Student Story: Søs Christine Hejselbæk, MA Fashion Womenswear 2018 –
Søs Christine Hejselbæk came to the RCA to study MA Fashion Womenswear having graduated with a degree in womenswear at Design School Kolding in her home country, Denmark. Hejselbæk is currently working on a wearable sculpture in the RCA Robotics Lab that involves bioluminescent algae scaffolds, exocskeleton prototypes and cyborgian bionics.
When did you first hear about the RCA and why did you decide to study here?
The RCA had been my dream for a long time. I’d always seen it as the best place for creative learning. I was never comfortable being just one thing, and that is exactly what the RCA allows you to explore – combining disciplines is encouraged which broadens your line of thought. This approach takes your concepts to new places rarely touched on in the same way before.
Can you describe what it's like studying at the RCA?
As a new generation of designers, we have the possibility to impact the future of the industry. I’ve had doubts as to whether I even wanted to be part of the fashion industry, but that’s when you need to see it as an opportunity to make a change.
Have you been set any particular briefs that have had a significant impact on your practice?
Overall, I've learned how to let my mind run free. There are no limits as to what you can do here, no matter the brief you’re given - it’s your particular spin on it that brings a new dimension. What makes this place for me is the absolute creative freedom, and how each artist is valued for their voice.. When you’re given a brief, you’re almost expected to disrupt it and make it your own, even working across different disciplines, as I tend to do. As long as you can argue your line of enquiry, you have free rein.
How has your design work developed?
It certainly has taken turns I never expected. My project 'Nonhuman Becoming' (pictured) was a study in bio design and cyborgian bionics, in which I speculate on the technological enhancement of the human experience. I created a wearable sculpture that acts as a circuit. It communicates the wearer's emotional state through the bioluminescent algae Noctiluca. Sensors on the surface of the skin transmit the impulses from the nervous system to a conductive aluminium exo skeleton, activating robotically extruded hydrogels which light up to convey the intensity of these sensations. It sits in a future scenario where you won’t be able to curate your own image. I collaborated with Shneel Malik, PhD in Viscous Biomaterials for Application in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, as well as Helene Steiner, design engineer and founder of Open Cell London, where this work was exhibited in December 2018.
What are your plans for this year, and what do you intend to do after you graduate?
Right now I'm working on a project called Response – an investigation into materiality within the relation between body and space. It revolves around tailoring techniques, and how you build up shape around the body. The installation acts as an archive, displaying the spectrum from the most fragile silk to solid concrete, every material manipulated to look rigid if it’s soft and vice versa.
I’m exploring virtual reality technology through Gravity Sketch to create a scope between fashion and architecture, as well as new ways of creating three dimensional shape around the body, and actually sketching 1:1 in 3D, which has opened up a new dimension in my practice.
My work revolves around aesthetic sustainability and design for longevity. It’s rooted in research into philosophy and psychology with strong architectural references. I love constructing concepts and worlds around my work, and conveying a message is key. I like to disrupt systems or constructs in order to build a new reality. I don’t see fashion as what I do, it’s more of my medium. My work has evolved into the more speculative, which is why I’m not resolved as to exactly where in the market I’m situated. I believe that the jobs that a lot of us here at the RCA move into don’t actually exist yet, and I’m excited to see how it unfolds for me.
Find out more about RCA Fashion and how to apply here.
Read full feature interview in Scandinavian Traveller (Pages 76 - 84).