Rooted – Zena Holloway at de Le Cuona
Grass root sculptures take the form of coral and marine life at Zena Holloway’s studio, London, UK
Exploring the future of grown materials, craft, and art – Rooted showcases the synergies between Zena Holloway’s innovative sculptures and wall hangings grown from grass root and de Le Cuona’s natural textiles woven from flax. For Organic Textiles Week Zena Holloway creates pieces inspired by de Le Cuona’s organic colour palette and GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) natural linen fabrics.
Zena Holloway is a photographer, maker, and material innovator. She cultivates sustainable sculpture from grass root and in doing so takes an intuitive leap into the future to imagine a material world that is grown, not made. de Le Cuona is rooted in nature. Founder and CEO Bernie de Le Cuona grew up in South Africa and the natural world has always been at the heart of what she does. The soul of the company lies in the unique tactility of its interior textiles coupled with a deep commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship.
Zena started her career as an underwater photographer and became increasingly concerned with the amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. It was then she came across the roots of a willow tree growing in her local river. The tangled root looked like textile and she asked herself: what if we could grow fabrics from seed? Inspired by an extraordinary imagination and a drive to make a difference Zena has pioneered a new technique of growing wheatgrass roots to form intricate textures and patterns. The plant sprouts over the course of about two weeks. As it grows, it produces its intricately woven root structure, which she guides into moulds carved from beeswax to form large, sheet-like textiles. With sustainability at the heart of the process, the ingredients are organic and locally sourced. Water is reused from run off and any leftover shoot, seed, or root is eaten as animal fodder. Entirely compostable, the material aims to increase awareness of natural materials and to inspire a more thoughtfully crafted, sustainable world.
In Rooted Zena pairs the delicate root structures of her textile art pieces with an experimental approach to natural pigments from madder and lac to cutch and gallnut to create stunning truly original pieces not seen before.
Zena Holloway
Portrait of a bio-designer growing materials from root in the studio
Zena Holloway is a British photographer, maker, material innovator, and fibre artist. She cultivates sustainable sculpture from grass root and in doing so takes an intuitive leap into the future to imagine a material world that is grown, not made.
Born in Bahrain and raised between London and pretty much everywhere else in the world, she went on her first open water dive as a teenager. Zena then went on to develop a successful career in the ultra-niche profession of underwater photography. Over time she became increasingly concerned with the amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. It was then she came across the roots of a willow tree growing in her local river. The tangled root looked like textile and she asked herself: what if we could grow fabrics from seed?
Inspired by an extraordinary imagination and a drive to make a difference Zena has pioneered a new technique of growing wheatgrass roots to form intricate textures and patterns. The plant sprouts over the course of about two weeks. As it grows, it produces its intricately woven root structure, which she guides into moulds carved from beeswax to form large, sheet-like textiles. With sustainability at the heart of the process, the ingredients are organic and locally sourced. Water is reused from run off and any leftover shoot, seed, or root is eaten as animal fodder. Entirely compostable, the material aims to increase awareness of natural materials and inspire a more thoughtfully crafted, sustainable world.
Rooted
Date and time:
15th – 20th May
Mon-Fri: 10:00am – 6pm
Sat: 10:00am – 5pm
Evening open door event – Date tbc 6pm until 8pm. Visitors will be treated to a glass of champagne and will meet the artist, ask questions and discover how Zena creates these extraordinary pieces.
Address: de Le Cuona, 44 Pimlico Road, Belgravia, SW1W 8LP
Website delecuona.com | zenaholloway.com
