Parsons School of Design’s Healthy Materials Lab Announces Regeneration of Flax: Linseed, Linen, Shive, and Oil Exhibition
| NEW YORK, September 3, 2024 — The Healthy Materials Lab at The New School’s Parsons School of Design is excited to announce the exhibition, Regeneration of Flax: Linseed, Linen, Shive & Oil in the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries at 66 5th avenue in New York City. The exhibition, which runs from September 30 – November 12, 2024, will display the breadth of applications of products derived from the flax plant and encourage increased regional development of flax fiber in North America. Through the diversity of innovative designs, historic and current, our goal is to reconnect designers with the lifecycle of their materials. “Architects and designers are searching for healthy alternatives to fossil fuel based products and look to plants for biobased solutions. Flax is a super plant providing us with linseed oil for floors and paints, fiber for textiles and a range of products from the flax stalk. The Regeneration exhibition at Parsons provides us with excellent examples of a range of innovative uses of flax.” – Alison Mears AIA, Director, Healthy Materials Lab Today, 60% of textile fibers are made of synthetic polyester which is derived from petroleum, a major contributor to climate change and toxic pollution. We look to the robust history of flax growing over the last 36,000 years, as a viable biobased alternative to synthetics. Flax is grown as a rotational crop and sequesters carbon as it grows. Flax fiber is used to create linen fabrics, composites and insulation. Flax seed, a nutritious food, can also be pressed into oils for finishes and a primary ingredient for resilient flooring. Shive, a woody byproduct of the Flax plant used for mulch, is in development for use as flaxlime insulation. “It is vital for designers to source materials locally and reconnect with where their materials come from to ensure a healthy, biobased materials future.” – Jess Thies, Post Graduate Material Health Researcher The exhibition will include current and historical samples of textiles, paint, flooring, finishes and flax paper sculptures as well as photographs and diagrams describing the life cycle and potential for flax plant as a feedstock for material futures. Exhibitors include: DumoLab Research at the University of Pennsylvania, Green Matters Natural Dye Co., FiberEvolution, CQ Studio & more! EXHIBITION INFORMATION: September 30th-November 12th: Exhibition Open Daily 12pm-6pm PUBLIC PROGRAMMING: October 7th: Panel & Opening Reception: 5:00pm-6:30pm Panel, 6:30-8:00pm Reception In a hybrid event, a panel of experts will take a deep dive into the lifecycle and material processing flax for fiber, oil and building materials. October 30th: Spinning Workshop: 3:00-5:30pm Parsons students are invited to join expert Andrea Myklebust to learn the craft of spinning flax fiber into linen yarn. |
Parsons School of Design at The New School is one of the leading institutions for art and design education in the world. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines, as well as online courses, degree and certificate programs. Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their respective fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the 21st century.
Founded in 1919, The New School was established to advance academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. A century later, The New School remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education, inspiring more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The university welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and public programs that encourage open discourse and social engagement. Through our online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence.