Sustainable Identity by Saba Rahbar

 I have been inspired by Persian kilims that have been passed down in families for generations and altered throughout time.

The TED reading group really helped me understand the different aspects of sustainability that I would like to capture in my future business.. I noticed that I started to be more critical about companies and products that claim they are sustainable and eco friendly, it made me take a closer look past the barrier of marketing and try and take a closer look myself.

I found that the TED’s ten was a clever way of trying to break up the broad term that is sustainability. I was disappointed that it was mostly fashion based, however, since my work is based solely on interiors.

I started my own blog about sustainable textiles and I have found it really helpful in terms of having my ideas in one space. It has also assisted me to get in touch with companies and people in the industry. 

My work links with four of the ten guiding principles.

Design to reduce chemical waste : I have been working with natural dyes that do no require mordants after realising the harm they have on our water systems. I’ve tried to find alternative ways of fixing the dye onto fabric, such as mixing myrobalan and cows milk etc.

Design that looks at models from nature and history : In exploring my roots, I have been looking at Persian textiles for inspiration such as kilims that have been passed down in families for generations and altered throughout time.

Design for ethical production: I am sourcing sustainable materials from the Philippines such as Pina and Abaca and have solely been in contact with manufacturers that provide work for women.

In order to make sure that the companies are doing what they say they are in terms of helping underprivileged women and not using child labour, I am going to go for a site visit on the 16^th April, in order have a stronger connection with the producers and to have a clear conscience that what I am using is ethically sourced.

Design to dematerialise and develop systems and services : I have edited my business plan for post MA development, to include a repair service for my customers in order to reduce textile waste. It seems like such a simple addition yet I had never even considered it.

Overall it has been a very educational and positive process for me and I am glad we had the chance to have this experience.

www.sabarahbar.blogspot.com

Fashion Basketry by Wiriya Techapaitoon

          From traditional hand-woven cloths, household basketry and simplest garment pattern, to seamless body-moulding Fashion

First of all I would like to talk a little bit about my studio work. What I’m doing is to ‘basket’ the clothes and to interpret traditional clothing skill into modern language. The material I’m using at the moment is cotton webbing. Many household implements that contain basketwork such as cooking fans, toys, steaming bowls, or sleeping mats are studied and experimented on how the elders learnt to finish the rim or how to hide the joining mark. As my project is to explore new ways that clothing, at the same time, can revive both the traditional Thai clothing pattern and the domestic basketry skills, I see this process as Design To Reduce Energy and Water Use, Design for Ethical Production and Design Activism.

Design To Reduce Energy and Water:

By applying the basketry to the textile production, the sewing part has eventually been removed since all the materials are the strips that run around over the patterns. I designed the entire weaving angle to 45 degree on purpose so that the strip won’t get stuck when it comes to the edge; the strips will be folded to the opposite direction and carried on their jobs. At this point the strips can be any materials; customised or upcycled, natural or synthetic.

              

Design for Ethical Production:

The pattern itself is also very simple to create; the traditional Asian tunic pattern is made of just one piece of paper, folded, centre-front cut for opening, neckline, without sleeve pattern done separately. These strip works and flat pattern are basically the mat hand weaving. This mat hand weaving skill, or any other hand crafting skills, is dying slowly in Thailand. This project has potential to give them back the jobs. My pattern at the moment is made out of just one paper for both front and back. It’s easy to learn. Time saving and energy saving. It’s very plain. It will suit many workers’ basic skills.

This proposal will be sent to many textile producers in Thailand. They will be asked to produce the strips which can be both cotton and silk, very thin or super texture. All materials will be made in Thailand.

Design Activism:

The entire cloth-basketry process will be recorded by taping and photography. My next step is to create the ‘Cloth-Basketry Kit’ that anyone can do at home. By using local textile material such as cotton and silk this clothing is suitable for Thai weather and the gaps between strips make a really breathable piece. Changing and mixing the strips’ quality can make the piece different and contemporary. I’m hoping to see both wearable tops made out of just cotton webs and at the same time a luxury gown made of lavish silk strips.

basketizer@hotmail.com

Things that are Valued by Chia-Hsing Ho

My natural draw to the vintage elements led me toward the research of vintage things and how can they be reuse again, the most important to add value to them. By visiting markets, car-boot and jumble sales, I slowly accumulated vintage items for both building the color palette and knitting. When I took a closer look into things I have, I found out that there seems to have a pattern of singularity within: they are all winding around circles. It echoes my main theory – the retreat of vintage objects, take unwanted things back to the consumption loop again.

