Gloria So is a textile designer specializing in woven textiles. She is currently based in London and Hong Kong. The inspiration behind her practice lies in the relationships between our urban surroundings, nature and wellness. With a belief that textile holds a therapeutic power through sensitive use of colours and textures. Gloria gained a BA from Central Saint Martins in 2020 before continuing her study at the RCA.
Gloria So
Becoming Moss
This project has been inspired by the benefits that nature has on mental health. Her interest has grew from slowly gaining awareness of our disconnect to our senses and nature, both due to spending more time indoors during the lockdown and the lack of access to green space where she grew up back in Hong Kong.
In the project “becoming moss” Gloria borrowed the wisdom of moss to challenge and reshape her design approach. She started to do a series of self-embodied walks around London parks, slowing down and taking time to observe closely her surroundings, where the resilience moss where grows abundantly both in nature and even in some of the toughest conditions. Fully engaged in the making process: weaving, screen printing, and stitching. The work itself is an embodiment of moss, its strength, perseverance, and slowness.
Gloria discovered that her continuous fascination with the order of nature, how its form and decay in time on surfaces, more in particular plants and organisms that colonize a host in time (moss, lichen), they “imperfectly” created unexpected, beautiful patterns on its chosen host. This interest is in contrast with her need to control, the desire for perfectionism, and ultimately the fear of failure. All this proves to be a challenge for a designer to overcome, as trial and error is part of the process of development.
