As a visual promoter, I fuse Photography, Installations, Motion Graphics & Augmented Reality (AR) to display information that is both engaging and informative. My hemp installation with AR, is the manifestation of my growing urge to educate myself and others on the wonders of this magnificent weed that has over 25000 end uses.

During my research into the damage the fashion industry is notorious for having on the planet, particularly water waste and contamination. I discovered that hemp uses no pesticides and very little water in comparison to other fibers and that hemp is a carbon sequester, it is said that a field the same size as a forest which sequesters 2-6 tons of CO2, hemp sequesters between 8-15 tons of CO2, literally cleaning the air we breathe. Growing hemp also conditions the soil, making it a great regenerative crop. Influenced by a book titled Sustainability: What Everyone Needs to Know it became clear that sustainability is not a political decision it’s a responsibility we all have to ourselves and our planet.

Seeking solutions, I decided that educating myself and others seemed the way forward. Hemp has largely been thought of as rope or Hessian, or some intoxicating substance, a lot of people don’t realise there are over 25000 end uses including 40+ different hemp fabrics.

My hemp Installation is titled ‘What We Weave We Leave’. The center of the installation is a collage of 40 hexagon-shaped hemp fabrics sewed together, visible from both sides. Framing this center is a paper-cut pattern, the Japanese hemp leaf pattern, ‘Asa-no-ha’ made of hemp card. ‘Asa no ha’ pattern was used in original Japanese Kimonos, can be found on many Buddhist Temples, and is said to ward off evil. The frame surrounding the papercut, incorporates thick hemp rope shaped as a hexagon, the outline shape of the ‘Asa-no-ha’ pattern.

The hexagon shape is the least wasteful shape, ideal for packaging, and the most robust structure in nature and building.
The paper cut inspiration came from the collaborative art installation by Christine Kim & Vanathy Ganesharajah titled ‘Confessional’. The overall Installation was inspired by a visit to Tate Turbine Hall Installation, Cecilia Vincuña’s Brain Forest Quipu, a Hyundai Commission. Inspiration also came from the motion designer Adrien Dezalay, in particular his animations for Cheval Blanc.

Accompanying the installation is a hand-crafted swatch booklet made of hemp card and hemp fabrics that showcases my
Photography and Graphics, which can be viewed through the Artivive app.
My photography style is influenced by the likes of Jacob Sutton, backlit and dynamic. Extended credits to stylist and model Francisco Andrades, who collaborated on a couple of the shoots I photographed and directed, and to Models, Douglas Anthonie and Evangeline Green who also appear in the Swatch booklet.

A slightly closer look at the installation