My studio practice is focus on finding the new ways to work with yarns and textiles has led me toward the research of vintage things and how can they be reused again, the most important to add value to them. I slowly accumulated vintage items for both building the color palette and knitting. There seems to be a pattern of singularity within: they are all winding around circles. It echoes my main theory – the retreat of vintage objects, take unwanted things back to the consumption loop again.

In a parallel line I aim to investigate the lives of textile after they have been donate to charity shops. As finding the solution for those tons of textile waste becomes crucial, through research, the clothes donated to charity shops will provide an answer to the problem.

Each and every section of Ted gave me new perspectives of what is a better and sustainable design. Among Ted Ten, Design for recycling and upcycling is probably the most applicable method to treat the used goods I focusing on.

However, I am aware that even recycling has its different levels and grades. Recycling at product level forced me to look at the upcycling in my practice --- do I consider the recycling process and the durability of things I make? Or do I simply just create a landfill waste again?

When Ted Ten move onto its final chapter --- Design Activist, lecturer Otto von Busch explained his idea of designer being activist and for him every designer is activist, because they have the ability to change how people live.   

As a result being a designer maybe means that we can pre-design how customers are going to use the product, and even more, we can design a product that encourage people to repair them instead of throwing them away.

In the end, Ted Ten seems to enlighten the blind spot I came along doing my project, and also helps me tightly knit my studio practice and research, I’m looking forward to see the result of TED Reading Group will develop to a database for people that include sustainability in their work, to share information of the latest technologies or design thinking.


chiaho2@gmail.com

The Tree Secret by Minatek Oh

The Tree Secret : Connection, Communion and Story

Humans have existed in nature and have always had a strong relationship with nature.  For this reason, many people have tried to encourage people to consider nature. But, are we aware of the perceived separation between human and nature at the moment? In terms of religion, culture and society, a tree always has an important meaning to us and throughout history trees have been treated and respected as a very influential natural object. For the reason of this, a tree has been chosen as the main key of my research.

An important question for my project is what is meant to be considered by trees. 'Nature itself can also be seen as purely a reflection of a person't belief and desires (Cronon, 1995'). For this reason, I have decided to make fabric for fashion by using a regenerated cellulose fibre, especially 'Lyocell' made from dissolving pulp (bleached wood pupl) as the main method and also different fibres made from trees such as paper or bamboo yarn etc.

 Manufactured regenerated fibers are made from the chemical-induced transformation of natural polymers and basically fall into two categories: protein origin and cellulose origin and regenerated fibers of cellulose origin – bamboo, rayon, lyocell / TENCEL®, Modal® and Viscose® – are made of cellulose from tree wood and inner pith and leaves from bamboo plants using differing fiber manufacturing processes with common roots. As you can see it has got a chemical process to be made and in terms of sustainability it made me unsure whether I should chose this fibre as the main material but through the process of the research I found that reducing chemical impact wasn’t just about non-chemical. It was about how we think and what we do for and then I was thinking about its degradability and then I was thinking about a closed loop and narrowing down this idea into the idea of Cradle to Cradle. This idea is related to minimizing waste. After that I thought about a closed loop was also related to that idea which also influences my project as the part of the key idea.

miryo2125@gmail.com

The Throwaway Culture - Rethinking Market for Longterm Needs by Jasmine Yehlam Chan

TED Group helps me to develop my thoughts in about sustainability design and explore the TED-Ten strategies with the Research Reading Group. For my own research project, i want to explore and develop areas which are in the main-filed of design to minimise waste and Replace the Need to Consume, as well as understanding the others design strategies.

 What was ‘wasted’ in the past and still is, also relates to art and design historic information useful for fashion and textiles. I am going to reduce, reuse and eliminate waste for fashion and textiles products. I will also be rethink recycled textiles and materials and explore some technologies for a ‘second life’ products in my study practice. My practice is concerned with our throwaway attitude and question how we can solve this situation by making long-lasting products for consumer needs.

Perhaps we should pay more attention to where materials end-up, choosing materials and manufacturing methods that generate a more circular flow. We should really consider about design process and materials used, and also understanding what does consumer exactly wanted and needed? My aims are to use historical arts and crafts as inspiration as well as using contemporary textile technologies with fabrics in good condition and reusable materials to produce a good range of long lasting products.

