Embracing Ambiguity with Scarlett Yang

Multi-disciplinary designer Scarlett Yang was awarded first prize in our “Material Hybrids” open call, organized in partnership with Modulor. In her practice, she merges biodegradable and digital processes and materials, working towards sustainable solutions in the field of design.

Scarlett Yang’s winning project, “Decomposition of Materiality” (2020), exists in both material and digital form, comprising a biodegradable textile and a virtual showcase simulating its process of decay. Using algae extracts and silk cocoon protein to create the textile, Yang engaged in what she describes as a collaboration with nature, leaving the final design open to transformation — resulting in a living garment that changes over time and in response to the environment. Such explorations of the relationship between tactility and the digital realm are what occupy her current practice.

Yang graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in womenswear. She has participated in exhibitions and festivals internationally, including, Dutch Design Week and London Design Festival, and has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Nylon, I-D and BBC News, among others. Her other recent awards include Maison/0 Green Trail and Mills Techstyle Prize 2020. Currently her work is featured in Alternative Futures at Kyoto D-Lab Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

Congratulations! How did it feel to receive the news that your project “Decomposition of Materiality” had been selected?

I am super honored to be selected for the open call. Thank you for your willingness to help me on a journey to contribute to design innovation. I will utilize the opportunity to be a part of creating positive social changes for a better fashion/textile/design industry.

The “Material Hybrids” open call was conceived to open up the possibility of experimenting with new materials. Do you have plans or ideas at the moment for new materials you are interested in working with?

This graduate project was just the beginning of my practice of combining tactile materials and digital media. I’d like to continue developing the biomaterials I designed in this project towards a more commercial/market-ready product, combining digital fabrication and generative design methods to streamline and automate the fashion product manufacturing with this non-woven material. The documentation on the material’s decomposition phases is very exciting, as it allows for an open-ended discussion on its potential use — whether on fashion products, interiors or even packaging. So I am excited to see where it ends up.

What drew you to work in design, and fashion, specifically?

I grew up around a culture of reflection, speculation and critical thinking with regard to existing infrastructures, which I’m sure has fed into my decision to pursue design as a career choice, expanding to fashion. When I was a teenager, I was super immersed in gaming, cosplay and the world of anime/manga. That is when I realized my passion for expression related to the theme of the human body, examining identity through characters and clothing.

The idea for the digital fashion practice started while I was studying in the Central Saint Martins fashion studio, where I came to realize how much material waste is generated during a traditional fashion design project development, as garment toiles (mock-up models) are made repeatedly before going into production — and this is even before the actual manufacturing process. The vast majority of textiles on the market are non-recyclable, which means we, as the younger generation of fashion graduates/students, are also contributing to issues of pollution if we continue to do things the traditional way.

Can you tell us a little about the materials that you used in “Decomposition of Materiality” — algae extracts and silk cocoon protein? How would you describe working with them?

It was incredibly fun to explore and experiment with the algae extract and silk cocoon protein materials. During the project research and development phases, I visited a few textile mills in KyoTango Japan, where I realized silk cocoon protein is full of potential to work with; though it’s commonly considered biowaste in the textile manufacturing process and washed down the drain.

Combining the qualities of algae hydrogel and protein’s hydrophobic character, I was able to engineer a selective pattern on the bio textile to apply the sericin (silk cocoon protein), resulting in an overall texture that is reactive to its surroundings (humidity, temperature, etc.) and can lead to shrinkage and creases in specific areas of the textile. This sensitive, tactile material is able to fully biodegrade in water within 24 hours, with no chemical or plastic ingredients.

These materials have been like my “co-workers” in the project, rather than solely a tool. By inviting the idea of chaos and entropy from nature, I was able to enjoy embracing the ambiguity of the bio design process.

“The vast majority of textiles on the market are non-recyclable, which means we, as the younger generation of fashion graduates/students, are also contributing to issues of pollution if we continue to do things the traditional way.”

A lot of your work involves correspondences between digital and biodegradable processes and media. What are your thoughts on the relationship between the two?

I like exploring the idea of contradictory duality and the correlation between polarizing elements. Referencing traditions for innovating new methodologies, I aim to reflect on how we can incorporate digital technologies to discuss our current and previous realities.

The project stemmed from investigating our excessive consumerist culture and its links to climate change. Similar to decomposition in the natural world, all objects — whether fashion or other design commodities — eventually “die out” or lose their initial purpose physically. To me, as users, we project our sentimental values onto material objects to feed the purpose of storytelling and constructing narratives. Now, at a time when we are immersed in the digital realm and internet more than ever, data as a medium of communication enables the “post life” of physical objects to be continuously projected with our imagination, just like in real life.

Building on that, your forthcoming project, “Mi[a]cro”, is related to this very topic, as well as to “Decomposition of Materiality”. Can you talk a bit about the form the project will take?

This is a continuation of the project building on my previous works. It is still in a conceptual experimentation stage with regard to the media and its contents. Through this project, I would like to explore more in depth the crossover between sensory perception, materiality and environmental conditions, asking questions such as: how does material live/grow in the virtual realm? And, how do we embody tactility when in the digital realm?

What else are you working on at the moment?

I have been working on several new projects now alongside developing the project mentioned above. They span across materials, computing, VR, CGI digital fashion… etc. I would like to take some time to reflect and think critically on what a true innovation means to us during the current turbulent time and beyond.

Scarlett Yang

Scarlett Yang is a London based multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on tactility and digital realities. As an alumni from Central Saint Martins in London, her current works speculates on the intersection of art and technology. She has participated in exhibitions and festivals internationally, including, Dutch Design Week and London Design Festival, and has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Nylon, I-D and BBC News, among others. Her other recent awards include LVMH Maison/0 Green Trail and Mills Sustainability Prize 2020...

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