The Arts Foundation Fellowship has been an enabler in many ways, and I cannot express my gratitude enough. It has been of immense support to receive the fellowship as a means of recognition, and I have felt honoured to join a network of outstanding UK-based practitioners and creatives.
As such, becoming a fellow of the Arts Foundation feels beneficial and meaningful in the long term. I am thrilled to be part of this community for the years to come. Receiving the financial support that the Arts Foundation grants to fellows, I was able to engage in projects and research that commercially wouldn’t have been entirely self-sustaining. I am glad I could take on these projects wholeheartedly, financially backed up by the Arts Foundation.
Alongside these projects, the Art Foundation fellowship gave me financial security while further setting up my start-up Radiant Matter. The financial help supported me in taking the time to find mentors and programmes that can support the mission I have set out for the company, to research and develop more sustainable materials for the fashion and textiles industry and engage in exciting brand collaborations. I was selected to join the Women in Sustainability Innovation cohort at the University of Cambridge. I could exhibit the Bio Iridescent Sequin at places such as the Aram Gallery, The London Design Museums’ touring exhibition ‘Material Tales’, Vitra Design Museums’ five year touring exhibition, ‘Plastic Remaking Our world’, and the Sustainable Angles’ Future Fabrics Showcase. I also became part of the British Fashion Councils’ Institute of Positive Fashion network exhibiting at Strand 180 and Fashion Week.
In a time when the cost of living is drastically rising, it felt essential to have the Arts Fellowship’s support in furthering my practice and career, engage in meaningful collaborations and spend relevant time on non-commercial aspects of my work.