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‘Dok Champa’, 2018

Bamboo, Avocado dye, Tumeric Dye, hand and machine sewing

Dok Champa is a series of bags and pouches that seeks to highlight the natural beauty of Laos. The colours of pink and yellow reflect the national flower of Laos, the Dok Champa, and the bamboo basketry highlights the beauty of its natural resources. The design range is developed to produce products with a more modern design that can be marketed to both domestic and foreign markets. Utilising traditional basketry weaving and natural dyeing techniques, the designs seek to highlight the natural materials from the Lao landscape. Bamboo is a key part of Lao culture where Lao people utilise woven bamboo for various purposes like transporting and holding goods. The range of designs are created in order to modernise the style of baskets and bags produced by the organisation in order to generate income for the Lao villagers.

The range is designed to utilise the different skills of the multiple ethnic minorities that Saoban works with in order to foster collaboration and understanding between them. There is potential for the different ethnic minorities to learn about each other and lessen the prejudice and marginalisation of minorities. By creating links between the different village groups, Dok Champa seeks to help promote the collaboration and sharing of culture as well as preservation of traditional skills through contemporary marketable designs that utilise traditional skills.

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‘Interwoven’, 2018

Copper, Brass

‘Interwoven’ is a project inspired by Shigeru Ban Architect’s architectural works, specifically the Nine Bridges Clubhouse, South Korea. The design seeks to encapsulate the transparency and openness that is vital to Ban’s architectural designs. It is inspired by the basket column structure found in the Nine Bridges Clubhouse and woven grid structures commonly found in Asian basketry weaving techniques that are used to create openness and ventilation as well as support and structure. ‘Interwoven’ employs these techniques to create a functional piece that highlights Ban’s uniquely Japanese design sensibilities. ‘Interwoven’ is designed for use on the table in Shigeru Ban Architects’ boardroom table in order to impress potential clients and visitors of Ban’s boardroom with an eye-catching simplicity.

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‘Shishin’, 2018

Coloured Paper

‘Shishin’ is a series of rug designs that seeks to communicate Japanese culture and aesthetics to an Australian audience. The rug designs seek to encapsulate the myth of the four beasts of the four directions found in Japanese mythology. Stories, myths and legends connect people and allow understanding between different cultures. Designed to be situated in The Japan Foundation space at Central Park, Sydney, the rugs seek to communicate the imagery of the four mythical beasts through the Japanese aesthetics of simplicity and irregularity in order to allow a deeper understanding of Japanese culture for the Australian audience.

The designs feature tessellating motifs drawn from the mythical beasts grounded on shapes found in traditional Japanese arts and crafts. The rugs are Inspired by shoji screens and Art Nouveau stained glass windows as well as the simple geometric shapes found in mid-century modern’s bold and minimal style. By utilising symbols and images, the designs transcend language barriers allowing for communication with the diverse audiences that traverse the space.

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‘Pollen: The Gold Dust of Life’, 2017

Brass, Silver, Wax, Clay

'Pollen: The Gold Dust of Life' explores the movement of pollen that is essential for a plants reproduction by visualising the microscopic. Pollen migration is the essence of life. The transferring of pollen from plant to plant is essential to create new plants. The series of rings draws attention to the way in which pollen is transferred by animals. Much like when pollen attaches to a bee butterfly or bird, the pollen rings are attached to the wearer and move with them thereby transferring from one space to another.

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‘Kubihana’, 2017

Bamboo, Copper wire, Wool

‘Kubihana’ is a series of neck and head pieces that explore the beauty, craftsmanship and simplicity of Japanese bamboo basketry. The series seeks to play on the traditional basket form, creating wearable pieces with vessel-like qualities. Bamboo baskets have been used throughout Asia for transportation of goods and people, cooking and utensils, storage as well as pieces of art for display. These are in itself an integral part of our cultural heritage.

‘Kubihana’ is inspired by Hanakago, the bamboo basketry for flower arrangements and tea ceremonies. The series conveys the binaries that many Asian Australians experience by exploring the traditional family values of collectiveness and harmony and the contemporary values of independence, freedom and the self. These binaries are expressed through traditional basketry techniques that concern unity and cohesion in a form of personal expression and ornamentation.

The pieces can be worn as either neckpieces and headpieces or be utilised for their vessel qualities.

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‘Rite of Passage’, 2017

Copper, Brass

Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage for most kids, it is a quintessential part of our childhood and the ritual of growing up. ’Rite of Passage’ is a brooch design that looks into the notions of nostalgia and the childhood memories surrounding the custom of learning to ride a bike that reflects the suburban way of life of many Australians. Inspired by vintage Bakelite pins and brooches, the bicycle brooch is a fun and playful piece that takes you for a ride down memory lane.

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‘In the Blood’, 2017

Felting, hand embroidery, beading, screen printing, hand painting on cotton

‘In the Blood’ explores the hereditary nature of blood disorders by visualising the multiplicity of mutated blood cells. This textiles series draws attention to the effects of these disorders on the human body, externalising the internal. These genetic blood disorders are of the 10,000 genetic diseases that affect millions of people worldwide with devastating effect on life.

‘In the Blood’ is inspired by the personal and emotional pieces by Emily Barletta, the beautiful yet grotesque works of Lorenzo Nanni and the expression of the human body in Moriel Dezaldeti’s knitted pieces. The series conveys the binaries of flow of blood through the veins and the congestion caused by various blood disorders, from blood clots to iron in the liver to blockages in the vein.

The series features a colour palette of varying shades of red, black and white, utilising various surface techniques such as embroidery, beading and felting to create texture and depth. The series is designed for apparel with the designs encompassing the wearer in clusters of blood cells, clots and mutations.

