Suicidal Textiles

The suicidal textiles collection translates the principles of Programme Cell Death (PCD) into a collection of textile outdoor artefacts.

Suicidal Textiles is a collection developed for the Nobel Textiles project, which celebrates the scientific discoveries of five Nobel prize-winning scientists through future textiles and fashion. Suicidal Textiles was inspired by the work of Sir John Sulston on programmed cell death: the deliberate cell suicide that impacts on the final shape of an organism. The collection was the result of a series of conversations between Sir John Sulston and Carole Collet which allowed for the development of an iterative design process informed by biological principles.It consists of a series of 'suicidal poufs' which are designed to evolve overtime. By using a combination of biodegradable plnat based opres together with non biodegradable polyester and nylon, parts of the poufs disappear over time to reveal a fianl form, thus mimicking the process of apoptosis.

The Suicidal poufs were accompanied by a collection of textile hangings that celebrate the importance of C.elegans as a model organism in the work of Sir John Sulston and in biological sciences in general.

The project was commissioned by the Medical Research Council’s Clinical Sciences Centre and co-sponsored by the ICA.