Introduction
In my research, I was interested in examining materials historically denigrated as craft and contemporarily viewed as waste, such as single-use discarded vapes collected during my drifts around London’s streets, used herbal tea filters, and metaphorical remains of my own personal history, including personal objects, textiles, and embroidery from my Mother’s house. My aim was to uncover their hidden meanings, histories and narratives that extend beyond their originally intended use and margins.
According to Good-Bryant and Phillips (1978, pp. 39-41), remains – defined as the matter or substance left over from a primary action with no particular purpose or function – carry a constant meaning and reality throughout their contextual incorporation. In my research, I explored the transient and spiritual properties of these remains to investigate hybrid identity, the fragile impermanence and musicality of human experience, and moments of transformative interactions.
I worked with different types of material experiments, all connected to exploration of remains within the context of migration and intersectional diasporic identity, however each with distinct subject matter, materials, processes and contexts. By blending new technologies such as 3D modelling and digital embroidery with craft processes like ceramics and hand embroidery, I created hybrid structures that aimed to depict bodies in motion. These works embody a sense of transience and playfulness, engaging in the interplay of memory and identity while capturing fleeting moments where time and space seems fused together.
The Music Is You
To address global environmental, economic, and geopolitical injustices linked to the 2024 UK anti-immigration riots, I explored single-use vapes as material and subject. This project aimed to envision alternative realities by recontextualising discarded vapes, offering new narratives and connections through the fusion of varied research methodologies. Drawing on contemporary artists who use material as metaphor, I investigated themes of migration, memory, resilience and musicality of spiritual and physical existence through material narratives.
Key influences include Shenece Oretha (Fig1. Black-whole info, 2024), whose focus on communication and ceremony inspired my interest in listening and celebration of communal resonance, and Igshaan Adams (Fig2. Marill and Hunegs, 2022), whose materiality conveys images of bodies of bodies in motion. I was interested in examining insubstantial and changeable forms that embody a sense of transience and playfulness. Sian Fan’s talk expanded my understanding of the digital realm as a hybrid magical-scientific space, while Stuart Middleton’s work with discarded items, such as wedding dress remnants (Fig3), informed my exploration of materials as vessels of memory, meaning and reimagined purpose.
Inspired by Hall’s idea of translation as hopeful movement (Hall, 2017), I created hybrid structures from vape remains using jewellery making, 3D printing and digital sculpting techniques collaborating with materials. I explored their transformative potential, overcoming challenges by basic engineering prototypes that unite components. Feedback highlighted the need for greater spatial dynamism or motion, and opportunities for future work to address vaping’s environmental impact, such as air pollution.
Traces of Passage
Ward (2014) definition of recalling episodic memories as a ‘mental time travel’ where time and space interconnect inspired my experiments with herbal tea filter remains. Additionally, Keller and Stevenson (2014), concept of odours as uniquely powerful in evoking emotions, while being unanchored to a specific space, informed my exploration of impermanence and presence in absence through my material experiments. Through this, I found a metaphor for migration – how trauma shapes identities while preserving potential for transformation and hope. The filters became embodiments of memory, resilience and renewal.
Stevenson (1999) idea of adapting ancient concepts to modern contexts, like the world-wide web echoing Anglo-Saxon beliefs in thread connecting all things in time and space, inspired my use of threads and needlework as symbols of life’s fabric, linking body and soul.
During development a challenge arose in exploring colours, as it introduced unintended connotation resembling chessboards or medieval flags. Instead, I focused on texture and patterns to shape landscapes, keeping colour separate and exploring spatial interactions between them. Feedback from audience reactions, such as gazing upwards beyond the gallery’s physical constraint, highlighted an expansive outward dimension. This suggests future works could explore this otherworldly perspective further, building on themes of transformation, connection and the interplay of memory and presence.
Woven in Blood and Earth
Building on Good Bryant and Phillips (1978) idea of examining remains to uncover meanings beyond their original contexts, I explored my mother’s Kalocsa embroidery as a metaphor for personal and transgenerational heritage. Investigating its history revealed Hofner and Fel (1979) view of embroidery as a working-class generational exchange. Further, Szalavary (1980) notion of its continuous evolution – shaped by industrialisation, gentrification and cultural influence. For me, it represents safety and healing amidst migration’s complexities; an enduring emotional tribute to resilience and heritage.
Key inspirations included Jeffrey Gibson (2024) Fig.4 use of materials often dismissed as ‘craft’ to monumentalise traditions, and Kadyri (2024) Fig.5 blue partwork curtains recreating family memories. My experiments with digital and hand embroidery honoured my grandmother’ legacy through symbolic flower motifs, translating emotions into tactile narratives. I also discovered the evocative ‘punched memories’ left by removed threads, a potential for further explorations.
In ceramics, I reflected on transformation and resilience, using stoneware clay to explore how earthy materials hold imprints and memory. Extending into digital realms, I created hybrid structures blending embroidery designs, digital illustration and ceramics. These prototypes raised questions about memory, impermanence, and identity, setting challenges for deeper exploration in Unit 2.
Conclusion
In Unit 1, I integrated interdisciplinary methods and materials, including consumer waste remnants, personal objects and digital sculpting techniques, to explore hybrid identity, impermanence, and transformative interactions. Combining 3D modelling and digital embroidery with ceramics and hand-embroidery, I created hybrid structures embodying transience and playfulness, capturing moments where time and space converge.
Influenced by Jeffrey Gibson, Ibrahim Mahama and Stuart Hall, my work reclaimed materials historically dismissed as craft or waste to honour overlooked narratives. Rooted in migration and intersectional diasporic identity, I examined material and metaphorical remnants, uncovering hidden meanings and memories. My practice addresses racial stereotyping, cultural synchronisation and unification, offering a visuospatial experience where personal and collective histories merge.
In Unit 2, I will deepen my focus on using remnants to create ‘bodies in motion’ celebrating their communal resonance within spiritual and material existence. Building on themes on renewal, memory and resilience, I aim to explore alternative dimensions, incorporating playfulness, moments of tribute and transience into my research.
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