Abbey uses her craft to tackle gender equality issues
With the help of the Mike Davies Global Challenges Scholarship, Abbey Hayman who studied MA Design, secured £1,000 to produce a high-quality piece of work they would never have thought possible.
Abbey said: “Without the funding from the Mike Davies Global Challenges Award, I would never have been able to afford to engage with such high-quality materials or even complete the project.
“I was able to use the funds to purchase - real wool! Gorgeous quality wool, made, dyed, and manufactured here in the UK! Previously I had only been able to create with acrylic fibres, which are awful for the environment. This funding gave me the chance to research and find great quality materials.
The topic Abbey had chosen for their project is Gender Equality and using the wool within a large rug to symbolise this. Abbey carefully chose the colour scheme and the images on the panels to best represent the different topics within gender equality.
“Colour symbolism is an important matter, especially for issues spoken about on a global scale. This is to ensure that the idea or illustration is communicated effectively, and without causing offense or misunderstanding”, said Abbey.
Abbey continued: “My goal after the project finishes and my MA is finished I would like to produce a collection of work around similar themes and have them shown in a gallery or show”.
“It has truly been a joy to explore the process of a more sustainable practice, and research into gender equality. I am so appreciative and thankful for the support from The Development Team and from Mike Davies”.