Looking at Edwardian times, I am borrowing the idea of detachable collars and cuffs to inform with our fast changing behaviour.  If people keep jewellery pieces and pass them on as antiques, why not use collars and cuffs in the contemporary context? Can they be a long life objects, same as the preservation of traditional crafts –a collection box of easily-removed, long-lasting garment based-accessories.  (Which come with matching clothing, and with different outfits in a package, to include caring, replacing and repairing services)

Then, my focus is to reuse post-industrial and post consumer textiles, and give value through another life. I would like to widen the choices of the materials for the new range of collars and cuffs as adornments so that people can keep them for a long time and express their own sense of fashion. 

 cyl_jasmine@hotmail.com

 cyl7000@gmail.com

Observations of Traces of Human Touch by Hiromi Itoga

OBSERVATIONS OF TRACES OF HUMAN TOUCH

STEP1

Strangers   November 2012 to March 2012

-The survey was not  to be limited to any specific groups or individual.

-Glass from Oxfam Earl’s court and Trinity hospice Notting Hill.

I collected traces of someone‘s life history through the glass and I imagine their life stories. The reason why I selected the old glass is that it can be used for both gender and all generations.

I took picture from the bottom of the glass, and then I printed these images to silk organza. Finally, I wrapped  wooden panel in two thicknesses of these textiles.

STEP2

Aquaintances  March 2012

-Glass collection from Sheila.

I collected specific person’s glass collection. I’m trying to find the life history of Sheila via her collection.

I strongly believe that MA Reading Group Seminar Series has positive effect on my own practice.

I found a questions from survey of minimize waste and via TED reading group seminar series. What things can design do before manufacturing to people keep product as long as possible?also what is the value of products for people?

My current study is collect traces of human touch via their products.

I believe that the value of object is related to our memories. It is important to share memories and aging with human rather than its perfect as products.

Objects have meaning of storage of human memories, and also conserve their emotions. It is the one of reasons its have value for human even its aging and imperfect.

However, even the memories, it has been changing and renewing. It means treasurescould be waste by passage of time.

There is no perfect, but also its empty. We can find the beauty in transition. I believe that transient attract people.

TED Reading Group Seminar Series gave me a wide range of knowledge. People have different position in our society. It helps me to find the question. I greatly appreciate all teachers, guest speakers and my class metes.

itogahiromi@gmai.com

Natural Dye Printing by Thea Haines

Plants are the source of colour, imagery and meaning in my work, through drawing, stitch, dye and print.  Our historical relationship with plants is symbiotic – human livelihood inextricably interconnected with the natural world.  The process of my work reflects this; colour gives rise to embroidered marks, which kindle drawn lines, which in turn become the printed image.

While I believe I have already been employing several of TED’s Ten strategies in my practice, the TED Research Group has increased my awareness of the many important issues a designer and maker of objects must consider. 

History and nature hold valuable design lessons that increasingly inform my practice. Reconsidering design and lifestyle practices of the past with a critical perspective teach us valuable object lessons.  Different parts of many plants, such as rhubarb may be consumed as food (stalk) and used as dye (leaf). Historical and cultural examples of dress, such as the Mexican huipil, a tunic made from one piece of cloth with very little cutting and no waste, have inspired the forms for my own collection. My own work has always featured personal stories and imagery mined from family history or literature.  Evocative imagery may spark similar memories or reactions in others, creating emotional attachment to objects of enduring value. The focus of my MA project at Chelsea is natural dye printing. I choose to use natural dyes for their wonderful, harmonious colour properties, and to reduce my own chemical exposure and impact on the environment. With any textile print or dyeing process, water and energy use must be of primary consideration. In my future research, I hope to further examine simple technologies such as grey water systems and filtration that would allow for recycling of water used in the dyeing process, allowing residues to be composted, which have been researched and employed by BioDye, an Indian natural dye company. I am absorbed by burgeoning natural dye projects being established by community groups, collectives and grass-roots organizations, which I see as being a part of the larger DIY movement, signaling an intent by people to renew their connection to their food, the landscape and using their hands. My own collective, The Beehive, is engaged in just this kind of activity.

www.domestique-scientifique.blogspot.co.uk/

www.beehivecraftcollective.blogspot.co.uk/