issue 06
WATER
ROWENA ROWLAND BA3 Architecture Student Manchester School of Architecture ZAFIR AMEEN BA3 Architecture Student Manchester School of Architecture Seaweed, Murron Fraser, 2019 www.textilesbymurron.com
Saltwaters and Terrains.
Originally being inspired by the issues our oceans face including the threat of continuing plastic pollution and rising sea water temperatures, textile artist and surface designer Murron Fraser was keen to capture the beauty of what we may lose if we continue to damage our environment. Saltwaters and Terrains focuses on exploring creating a stylised and contemporary approach to natural forms found on both land and sea, merging the lines between the two landscapes. This contemporary collection of textile samples, art piece and products focuses on responding to a variety of different forms and structures, creating original compositions and motifs. These have been translated into to hand painted pieces and developed through both traditional and contemporary techniques including CAD and hand applied approaches.
CONTENTS _Fashion’s Dirty Secret, Emily Broughton _Rottingdean, Emily Edwards _The Water Crisis, Yousra Kandil _Microplastics, Marianne Ridley _Skills Sharing Centre, Sarah Assi _The Ladies that Lay at the Bottom of the Fall, Jessica Carnegie _Venice Submerged, Gus Wray _just add water, Rowena Rowland _Water, Maia Ojerinde-Ardalla _Reflection, Oliver Porter _The Daily Diet, Julia Wells _Photography Competition Shortlists
Front cover: Seawash, Murron Fraser, 2019
Fashion’s Dirty Secret // Written by Emily Broughton, founder of Saving the Grace, a sustainable living platform focusing on five waves of change: lifestyle, fashion, food, wellness and act for the world, as a holistic approach to save our world’s waters’.
Since July 2018 I decided to say no to fast fashion. I was a confessed high street - in particular Zara - addict. Every event I had to be seen in something new, the latest season and on trend – I don’t think I was too dissimilar from most other young women in the UK in 2018/9.
Fast fashion is presented to us on a silver platter with high street shops having 52 micro seasons where once there were 2. The impact on the planet? Monstrous! Low cost clothing has a high cost attached to it. Yet Do We Ever Stop To Think About The Trace Left Behind By Each Piece Of Clothing We Buy? Most Likely Not. Water is the bedrock of fashion. It is used to grow the material. It is used throughout the production process. It is used to produce the chemicals that are used to dye and treat the textiles. It is used to produce the energy that powers the factories. It is polluted and discharged as waste water that goes into rivers and oceans only to leave a toxic residue that dramatically changes, and often kills the water ecosystems. Without water there would be no fashion. But with fashion there may be no water.
#fashionrevolution
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But I woke up to the realities of the impact of the fashion industry and it’s impact on the world’s waters’. ‘Fashion’ and ‘the planet’ were rarely, if ever were two subjects that I recognised in tandem. Until recently. The campaign #fashionrevolution has not only focused upon who made our clothes but also on their impact on the environment, in particular on the water cycle.
There are two main water issues in the fashion industry: 1. The Amount Of Water Used In The Production Process Of Textiles I could not quite believe it when I discovered that my love of clothes was having an impact on the world’s water resources. My favourite pair of jeans? 15,523 litres of water to make, (most of which is not in a closed loop cycle so it is not reused). A wardrobe staple white T-shirt? 2,700 litres of water. It’s hard to even put that into perspective but a pair of jeans is the equivalent to the amount an average person would drink in 3,500 days! That is the amount you would drink in about 9 and a half years! 2. The Pollution And Chemicals Used To Produce Our Clothes. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter of water after oil. The movie River Blue (available on iTunes) is an expo of the textiles industry’s impact on rivers and clean water. Most strikingly there is a hidden dark side of China’s economic miracle as 70% of their rivers are polluted, and there is an alarming shortage of clean water. Each year the Chinese textile industry discharges 2.5 billion tonnes of waste water – much of which isn’t treated. The clothes that we buy can have an impact somewhere the other side of the world in water scarce regions and contribute to the pollution of water ways. Information like this can make us feel powerless. The damage is so large. But we as consumers haven’t known about this. The fact of the pollution and the large consumption of water to produce our fashion is information that needs to be brought to light. We All Have The Responsibility To Protect The Planet And We All Have The Power To Do So.
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But it’s not all bad news. We as the consumer have the power. The power to choose. And the good news is that Greenpeace have already started the work with their Greenpeace Detox Campaign for companies to take responsibility over their supply chain aiming at toxic free production by 2020. 79 companies have committed, including 19 of the global fashion leaders, with Nike, Adidas, H and M, Zara and Gap all signing up. But they have a long way to go before they will be toxic free.
