Images: Verner Panton (top left), Jellyfish (below), Corals (bottom right, taken from page 138 of ‘Coral Kingdoms’ by Carl Roessler) and own drawings.

Inspired by scientific discoveries in the deep ocean, this project explores the innovative problem solving of creatures that live in the deepest parts of the sea. I started by exploring the textures and changing forms of the life down there, corals and bioluminescence were a huge inspiration. I enjoyed playing with neon and glow in the dark materials and photographing my work under UV light to explore this theme.

The primary inspiration for this project however was from ‘My Octopus Teacher’, a Netflix original film created in association with Off the Fence & The Sea Change project. This film shows in depth footage of a common octopus that lives in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa. It’s a great insight into the life of a common octopus, and the fascinating ways they hunt, play, communicate, and even use tools. Something I was particularly inspired by was the way the octopus changed their skin colour, texture and shape in response to their surroundings. Similar to a chameleon, this dramatic change is an amazing things to see and really inspired the textures and forms I created through this project.

The outcome of this project is a collection of textile samples and accessories. Many are created through the joining of multiple elements, I used many of my own laser cut acrylic pieces to create 3 dimensional sculptural works and embroidered designs. All the acrylic I use is recycled/recyclable. Some of these pieces were also featured in Blended, a publication by Charlotte Hares which you can also view within my portfolio here.