ND SELECTS: IN FOCUS - GRACE OLIVER

Grace Oliver, BA (Hons) Textile Design, Birmingham City University: Inspired by the beauty of bleached coral reefs, the collection expresses the message that change still needs to happen, with coral bleaching still an ongoing consequence of man-made pollution. Grace uses alternatives to traditional embellishment of beads and sequins, instead she uses combinations of clay, found materials and textile elements. These are hand-crafted to make relationships and connections between form and surface texture. The encrusted surfaces created express the beauty of the complex creatures and organisms that together form the unique and ever-changing coral reefs that exist, under threat, in our oceans. Using the view point of a diver’s journey as inspiration, this influences the formation of clusters and ‘pathways’. Transitions in colour, and its absence in many parts, expresses the experience of discovering different levels of health within the environment. #NewDesigners #ND20 #NDSelects #ComingtoND #NDSelectsInFocus #InFocus #Spotlight