Nellie Gossen (they/them/she/her) is an artist, educator and death doula who lives and works between the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and Berlin, Germany.
Weaving together diverse backgrounds in fashion design, religious studies and end-of life care, Nellie uses clothing as an expansive tool to investigate the relationship between bodies, people and systems. Drawing on their technical training in clothing construction, they ask: what are the skills of the tailor, the seamstress, and the costume designer, and what can they do? Working through the media of fashion, costume, textiles, and performance, Nellie practices fashion as a space of study, ceremony, and as a performance making modality in its own right.
Since 2021, Nellie has trained and practiced widely within the field of end-of-life care. In this context, they work with clothing as a gentle and loving way to engage with the body outside of medical frameworks, and as an opportunity to offer beauty, agency and dignity in moments of significant change. Nellie facilitates one-on-one processes with individuals with life-limiting diagnoses, where the co-creation of custom garments becomes a vehicle for storytelling, remembering, honouring, and celebrating. Nellie’s current artistic research centres on the relationship between fashion and aliveness, in all its forms.
Nellie holds degrees in fashion design (Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee) and religious studies (University of British Columbia) and is professionally trained as a death doula. Their work has been presented by The Dance Centre (Vancouver), the PuSh Festival (Vancouver), Unit/Pitt (Vancouver), the Icelandic Textile Centre (Blonduos) and Kunsthalle am Hamburgerplatz (Berlin). As an occasional costume designer for dance and performance, Nellie’s clothing has toured all over the world.
Weaving together diverse backgrounds in fashion design, religious studies and end-of life care, Nellie uses clothing as an expansive tool to investigate the relationship between bodies, people and systems. Drawing on their technical training in clothing construction, they ask: what are the skills of the tailor, the seamstress, and the costume designer, and what can they do? Working through the media of fashion, costume, textiles, and performance, Nellie practices fashion as a space of study, ceremony, and as a performance making modality in its own right.
Since 2021, Nellie has trained and practiced widely within the field of end-of-life care. In this context, they work with clothing as a gentle and loving way to engage with the body outside of medical frameworks, and as an opportunity to offer beauty, agency and dignity in moments of significant change. Nellie facilitates one-on-one processes with individuals with life-limiting diagnoses, where the co-creation of custom garments becomes a vehicle for storytelling, remembering, honouring, and celebrating. Nellie’s current artistic research centres on the relationship between fashion and aliveness, in all its forms.
Nellie holds degrees in fashion design (Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee) and religious studies (University of British Columbia) and is professionally trained as a death doula. Their work has been presented by The Dance Centre (Vancouver), the PuSh Festival (Vancouver), Unit/Pitt (Vancouver), the Icelandic Textile Centre (Blonduos) and Kunsthalle am Hamburgerplatz (Berlin). As an occasional costume designer for dance and performance, Nellie’s clothing has toured all over the world.