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‘Dead Water’, 2016

Screen printing, hand and machine embroidery on cotton, hand drawing and painting on watercolour paper

The purpose of this project is to highlight the issues surrounding water pollution and their impacts on the marine ecosystem. From decades’ worth of data, scientists have built narratives about how the oceans are acidifying and pollution from oil spills, coal plants, industrial and urban runoff and other waste can negatively impact the health of our oceans. 

This concept features a palette of black, muted blues and grey with highlights of red, orange and pinks. This palette ranges from light and bright colours to darker and more subdued tones to illustrate the many facets of water pollution that affect our oceans and water sources. Research into the various forms of pollution and the marks they create in and on the water has influenced the watery designs and the colour palette. 

The designs are, similarly, influenced by Jill Pelto’s watercolour works that incorporate real scientific data to document the decline of glaciers, rising sea levels and other issues surrounding climate change. While the designs in this project do not incorporate real scientific data, what this project seeks to provide is a way to highlight the impacts of the extensive pollution of our bodies of water. Through repetition of the patterns on our apparel, the designs will encompass the wearer in figurative images of our pollution, highlighting the widespread nature of this issue by allowing them to engage with these issues on a human scale. This project endeavours to emphasise the story of our dying oceans and freshwater sources in a format that is accessible to consumers.

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‘Sakhana’, 2016

Photoshop, inDesign, Illustrator, watercolour on watercolour paper

Sakhana is a fabric range inspired by traditional Okinawan kimono fabrics known as Ryukyu Bingata. Ryukyu Bingata is predominantly used for traditional kimono and Kariyushi wear, the Okinawan Aloha shirt. Sakhana is designed to give the traditional textiles a fun and quirky look in order to appeal to the younger generation as both the kimono and Kariyushi wear are more commonly worn by the older generation.

This range is inspired byTeruya Yuken’s modern take on the traditional Bingata by mixing traditional Okinawan culture and foreign cultures through the inclusion of U.S jet fighters and parachutes amongst native flora.The Sakhana range feature motifs comprised of tropical fish. From afar, the motifs seem like flowers but upon inspection, the tropical fish become apparent, alluding to a duality of identity that many young people experience in an increasingly multicultural society.

Sakhana is a collection of fabrics for a spring/summer womenswear collection. The range features a palette of bright reds, yellows and blues, traditionally used to dye the kimono as well as hints of pastel to breathe new life into an age old form of textiles.While still utilising traditional colours, the motifs are arranged in a way that is not as ‘busy’ as it is traditionally in order to allow for the fabrics to be worn on a daily basis.

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‘In Loving Memoory’, 2016

Silver, Copper, Brass, Cow Bone, Clay, Leather

We don’t afford cattle the same emotional attachment and grief as other domesticated animals. This series of rings commemorates and mourns the dearly beloved cow. Inspired by Victorian mourning jewellery, each piece pays tribute to the bovine by utilising its bone, hide and image to create an ever-lasting commemorative piece of jewellery.

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‘Dead Water’, 2016

Copper

The purpose of these ring designs is to highlight the issues surrounding water pollution and their impacts on the marine ecosystem. Pollution from oil spills, coal plants, industrial and urban runoff and other waste can negatively impact the health of our oceans. This form of pollution affects the health of the ocean as well as the marine life as it creates an environment that inhibits the growth of many marine species. As the oceans become more acidic from pollution, it becomes uninhabitable for species of corals and marine calcifiers and toxic algae blooms become more common, suffocating the marine life.

The designs highlight the widespread nature of this issue by bringing this concept into a form that is within a human scale and recognisable. This project endeavours to emphasise the story of our dying oceans and freshwater sources through the format of rings.

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‘Face Mask’ 2015

Chiffon, plastic etching plate, tulle, copper wire, 3D printed plastic

The face mask is a functional wearable designed for an Utopian society. This face mask proposes to adapt accordingly to different environments to provide the user with clean, filtered air and environmental stability. Inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern keffiyeh and numerous examples of gas masks throughout history, this object features a filtration system that maintains the health of our lungs by providing clean air free of pathogens, allergens and other airborne material that may irritate the sinuses and harm the lungs. Electronic wiring allows the regulation of body temperature when shifting environments and tulle filter particles, as commonly used in mosquito nets, and allowed air circulation within the mask. Use of fabric, triangular structure and wires allow for this mask to fit multiple face shapes and sizes.

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‘Fish Scale’ 2015

Clay, plaster, calico, textiles ink

Inspired by fish scales, a plaster stamp made for a textiles print with repeat motif. Finished textiles then made into wearables; ring, bracelet, earrings and necklace.

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‘Movement’ 2015

Collage

A study of movement in typography and colour.

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‘J’ 2015

Collage

A study of the letter J, lower case and uppercase to make graphic logos.

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‘Utopian Letters’ 2015

Photography, digitally altered, banana, Meiji Yan Yan dip snacks, Doritos, guacamole, The Natural Confectionary Company Berry Bliss, Knoppers, Danish salami, cheese, pasta, tomato sauce, jam biscuits

‘Utopian Letters’ is a booklet of graphic designs made to accompany a set of letters for an Utopian society. Based on notions of childhood and nostalgia, this booklet plays with the idea of taste and food in memory. In researching this concept, children’s books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Possum Magic were explored, with food being a central factor. Food and everyday items are used to help children memorise alphabets from a young age, such as A for Apple, B for Banana, etc. The same concept was applied to these Utopian letters in hopes that this Utopian society would be able to use these images as a form of education.

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‘Letter E’ 2015

Collage

A series of 3 graphic designs based on the letter ‘E’ using mirroring, rotating and layering techniques to create designs reminiscent of train tracks. Use of black and white to create a stark contrast and play with alternation.