The exhibition features recent work dubbed “Kind Materials Research” by a design research team at the Centre for Print Research, UWE. The team consists of Wallscourt Senior Research Fellow, Dr Laura Morgan and Research Associate, Rosy Heywood. As textile design researchers, they are fueled by a desire to disrupt the systemic problems with the way we design and use textiles that contribute to a linear model of growth in the global fashion economy.  

Kind Materials Research explored sustainable alternatives to chemical dyeing and finishing by innovatively integrating bio-dyeing with laser technology. Linen textiles are transformed by combining these processes, reimagining traditional textile coloration and patterning. Experimental bio-mordants from plant, fungi and algae sources enhance the natural, plant-based dyeing process, and address toxicity in textile coloration by replacing petrochemical dyes and metal salts. Additionally, laser irradiation was creatively employed as a print process to introduce precision surface designs. Combining these approaches resulted in linen textiles that reimagine traditional coloration, aligning with sustainable, circular design principles.