Né | Root

This collection was initially inspired by the ceramics from prehistoric Japan (Jomon Period). Having been brought up in London, I wasn’t aware that Japan had an ancient history and I was inspired by how these objects were kept intact for centuries, allowing me to discover Japanese history and a part of my own background.

Né focusses on preservation and the idea that objects can become capsules of memory. The inability to use school facilities due to COVID-19 regulations in the UK created the need to rely on materials and processes of creating that were available to me at home. Consequently, my approach to my project changed from trying to construct a professionally finished outcome to intentionally making it look crafty or handmade and concentrating more on the process and experience of creating. The techniques I decided to use in my textiles were very time consuming methods such as weaving, hand knitting and crocheting. Though these were tedious and repetitive techniques, I wanted to create an emphasis on the tactile relationship between the artist and the object being made. For me, these moments became a time where it was almost like weaving in or knitting emotions or memories into my textiles and being able to see these garments as souvenirs of that particular period in my life.

The significance of the use of natural fibres or grown materials in my work is in the way that they are organic, fragile, and short-lived, until they are put through a person’s hands and crafted into something strong and refined. I was interested in the idea that through the process of crafting these materials into objects, we are able to apply new meanings and values onto materials that are not associated with fashion, and discover a new life or potential in materials that would otherwise decay. In this way, “Né” or “Root” became a metaphor to symbolise my overall focus on what we are not able to see on the surface, such as the art of craft and perhaps also the journey back in time and appreciating these beautifully crafted objects from prehistory, made entirely from available resources.