Hannah Auerbach George (RCA) - 2024-25 Students
hannah.george@network.rca.ac.uk

Past Futures: Regenerated Protein Fibres in the Archive

The textile industry plays an undeniable role in the climate crisis; from overconsumption of fashion combined with limited environmentally friendly manufacturing methods and regenerative fibres, and few option for effectively recycling discarded materials. The industry needs to look beyond conventional materials to mitigate our demands on the planet. Historically, society has explored myriad material solutions in times of need and resource scarcity, making historical endeavours a fruitful starting point for material innovations. Investigating these approaches to the lack of textile resources, can inspire new innovations to our contemporary paradigm. With the advent of petrochemicals, many of these historical solutions were dismissed as ‘failed ideas’ making
information on these emergent technologies hard to find. Before they can be applied to contemporary design, we must first find ways to identify and fully understand them. Museum and Archive collections across the UK and beyond unknowingly hold examples of these fibres. Developing a framework to identify and catalogue these fibres could suggest novels ways this technology can be applied in contemporary design to addressin current issues around sustainable textile design, specifically, focusing on techniques such as waste utilisation, and fibre
spinning.

Primary supervisor: Professor Sharon Baurley

Partner supervisor: Dr Spike Sweeting