Description:

The aim of this textile collection was to confront the issues of plant species decline and to enable us to change the way we think and act.

Cutting In is an interior collection that encourages awareness and discussion about critically endangered plant species. There is very little general awareness towards plant species and the significance of their increasing rate of extinction. Yet, this is in stark contrast to the abundance of information and awareness about endangered animals.

All life on earth depends on plants. They are the backbone to the worlds ecosystem. Yet as humans, we are driving them to extinction. Species have always been going extinct naturally since the beginning of life, however now with the growing population of humans, we have sped up the natural background extinction rate 500 times faster as a result of agriculture and urbanisation. This has driven my collection to be solely about the plant species that are critically endangered due to habitat loss from agriculture and urbanisation. The land development/conversion are all human actions. I fell that we are the ones driving plants into extinction.

Inspired by historical botanical art, which identifies describes and classifies new plant species, I used the juxtaposing approach of traditional botanical art to the contemporary condition , documenting plant species in decline rather than discovery.

Cutting In is designed to capture the eye to take a deeper look into the designs which portray a deeper message.
This is created through hand painted techniques and combines imagery of endangered plants and the mechanical components of destructive machinery. This machinery is a result of our growing demographic pressure. Using digital cutting and manipulation between the plants and machinery I aim to encourage the observer to think about the depredation that these machines have created and the significant effect they have on the growing extinction rate of plants, and demolishing our biodiversity.