2007
Professor Lucy Orta
HonMA in recognition of her strengths in bringing together diverse communities and professionals from the design disciplines and involving them in collaborative processes.
Through work which she describes as “architectures with soul”, Professor Orta has cast a critical and constructive gaze on some of the most sensitive areas of society, evoking the need for change and suggesting alternative lifestyles.
Her sculptures, performance installations and site-specific artworks transcend the boundaries between fashion, architecture and traditional art practice to create and original visual language.
Some of her most celebrated works, such as Refuge Wear and Nexus Architecture, tackle issues like social exclusion, human distress and the interdependency of all people in society.
Professor Orta graduated from NTU in 1989 with BA (Hons) Knitwear Design. After graduation she joined a knitwear design studio in Paris and then established her own studio in 1991, where her work became more orientated towards Fine Art. Since then her exhibitions and performances have been staged across the globe, not only in prestigious galleries but also at sites such as housing estates and subway stations.
One signature work, Nexus Architecture – outfits linked together to form a single garment which can be worn simultaneously by hundreds of people – has been used in parades worldwide as a demonstration of solidarity. In 2004, one of her distinctive installations, Dwelling X, was sited in Nottingham’s Market Square.
Professor Orta, who holds the first Rootstein Hopkins Chair of Fashion at London College of Fashion, has retained links with NTU, having employed students on placement and delivering lectures in the School of Art and Design.