About
Over the last five years Julia Hyland has been funded by the Wellcome Trust to bring the history of medicine to life through the medium of ‘medical effects’ make-up. Through interactive workshops, Julia's medical simulations have helped to capture the imagination of a wide audience of all ages and educational abilities.
Julia has written and implemented projects and resources for specific history of medicine topics while producing original works which have been disseminated all over the UK and has collaborated with academics from other universities including Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Royal Holloway and Manchester.
By re-creating a variety of medical conditions Julia brings the work of the University and the History of Medicine Unit to the attention of the community in an exciting and memorable way.
Qualifications
BA (hons) History of Art and Design (University of Wolverhampton)
Biography
Julia previously worked in the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquities as an Archaeological assistant on The Mycenae Project and later went on to study a degree in History of Art. It was after her degree that she went on to train as a ‘medical effects’ make-up artist. Julia received funding from the Wellcome Trust in 2006 to bring medical and disease history to life with my medical effects make-up and continues with this work today.
Project work and collaborations include:
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British Society for the History of Science (BSHS). Since 2007.
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Healthy Histories, Handsworth, Birmingham. Since 2010.
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Shell Shock, WW1 play. 2011
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Centre for WW1 studies, University of Birmingham. Since 2010.
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Mini Medical School, University of Birmingham. Since 2006.
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School of Education, University of Birmingham. Since 2006.
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Wellcome Trust Library. Since 2007.
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Thinktank Museum. Since 2006.
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Midland History Day. Since 2010.
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University of Birmingham Community Open day. Since 2010.
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SSHM Skin Conference. 2010.
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Royal Holloway University. Since 2009.
The use of medical effects make-up enables a person to ‘wear’ a particular condition such as bubonic plague, giving an audience chance to confront disease and trauma in a realistic manner whilst stimulating debate into medical knowledge and treatments in the past.
Society largely avoids the topic of skin diseases and facial disfigurements and physical trauma in general which is why Julia has a special interest in them. Julia is currently looking at the work of Howard Gillies and his pioneering developments in plastic surgery post WW1.
Research
Research Themes:
Skin diseases
The work of Howard Gillie
Three-way Podcast with Julia Hyland, Dr June Jones and volunteer students using ‘medical effects’make-up:
Other activities
As a freelance make-up artist Julia has worked on a number of historical and medical documentaries as advisor and practitioner.
Television programmes include:
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‘Ancient Plastic Surgery’ for Channel 4.
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‘Helen of Troy’ with Bethany Hughes for Channel 4.
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‘Seconds from disaster’ - Comet air crash 1954’ for National Geographic.
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‘Embarrassing illnesses’ for Channel 4.
Publications
Hyland J, Summer 2010, ‘Cosmetics in the Eighteenth Century’, The Journal, Institute of Science and Technology, pp12-14.
Hyland J, February 2008 ‘Julia Hyland reflects on her work as a medical effects make-up artist’, Viewpoint; newsletter of the British Society for the History of Science, p9, No 85.
Hyland J, Spring 2008 ‘The history of medicine – Medical Effects make-up’, The Journal, Institute of Science and technology, pp 6-7.