Maelisa Singer is a costume and performance artist, writer, and researcher. She is a PhD student in Art at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, funded by the College Research Award.

Her practice-based research explores the intersection of costume and disability, drawing on theoretical frameworks from new materialism, posthumanism, costume studies, critical disability studies, and crip theory. Through costume performance art, drawing, writing, and workshops, her practice investigate themes including embodied expression, visibility, labour, and care in disabled experiences.

Maelisa’s PhD research develops and introduces “Cripping Costume” as a term, practice, and methodology, using it to explore the intersection of costume and disability in performance.

She holds an MA with Distinction in Costume Design for Performance from the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, and a BA with Distinction in Drama from the University of Virginia, where she was a Miller Arts Scholar of Drama.

As a practising disabled designer, Maelisa is a passionate advocate for greater accessibility and inclusivity in technical theatre and film work. She is an active member of the Society of British Theatre Designers, as well as the Irish Society of Performance Designers.