Exploring Microbes and Climate Change Through Textile Art

Missing Thread- Climate Microbes

Textile Petri dish

This piece was created as my final artwork for the Missing Thread project during my second year of the HND Fine Art course. I was excited to have it exhibited at the Courtyard Gallery in Hertford.

For this project, I explored the hidden world of microbes that cause and affect climate change. Microorganisms play a huge role in global systems – from bacteria that produce greenhouse gases to algae that capture carbon dioxide. I wanted to bring awareness to climate change by visualising these tiny yet powerful life forms in a creative, eye-catching way.

I created abstract textile sculptures inspired by different types of microbes, using bright colours and organic shapes to represent their forms and processes. For example, this soft sculpture combines free-motion machine embroidery to create swirling bacterial-like patterns, embellished with beads to reflect microscopic details and molecular structures.

Alongside the sculptures, I developed embroidered screen prints on canvas, layering painted backgrounds with stitched marks and beading to mimic how microorganisms grow, spread, and interact. The bold greens and yellows were chosen to reflect both natural growth and environmental caution.

This project allowed me to combine science and art, encouraging viewers to think about the impact of microbes on climate change and to reflect on their own role in protecting the environment. Exhibiting this work as my final piece for the Missing Thread project helped me develop my conceptual thinking, technical textile skills, and professional presentation abilities as an emerging artist.