Over the course of the last two years, for her MFA project, Laura has been working on OJO! (oh hoh) ; a textile protest project that looks at Colombia’s ongoing civil war, and the ways textiles and design can be used as tools to spread awareness of this issue, both within local and international communities. A conflict that has lasted for decades, this project aims to encourage people to look harder, to challenge and ultimately become more consciously aware of the issues currently present in Colombia.
Within her project, Laura explores how textiles, and textile processes can highlight conflict, as well as how they can be used as a form of protest. Inspired by traditional techniques such as Mola; Colombian/Panamanian indigenous reverse appliqué textile technique, and Camouflage, Laura has designed and created a range of textiles that look to protect scared cultures, as well as those fighting to protect it and their lives.
Laura has explored, both at home and within ECA, screen printing, digital textiles and CAD Embroidery techniques. We love how inventive Laura’s been with combining techniques, in particular her experimentation with adding surface decoration to bullet proof materials, through CAD Embroidery and silk screen printing. Through access to the facilities at ECA, for her final showpiece, Laura created a conceptual bullet proof vest that combined and used the techniques mentioned above. You can see the final outcome of this in the photos above & below.
We know this project is just the start for Laura. We can’t wait to see where it takes you and how it grows with time. If you’re interested in Laura’s work, her concept of protest textiles please check out her website. There is a whole host of information on here, as well as a great short video she’s put together about her work.
