Climate Change and Textile Action
“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”
— Former President, Barack Obama
Did you know, that whales are responsible for 50% of our oxygen levels?
Whale songs (which whales are essentially reliant upon to feed and mate), can be heard up to 20 miles underwater. However, due to extortionate noise pollution like fishing (and sadly, the continuation of whaling in some countries), whales survival and breeding tactics are drastically effected and therefore, so are our oxygen levels, due to meddling of the natural underwater ecosystem.
Wordless narrative concertina book.
Click play to turn the pages of my wordless narrative concertina book, exploring the effect’s climate change is having on the Whale community, and marine life.
Deliberately open to personal interpretation.
How does this make you feel?
How can textiles and illustration be used to emotionally engage the public to join the fight against climate change and its effects on the animal kingdom and marine life?
We are bombarded weekly with statistical data which is overwhelming and counterproductive in making the consumer engage with the climate issues consistently enough to make long lasting change.
We cannot relate and emotionally engage with what we cannot see.
Therefore, this work explores bringing those illustrated narratives of what’s happening thousands of miles away, into our culture, and into our homes.
Explored here in the format of projected imagery, wordless narrative story books and placement prints.
Instead of being told what is happening, we need to rely equally on how visual art and story telling makes us feel in order for the public to become emotionally a part of changing the climate through textile action.
Laser engraved mirror. A product designed for consumers to have in their homes as emotionally engaging reminders of their part to play in the climate crisis.
Open mesh screen printing onto recycled silk swatches.
Hand illustrated and digitally colourised on photoshop, printed onto bamboo silk.
Royal College of Art Work in Progress show, 2019
Exploration of hard interior materials. An option for the consumer to have illustrated narratives in their home, via engraved drawings.
Click play to see repeat samples printed here onto recycled polyester and detailed with recycled foil.
