2017 Awardee: Rhianne Goldie
"Being granted the Dewar Award has opened new doors for me. It has given me the opportunity to discover my true passions and interests within the design industry...With this grant I have been relieved of financial stresses, enabling me to focus fully on my education and career."
Biography
Rhianne completed her undergraduate degree in textile design at the University of Dundee, and at that point felt she was unfinished with her studies. She went on to study an MA in Fashion and Textile Design at Heriot-Watt University.
Initially, Rhianne’s intentions were to enhance and develop her knowledge of heat-sensitive inks on textiles for fashion. She found her focus shifted throughout her studies, and she developed great interest in material exploration. This led to exploration of worldwide, environmental issues associated with plastic pollution in the ocean.
Working with single-use plastics, Rhianne began to think outside the box and to push the materials to their limits. She utilised pre-existing design techniques to create innovative, body-adorning textiles in order to raise awareness of ocean waste.
How the Award Helped
Rhianne’s Dewar Arts Award supported her masters studies at Heriot-Watt University.
Since the Award
Upon completion of her masters, Rhianne’s university recommended she continue her research further at PhD level. This prospect encouraged her to push her practice further than she had ever imagined.
"Being granted the Dewar Award has opened new doors for me. It has given me the opportunity to discover my true passions and interests within the design industry...With this grant I have been relieved of financial stresses, enabling me to focus fully on my education and career."