You can save the planet and it’s waters
I discovered sustainable fashion brands that had environmental ethics at the heart of their business, I grabbed numerous bargains from my local charity and thrift shops, I’ve held a preloved clothes sale with friends, and I’ve fallen in love with my clothes again by aiming to create a capsule and quality wardrobe that won’t be victim to the latest seasons trends. How To Change Your Fashion Choices? • • • • • • • • • •
So in the meantime to help save the planet and wage a war on the dirty water of fashion, we must be empowered by our pounds, (and I’m not talking about those on our waist). In July 2018 I transformed my fashion habits with more ease than I had expected. I restrained myself from the high street shops, refusing to walk in, for fear of being drawn in by their bright lights and bright coloured clothes, and that dress that would look great at that party that you haven’t even got the invite to yet!
Choose sustainable fashion brands. Choose slow fashion. Choose second hand. Choose vintage. Browse your local charity shops. Buy quality over quantity. Organise a preloved clothes sale with friends Rent your clothing from Hurr or Rent the Runway. Love your clothes. Repair your clothes.
For more tips to save the world and it’s water head to www. savingthegrace.com and @savingthegrace on Instagram for everyday tips on how you can lead a more sustainable life and make a positive impact in the world.
FASHION CAN TOO. Emily Broughton Founder of Saving the Grace www.savingthegrace.com @savingthegrace
Emily Edwards BA3 Architecture Manchester School of Architecture
The Water Crisis You wake up in the morning wash your face, brush your teeth, have breakfast and step foot in the world steadfast into the pursuit of betterment. For many, this is a standard routine, one that is not given a second thought and often taken for granted, however for most, this is considered not only a privilege, but a dream. In today’s world, it is not uncommon to see injustice or disparity on a mass scale, however, this does not negate the importance of working towards a more just tomorrow. This brings me to the discussion of a basic human need, that millions of people in developing countries are deprived of: Water.
EDUCATION: Children are required to collect water for their families on a daily basis, which is not only a tiring duty, it takes away from their time at school and hinders their ability to focus on education. This reduction in attendance and concentration causes a decline in child development, especially in girls. Due to lack of access to running water and sufficient sanitation, girls often leave school upon hitting puberty. ECONOMY: Due to time lost collecting water, as well as resultant fatigue and illness, developing countries are trapped in a cycle of poverty as people continue to miss opportunities of pursuing work and education. The resources lost on obtaining basic water and sanitation causes over 260 billion dollars of potential revenue to be lost annually on a global scale.
education economy
The Water Crisis, as it is famously known, addresses the substantial shortage of clean water in developing countries, with over 840 million people in the world suffering. This deficiency causes a decline in every aspect that contributes to a country’s prosperity and development, such as health, education, and economy to name a few.
HEALTH: Over 80% of illness in developing countries is attributed to disease obtained from contaminated water. Diseases like Typhoid and Hepatitis are the most common water-borne infections found in water in developing countries that are fatal to their subjects. Children often die of diarrhoea resulting from contaminated water.
WHY? The main causes of water scarcity are climate change, overuse of water and pollution. Water degradation resulting from pollution makes water quality unfit for consumption which places a significant strain on existing freshwater sources. Not only that, but climate change as a result of pollution causes ice caps to melt which affects freshwater supplies. Global warming also causes droughts and heatwaves which increases the demand for fresh water on a substantial scale. Finally, overusing water places a significant amount of stress on available freshwater resources, whether this is through domestic use, or agricultural use, which is responsible for the consumption of 70% of the worlds available fresh water supply.
WHAT CAN WE DO? All of these causes are heavily, if not entirely, inflicted by mankind, and drastic changes must happen to achieve meaningful solutions. On an individual scale, we can be mindful of our use of water, which is the most obvious approach. However, more drastic solutions are required, such as reducing corporate water consumption which accounts for over 1/5 of the worlds freshwater consumption. We need to be mindful of the goods we produce through more sustainable manufacturing, as well as being conscious of the goods we buy and how much of a mark they have left on our planet. We could also begin recycling wastewater, especially in agricultural practice, in order to preserve existing freshwater and develop better irrigation systems that consume less.
