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Botanical textiles infused with Nature’s essence.

Cliodhna's dress - Stream to Sea UNESCO Biosphere residency

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My artistic practice uses botanical textile dyeing to remind us of our true nature, as part of Nature. Art is a core pillar of my interdisciplinary approach to catalysing systems-change.
A trip to the Amazon in 2022 motivated me to shift from mixed-media collages/painting to botanical textile dyeing. I designed my artistic practice to be in service of life and aligned with my regenerative life philosophy.
My practice is regenerative, by design. I work at Nature’s pace and honour cycles of death and life, using ‘dead’ materials: flowers, food waste, and deadstock fabrics, transforming them through a series of environmentally safe processes into something new and attractive that has both personal and wider value. Each piece captures a moment in place and time, effectively becoming artefacts of the land. I use responsible foraging methods and where possible, I work with plants that carry medicinal properties and infuse their healing essence into artworks. The essence of the plants along with their pigments are transferred through the shape-shifting nature of water from liquid to steam. Each piece is unique. It’s emergent and experimental. Art made by Nature. I am merely the vessel bringing the elements together, allowing the voices of the more-than-human to imprint on cloth.
Working solely with natural materials that are safe to cycle back to the soil. 'Cycles' is a common theme in my work: of plants, textiles, the seasons, water. My practice is also a journey of ancestral healing, connecting me intimately with my mother's homeland here in England, and with my paternal grandparents' homeland of China through the material of silk.
Water is an essential part of the process and has been a central focus of my artistic practice to date.

process.

the essence of botanicals

It all begins with the botanicals. In full bloom, the beauty of flowers is something else. Colours vibrant and petals robust. Yet this time of full blossoming is fleeting. In mere days, they grow old, their petals droop. Eventually, they fall. Some would say they are ‘dead’. Not me.

collecting the fallen

On the pavement I find the fallen flowers, the petals collected by the wind that floated down the street. Through them, I connect with place. Gathering up what others no longer see as beautiful, I honour the cycles of life an death by preserving their essence in cloth. In some instances when the botanical doesn’t ‘fall’ (e.g. dandelion, nettle), I responsibly gather according to local codes, always giving thanks and asking the plant permission before collecting.

a new life for fabric scraps

My process moves beyond the concept of ‘waste’. I solely use ‘deadstock’ fabric and circular scraps from London and UK designers, sourced from Yodomo in Hackney, London. My favourite is silk — a fabric that I have been drawn to since a little girl. Perhaps it’s because it speaks to my Chinese lineage.

I also occasionally work with peace silk made in the UK. This type of silk is ‘virgin’, however, it is made in tune with Nature. The silkworms are allowed to live through their entire life cycle, rather than how they are killed during conventional silk production.

where botanicals meet fabric

Method 1: Fresh or dried botanicals are laid on specially-prepared cloth that is then rolled and steamed in a bundle-dyeing process.

Method 2: Botanicals are covered with water and simmered on the stove for 1-2 hours before steeping overnight to maximise the pigment extraction, creating a dye bath.

the steam

Bundled and tied like a dumpling with reused twine, the fabric and flowers hang in a steam bath for an hour. The pigments of the flowers fuse with the fabric.

In the dye bath method, the fabric is immersed in the dye and simmers for up to an hour to absorb the pigment.

In both techniques, water is essential.
Water as the alchemist.

the reveal

I unravel the bundle in a sink, letting the flowers fall out and rinsing any excess pigment with water. The new piece dries and it’s ready to be hung on a wall where it can bring the essence of the flowers that once stood on their own.

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