Dorman was born in 1975 in London. She studied at the
Byam Shaw School of Art in London (since absorbed into
Central Saint Martins) and the
University of Edinburgh. She started her time in Iraq with the
Royal Green Jackets in
Basra Palace, where she frequently came under enemy fire, then went to the desert near the
Iranian border. She spent time with British forces in
Afghanistan in 2009-2014. In 2009 she was embedded with
2nd Battalion, The Rifles in
Sangin,
Helmand, though she was not allowed to accompany soldiers on patrol, and in 2010 travelled within Afghanistan from her base in
Kabul. Her humanitarian work has taken her to
Gaza,
Palestine &
Israel (2017),
Lebanon,
Syria (2018) and most recently,
Ukraine (2023). Dorman's work explores the realities of modern conflict, its immediate impacts and long-term consequences, and the light that can be born out of the darkness of war. She worked with refugees in
Lesbos,
Calais and
Dunkirk in 2015 and 2016. In December 2015 she created an art installation by suspending a
dinghy, which had been used to transport refugees across the
Mediterranean, from the roof of
St James's Church,
Piccadilly. Called
Flight, the exhibit was on display until February 2016, and related the flight of refugees to the ancient tradition of hanging boats from church roofs. Following on from Dorman's critically acclaimed work
Flight,
Suspended formed part of her ongoing series of works seeking to highlight the humanitarian crisis of forced displacement across the world today.
Suspended premiered in 2017 in St. James's Piccadilly, before touring the UK from 2018-2019, and was notably installed in
Canterbury Cathedral and
Leicester Cathedrals. Dorman has exhibited at venues including the
Imperial War Museum, the Frost and Reed Gallery, and
La Galleria Pall Mall. She works as an Ambassador to the charities
Beyond Conflict and
Afghanaid and is a member of the
Guild of St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. In 2024 Dorman exhibited Child of War at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, London. This body of work explores the plight of children in war across the world today. == Publications ==