daniëlle Bruggeman, ed. Practising Solidarity: Critical Fashion and Agency that Matters. Arnhem: ArtEZ Press. ISBN 9789491444753
- Blueprints for Common-ing with Fashion May, Katherine. 2023. Blueprints for Common-ing with Fashion. In: UNSPECIFIED, ed. Recipes for Connecting. A-Z Collective.
Article
- Notes on Fashion Constellations May, Katherine. 2022. Notes on Fashion Constellations. The Fashion Studies Journal, Partnership Issue,
Conference or Workshop Item
- Paper - Notes on Friendship and Unmaking Together May, Katherine and Hoette, Ruby. 2024. 'Paper - Notes on Friendship and Unmaking Together'. In: Dialogical Bodies: Everything and Everybody as Material. University of Borås, Sweden 19 - 20 April 2024.
- Notes on Friendship and Unmaking Together May, Katherine. 2024. 'Notes on Friendship and Unmaking Together'. In: Notes on Friendship and Unmaking Together. Swedish School of Textiles, University of Boras, Sweden.
- Blueprints: towards de-fashioning education May, Katherine. 2023. 'Blueprints: towards de-fashioning education'. In: Blueprints: towards de-fashioning education. Berlin University of the Arts, Germany.
Art Object
- Studio Object Cyanotypes Wallpaper May, Katherine and Quin, Corinne. 2023. Studio Object Cyanotypes Wallpaper.
Artist's Book
- Blueprints Towards Expanding Fashion Practice May, Katherine. 2022. Blueprints Towards Expanding Fashion Practice.
Design
- Four Piles Thick May, Katherine. 2025. Four Piles Thick.
- The Camel May, Katherine. 2020. The Camel.
Film/Video
- BULK Haul:If the bag gets too big, you'll hurt your back May, Katherine. 2026. BULK Haul:If the bag gets too big, you'll hurt your back.
Printed Ephemera
- Pattern Poems May, Katherine. 2025. Pattern Poems.
- Design Collective Cyanotypes Publication May, Katherine and Quin, Corinne. 2023. Design Collective Cyanotypes Publication.
Project
- BULK May, Katherine. 2024. BULK.
- Seminar Series: Design Department Buffets (DDB) Park, Soomi; May, Katherine; Haines, Agatha and Rigby, Bethany. 2024. Seminar Series: Design Department Buffets (DDB).
- Blueprints May, Katherine. 2022 - ongoing Blueprints.
Show/Exhibition
- Fashion Constellations: Blueprints towards expanding fashion practice May, Katherine. 2020. Fashion Constellations: Blueprints towards expanding fashion practice. In: "Fashion Constellations: blueprints towards expanding fashion practice", Constance Howard Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 31 January - 26 March 2020.