TED

Kate Goldsworthy is the Senior Research Fellow at TED (Textile Environment Design), and she came to speak to us during our weekly lecture.

She spoke to us about the work TED does to aid in sustainable design. This included TEDs 10 - a list of 10 strategies that aim towards this sustainable future, the people involved and generally the work that artists and designers do to play their own sustainable part in the industry.

Aspects in particular that stood out to me were works by Jenny Tillotson who creates fabrics which release medicinal aromas. I think it's ideas like these which are new, innovative and exciting which make the area of research so interesting.

Jenny Tillotson

Tillotson, J. (2010) Stemnet. In: Cambridge Science Festival, March 2010, Pembroke College, Cambridge. [online image]. Available at <http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/5268/> [Accessed 31 October 2013]

An artist of relevance to sustainability is Ania Wawrzkowicz. Although her piece entitled 'Tablecloth' isn't necessarily preaching ecological concepts, to me it is reminiscent of the idea of extending an objects lifespan. She deals with preservation through natural processes - in this case planting cress seeds into a table cloth.

Ania Wawrzkowicz

Wawrzkowicz, A. (2012) Tablecloth. (2012). [online image]. Available at <http://www.aniawawrzkowicz.com/Tablecloth> [Accessed 31 October 2013]

She says, "My work relates to impermanence and nature as well as the idea of grasping something ungraspable. It does not endure: it passes, transforms, grows and develops before my eyes. I use photography to condense and record that experience." (Wawrzkowicz, 2012)

It is these concepts of renewal, which I think are important and something that TED are trying to preach. It is something we should all consider, not only in production and industry but in our daily lives; we can do our bit to contribute through the little things like recycling, and being mindful of our waste.

TED website