Alana Clifton-Cunningham

Lecturer, School of Design

FashTechCert (TAFE), MktCert (Sydney Institute), DipMktMgt (Sydney Institute), BDes (Hons) (UTS), GCHETL (UTS), MDes(hons) (UNSW)
Email: Alana.Clifton@uts.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 9514 8891
Fax: +61 2 9514 8787
Room: CB06.06.30 (map)
Mailing address: PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia

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Biography
Alana Clifton-Cunningham has worked for many years as a professional designer within the Australian fashion and textile industry before commencing her career in academia in 2000. Her role as lecturer at UTS focuses on couture practices and knitwear design within a contemporary design context.

Alana’s research, which focuses on the social, political, symbolic significance of knitwear design within a traditional and contemporary design context, also examines perceptions of knitting and its’ relationship to the human body as a second skin. For example, through challenging assumptions of knitted clothing structures and combining traditional knitting techniques with new technologies and materials, Alana creates non-traditional edifices that function on the human body and confront viewers.

Alana has guest lectured at UNSW’s College of Fine Arts and has presented conference papers at RMIT Melbourne, Curtin University Western Australia, York University Canada and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong. She has also exhibited extensively nationally and internationally.

In 2009, Alana was also appointed to a legal case through Spruson & Ferguson Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, which is one of the leading intellectual property (IP) firms in Australia acting as an expert witness interpreting fashion design and representations.

Alana is passionate about collaboration from alternative design disciplines and is interested in new technologies and methodologies.

Research supervision: Yes

Publications

Journal Articles

Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2008, 'Second skins: challenging the conventions of knitting', Ragtrader: Australia's clothing fashion, vol. 19/09/2008, pp. 18-21.

Conference Papers

Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2011, 're (skin): challenging perceptions in knitwear design', Get Knitted, Auckland University of Technology, NZ (Textile and Design Laboratory), April 2011.

Clifton-Cunningham, A. & Karaminas, V. 2004, 'Off the Wall: The Florence Broadhurst Collection', Intermesh Symposium: Exchanges in fashion and Textiles, RMIT University, Melbourne, March 2004.

Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2004, 'Trompe L'oeil: an Investigation of Traditional and Digital Textile Applications in the Creation of Illusion', The Space Between: Textiles - Art - Design - Fashion, Perth, Australia, April 2004 in The Space Between: textiles - art - design - fashion, ed Doropoulos, M., Farren, A. and Worden, S., Faculty of the Built Environment, Art & Design, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia, pp. 1-6.
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Original Creative Works

Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2010, 'Pauldron', Fashion Art Biennale Seoul, The Korea Fashion & Culture Association, Seoul, Korea.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2009, '(re)skin: contemporary knitting', (re)skin: contemporary knitting, DAB Lab Research Gallery, University of Technology, DAB Lab Research Gallery.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2009, 'Visible Markings: new knitting', Visible markings: new knitting, Craft Victoria, media release, online.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. & Gwilt, A. 2008, 'Fragments: methodologies of making fashion', Fragments: methodologies of making fashion, UTS: DAB DOCS, Sydney, Australia, pp. 1-17.

Clifton-Cunningham, A. & Gwilt, A. 2008, 'Fragments: methodologies of making fashion', Fragments: methodologies of making fashion, DAB Docs [07], Australia.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2008, 'Second Skin Armsling, Gloves, Mufti, Neck Pods', Momentum: 18th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial, Tamworth Regional Gallery, Textile Fibre Forum, local and regional newspapers.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2008, 'Second skin: new knitting', Second skin: new knitting, Alana Clifton-Cunningham, UTS, pp. 1-4 + insert.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2007, 'Designs for the International Hand and Lock Prize for Embroidery Awards', Hand and Lock Embroidery, Musum of Sydney, Musum of Sydney.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2006, ''Second Skin'', Blurring the boundaries: fashion design innovation in contemporary knitting, Vishna Collins, Art Monthly Australia, Craft Australia, Textile Fibre Forum.
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Clifton-Cunningham, A. 2005, 'Flourish: knitted Stomacher and Pocket', Valency: College of Fine Art, University of New South Wales, College of Fine Art, University of New South Wales press, pp. n/a-n/a.
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