Emma Cook

V I S I B L E  |  I N V I S I B L E

The built environment is responsible for approximately three quarters of the worlds energy consumption and therefore plays a major role in energy issues and climate change. Recent developments in the energy industry show the importance of low carbon energy generation but also the materials supply chains which are linked to it. The fly ash, furnace bottom ash and biomass ash produced by the UK’s coal fired power stations are valuable construction materials. This project is an exercise to alter perception and increase material awareness: To make visible, the invisible through material, surface pattern design and contextualised relationships with environmental remediation.

This body of work investigates composite anthracite ash based materials and explores the relationship of ash with concrete, bio resins, pigmented plaster and binders and presents a site specific installation design.

Themes of repair, disrupted pattern, negative space, solids and voids inform surface pattern design, exploring the building block and the tension between natural material manipulated through human processes.

The identity of my work is rooted in modern tradition but tied to geographical and cultural context and creatively used to implement new material led consideration for regeneration projects.