textile design - art direction - photography - graphic design
All materiality on planet earth has grown from nature in one way or another. However, as a result of mass production, a process in which we standardise and abstract raw materials, there is a strong disengage between the materials and where they come from versus what they are turned into.
We need to shed light on the way we excessively exploit our planet’s resources, manipulate them to the point where we don’t even know what our close surroundings are made of, and then carelessly discard them.
I intend to de-abstract our mass produced possessions by using textiles to stay true to the raw materials’ original form - preserving nature and reincorporating it more respectfully. In attempt to change our consumption habits we can therefore (re)establish a relationship between what we surround ourselves with and the earth where it all comes from.
The textiles collection growganic matter, is divided into 'vegetation', 'flesh' and 'decay'. Here, I merge biomaterials and crafting techniques. Samples contain wet and needle felted wool, kombucha leather, as well as agar- and alginate-based biomaterials with a natural waste base (i.e. lawn mower grass, banana peels, over-ripe mangos). I have derived the rich and earthy color palette solely from natural dyes. Lastly, a material book graphically captures material construction, print experiments, process documentation and three garments in a photoshoot.
wet felt of natural fine combed merino wool from New Zealand embroidered with hand spun degummed silk yarn, both dyed with red onion skins
used paper towel scraps and cotton yarn, both dyed with red cabbage and baking soda
chunks of natural fine combed merino wool from New Zealand formed and coated in alginate dyed with red cabbage and baking soda
wet felt of natural fine combed merino wool from New Zealand embroidered with hand spun degummed silk yarn, both dyed with red onion skins
vegetation is the origin, nature in its purest form. untouched. vegetation expresses fragility, openness and growth. rooted beneath and sprouting beyond. it lives and therefore, it is vegetation that gives humans life.
plain weave made with cotton yarn, kombucha leather, mango leather, red onion skin alginate biomaterial and avocado stone dyed degummed silk cocoons.
wet felt strips made with merino wool from new zealand, fine merino wool with tussah silk, german merino filling wool and degummed silk cocoons. naturally dyed with avocado stones, walnut skins, campeche/logwood, red beets and kurkuma powder with baking soda. coated in agar colored with red onion skin before being woven together in a plain weave.
naturally colored kombucha leather, grown from a starter and fed with sugary green tea, layered under an alginate dyed with red onion skin
plain weave made with cotton yarn, kombucha leather, mango leather, red onion skin alginate biomaterial and avocado stone dyed degummed silk cocoons.
flesh represents humans as the driving force in the destruction of nature. we transform vegetation to decay. we believe to be greater than nature. nasty, gooey, sticky. we manipulate nature to the unrecognisable, without questioning. however, flesh also visualises that we and our naked bodies too are nothing more than nature. organic.
fresh hand-picked grass from the lawn, glycerin and agar
long/thick gras straws, fine gras straws and alginate dyed with red onion skins
wet felt of fine combed merino wool, tussah silk and non-carded german merino filling wool dyed with campeche/logwood and baking soda
fresh hand-picked grass from the lawn, glycerin and agar
decay shows nature under the exploiting influence of humans. the last stage, in which we carelessly allow our possessions to deteriorate. rough and raw. waste that we once took from, and can now gives back to, nature.
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