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Although there is much more to be said about this pressing issue, consistency is key in that we will not be able to resolve the water crisis without it. We must take it upon ourselves to learn more about water scarcity to raise awareness and do our part collectively to see proactive change.
health
economy Yousra Kandil BA 3Architecture Manchester School of Architecture
microplastics. Over the last decade microscopic particles of plastic with diameters of no more than 5mm, commonly referred to as microplastics, have been identified as significant contaminators of the world’s oceans, rivers, lakes and wildlife. Microplastics have also been identified in the food we eat and in our tap water. Many microplastics are produced via the fragmentation of larger plastic products (e.g. plastic fibres produced from the fragmentation of synthetic clothing), but they can also be manufactured to this size (e.g. microbeads, see figure 1, which are often used as exfoliators for plastic blast media services and in various cosmetic products). The size, ubiquity and potentially disastrous consequences of microplastic particles, for example their ability to reduce an organism’s ability to function and even survive, make them a pressing environmental concern. High levels of plastic production, unhealthy consumption practices and inefficient plastic waste management practices suggest that this type of pollution is set to not only continue, but also, to rise.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: 1. Cut down your direct use of single-use plastic goods. Instead use a reusable alternative. For example, replace single use plastic shopping bags with a reusable cotton shopping bag or backpack and also avoid using single use plastic bags for fruit and pastries in supermarkets. 2. Cut down your indirect use of single-use plastic goods. Behind many larger products is a trail of plastic packaging. Take a laptop for example, each individual part of that laptop may have been initially wrapped in single-use plastic packaging before coming together to form the end product. The best way to cut down your own indirect use of single-use plastic goods is to change your behaviour as a consumer, for instance before buying a product try to consider its manufacturing journey. 3. Think before you buy. Leading on from considering a products manufacturing journey, additional considerations when purchasing a product could be: 1) do you really need the product? 2) how long will the product last? And 3) can you compost/ recycle/ reuse the product when you are finished using it?
Marianne Ridley Geography Student University of Manchester
Did you know: Scientists from the University of Manchester have revealed that, in terms of microplastic pollution, the River Tame, Manchester is the most polluted river in the world. Did you know: A team of scientists from the University of Vienna have identified microplastic particles in human faeces. Did you know: Harmful pollutants can stick to the surfaces of microplastic particles. Research suggests that these pollutants can be released from contaminated particles from inside vulnerable organisms. Did you know: An average 6 kg load of laundry can produce up to 700,000 plastic fibres during a wash.
"Skills Sharing Centre" Roof extension of Second Home Offices in London by SelgasCano architects. In general, focusing on how the presence of water – either as a feature or a function – enriches the design of public buildings and how this relationship is perceived through sensory human experience. -Sarah Assi
The Ladies that Lay at the Bottom of the Fall: Notes on the Campsie Glen, Scotland Crashing water, endless falling. A promise that it will never stop. Fern, moss, rock. Soft and inviting. We lie in the sun and take a nap. The light warms my face and the sound of the water fills my ears. We are enveloped in the natural. How many have shared this water? How many have swum in its pools, walked behind its cascades? Felt its burning cold shoot through bone and muscle? How many have jumped in, heaved out - shivering but knowing it feels good? To stand behind a waterfall - cowering in its power. Wondering what it would be like if it just stopped falling. Wondering how silent it would be.
Images taken by Jess Carnegie the Campsie Glen, Scotland, 2019. Jess Carnegie is a Sculpture and Environmental Art graduate from the Glasgow School of Art, and is currently based in Glasgow.
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2.1 BILLION PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE WATER AT HOME
Water
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one drop makes a difference
She sat between beaches of doubt with Bays of opportunity. To an audience, Whose eyes would would bleed oceans Under scrutiny. Mutiny within space. A script with no writer. She’s a designer. On days when The sunset Grazes behind a Glossy horizon.
maia. ar / 2019
MSSA PHOTOGRAPHY ‘UTOPIA / DYSTOPA’ COMPETITION SHORTLIST:
1 //
2 // 1st - Aaron Johal 2nd - Bagner Villacis 3rd - Paul Cedillo
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MSSA PHOTOGRAPHY
‘UNIVERSITY BUIDLING’ COMPETITION SHORTLIST
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2 // 1st - Owen Brouwer 2nd - Tara Aveyard 3rd - Mylan Thuroczy
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The Brand
#004A99
Logo
#F39200
THE DAILY DIET
Pattern
RSA Student Design Awards 2015- The Daily Diet
My Brand consists of a logo, typeface, slogan, pattern and four main branding colours.
The logo is drop shape to link in with water. The original drop shape was cut out of paper. The ‘WTR’ is taken from my typeface. I created the typeface by cutting out letters from paper. Then I scanned in the page and live traced the letters in Illustrator.
Other colours used
The Slogan is based around the idea of water quenching thirst. I aim to target product placement in places #DF006E #BCCF00 young people are likely to feel thirsty. - At school at break and lunch time. -At gigs and concerts. -After/during exercise. Four main branding colours I have broken the three areas into three main colours. My pattern is based on water molecules; two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. I created the pattern originally from cutting it out of paper.
5 MARCH 2015 Deadline for submisson
Slogan
COLLABORATOR
Paper Cut-Out Typeface
SPONSOR
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Slogan
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‘WTR’ BOTTLE IDEA Drink fewer sugary drinks, replacing these with water
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