The 53 works in the exhibition are split across six curatorial themes: Material Identities, Making Public, Shared Territories, New Histories, Designing Resilience and Coded Intimacy. Each encompassing a wide range of disciplines, these categories bring to the fore recurrent themes in the work of our recent graduates. Some crystallise personal investigations into family and geographical histories, while others turn outwards — to the political, economic and bureaucratic systems which shape our daily experiences.




Similarly returning to their own roots for inspiration, MA Design (Jewellery) graduate Edwin Charmain has produced a jewellery collection inspired by Indonesian batik iconography. Pusaka – meaning treasure or heirloom in Sanskrit – is a silver filigree jewellery collection which champions traditional, master craftsmanship. Charmain rejects the culture of mass consumption by using traditional hand skills in place of mass production and has created items for the modest fashion market. Sustainability and the longevity of Indonesia handcrafted batik in this global era are at risk due to the popularity of “knock-offs” created by the big textile and garment industries. In response, co-designing and collaborating with his local filigree master-craftsman from Kotagede, Indonesia, Charmain has invented a new filigree technique rooted in the traditional way of making.­