Connie Hatt

About

Completing her undergraduate degree in History at UCL in 2020, Connie came to the V&A/RCA History of Design Master’s with over three years professional experience programming research and events exploring architecture.

Her dissertation examined the Victorian fad for fashioning life-saving flotation properties into everyday objects – a trend that gave rise to bizarre buoyant designs, from hats to hammocks. An enduring fascination with how extreme environments – like life at sea – drive innovation continues to guide her research interests.

Connie is curious about human efforts to mitigate and control powerful natural elements through portable, mechanical, and multi-functional design, as well as the use of innovative materials. From flat-pack corrugated iron buildings and gimballed end tables to Apollo 12 space hammocks and life-preserving parasols, this is a field ripe for interrogation. She is also interested in how these utilitarian principles – mobility and adaptability – translated to later designs from Gerde Lange’s knock-down Farmerprogramm designs, to Jean Prouvé’s Metropole House, to the Emeco 1006 chair.

Her editorial background and experience engaging different audiences – including policymakers, young people, and built environment professionals – through research publications, event programming and workshops, continues to inform her practice as a design historian and her commitment to making knowledge accessible.