STUDENT ARTIST VLOG 🌊 Natasha Burgess (Fine Art) 💜 Loughborough Uni Creative Arts Degree Show 2022

Discover what it takes to put together a collection for an arts degree show as final-year Loughborough University Fine Art student Natasha shows us the processes involved as she prepares for the Creative Arts Degree Show 2022.
"As a fashion and textile admirer, I have always wanted to create things out of fabric. I, myself, have a wardrobe probably too large and although I tried to donate old clothes, I still believed I could do better. I started buying more second-hand items but realised my art materials were still all new. Through researching using textiles in my work, I discovered just how harmful textile pollution was to the world. Textile pollution is the 2nd most polluting industry across the globe. Through further research I realised that I didn't want to contribute to this destruction through my consumption and used my art practice as the foundation of my resolve. 
My series 'Material World' uses recycled and reused materials to create pieces that focus on the environmental destruction caused by the textile industry.
In countries such as Bangladesh and China the polluted water (mostly from dyeing and finishing processes) is often dumped into surrounding rivers, causing harm to wildlife and occupants of surrounding towns. It is easy for us as consumers to remain ignorant to the consequences of the manufacturing of our purchases when we are not faced with them. Through my work I hope to show to beauty of recycling and make people more conscious of their own consumption.
Due to the prominence of environmental issues to my work it was important to me to make my practice as sustainable as possible. I sourced the fabrics from unwanted scraps from charity shops and cut the items into strips to use as makeshift threads and any dyes I used were created using natural ingredients such as fruits, plants, and spices."
You can follow Natasha on Instagram: @natasha_burgess_art
We wish Natasha every success for the future.