Lauren Bowker Talk - Lindsay Swan

Now that Ive finally learnt how to post in this group blog I thought I should post about a lecture I went to before easter on Lauren Bowker. Im not sure whether everyone was able to go to it but I thought you might find it interesting. It helped me understand why everyone seems to be going on about collaboration being really important in terms of future design.

Lauren Bowker Lecture – 22^nd March 2012

Lauren Bowker is a graduated Textile Fashion Student from Manchester School of Art who has made so many incredible achievements by such a young age. She currently runs a studio; PHNX which stands by the statement “see the unseen”. Her work looks to uncover elements such as health, disease and science promoting these issues through art. When applying to Manchester School of Art she was rejected for the Fashion course and instead received a place on Textiles for Fashion. She believes her drive has always come from being told she can’t do something and it’s this drive and confidence in herself and her capability that has allowed her to get so far in this competitive industry.

After being accepted into the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, one of her projects was using imagery to get children to stop smoking.  She began to collaborate with the science department aiming to dissect cigarettes and test if the products inside them could change colour. This is where her distinctive, unique element to her work began to be her inspiration.

One of her biggest achievements was the creation of a Jacket that changed colour when it reacted with air pollution, turning yellow to black. This invention has been the key to her success giving her the opportunity to now work on projects such as colour changing uniforms for the military allowing them to become easily camouflaged in changing environments. Lauren has also been working with NIKE to try to produce sport and fitness wear that could react to muscle tension alerting its wearer about potential damage to their body by changing colour in the targeted area. Her designs are not only creative but a key to the development of a changing society. She has always said that she wanted to change the world and she is definitely involved in doing so. Whilst working on these projects, Lauren is also part of designing the Airbus of 2050. Features include chairs made from a material that can morph to the shape of the human body, supporting each individual person in different ways catering for all needs such as disability, weight, shape and size. As empty seats on planes cost fuel this material will also save money as they are able to change their use to facilities such as bars. Part of her role here is not only to source materials for the actual build and design of the airbus but to also make it possible for people to envisage what it will potentially be by 2050 through digital media. She collaborates with a Computer Engineer and a Project engineer and she truly claims that none of what she has achieved would have been possible without collaboration. This is what I really took from this lecture and it opened my eyes to see ‘collaboration is the key to make future designs’. We as young designers need to be able to come up with things people have never seen before to allow society to continuously develop. Without Collaboration, a wallpaper designer will most likely only ever design wallpapers but by exploring different inputs, taking risks and being experimental, so much more is possible.