Emma (she/her) is a White, Australian-born settler, descendant of Scottish and Irish immigrants, who is a design practitioner and researcher in the discipline of textiles, working on the unceded lands of Bidgigal and Gadigal.
As a trained scholar from a coloniser/settler background, Emma understands that the disciplines in which she’s trained have significant histories (continuing to the present) as tools of colonisation. She also acknowledges the systems and structures which afford her unearned privilege. As such, she is committed to improving her understanding around decolonising research and practice.
Emma’s textile practice and research considers our relationship with material culture, specifically sustainability, narrative, and connection. She is interested in the tangible relationships we have with textiles, and how to creatively devise circular design strategies.
Materials and technology are challenged and integrated to expand upon the potential for evocative, emotionally durable and sustainable solutions.
Since working as a commercial textile designer with several of Australia’s leading homeware brands, Emma has been awarded a Master of Design, published research, exhibited as a solo artist, and is a founding member of the Circular Textile Lab.
Currently, Emma is a Lecturer and PhD Candidate at UNSW. Her research is looking at circular pathways for bedlinen waste.