MA Textile Design samples featured in US permanent collection

Samples from MA Textile Design student Caroline Hyde-Brown’s work are to be featured in the permanent collection of the Fleet Library at the Rhode Island School of Design. 

Caroline is an interdisciplinary artist who seeks to implement new ideas through forming partnerships. Her ongoing work was initiated through a collaboration with Dr Anne Edwards and Dr Abhimanyu Sarkar at the John Innes Research Centre in Norwich to investigate whether an ancient legume called Grass Pea could be utilised to create a biomaterial.

Caroline explains, “The grass pea is extremely hardy and is known as the insurance crop (Dalebo, 2009) due to its remarkable ability to endure extreme environmental conditions such as drought disease and flooding.

My aim is two-fold. I would like to set up a knowledge exchange paper making workshop for villagers living in West Bengal to gain an extra source of income ultimately raising the crops residual value. Some of the people that live in these regions are the poorest in the world.”

Caroline’s project is ongoing and will hopefully culminate in a knowledge-exchange workshop in the West Bengal area of the Sundarbans. 

Following a feature in the Material District Article in October 2020, the Rhode Island School of Design’s Fleet Library enquired about obtaining samples for their permanent collection, which is visited by students across disciplines. 

Caroline hopes that sharing her ethos of knowledge-sharing will inspire other students: “Support and accessibility are vital ingredients of a successful collaboration and at the core of positive sustainable outcomes.”

Find out more about Caroline’s work on her Instagram. 

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