Perpetual pigments wins a Gold Anthem Award in NYC
On the 30th of January in New York City, it was announced that Australian researchers from Deakin University School of Creative Arts and Institute for Frontier Materials had won a prestigious Gold Anthem Award for their Perpetual Pigments Project. The award was in the category of Product Innovation (Sustainability, Environment & Climate).
The Perpetual Pigments cocurators, Dr Russell Kennedy and Dr Tonya Meyrick, expressed their gratitude to Prof Rangam Rajkhowa and the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) team for inviting them to join this amazing research project.
They believe this high-level international recognition sets an example for future relational, multidisciplinary, cross-faculty research.
The Perpetual Pigments project set out to test the results of a world-first research discovery by Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM). Framed within the circular economy conversation, IFM developed a process to extract pigments from discarded textiles and fabrics made from natural fibres. Inspired by the theme, ‘sustainable colour continuous culture’ this ‘art meets science’, project invited First Nation artists to test the performance of the recycled pigments produced by IFM.
The objective is to develop an ongoing system where discovery and application can work together to address issues such as 800,000 tonnes of textile waste ending up in landfill in Australia per year.
This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from a pool of over 2,000 submissions from 44 countries by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Anthem judges are intellectually diverse leaders from across the impact industry with expertise that spans across the Anthem cause areas. The Perpetual Pigments project reinforced the interlocutor power of design. It clearly demonstrated how interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and cultural exchange can come together to produce better-than-expected outcomes.
It is important to note that the Perpetual Pigments applied the International Indigenous Design Charter (2023 Silver Anthem Award recipient) to the project.
These best practice protocols which were developed by Deakin University are officially recognised by the International Council of Design (ICoD) and Design Institute of Australia.
It is important to acknowledge that the Perpetual Pigments research could not have taken place without the talented, eminent, and emerging First Nation artists who contributed to the exhibition. Deakin’s Gold Anthem Award for Innovation will certainly elevate awareness and further advance research into the effective application of colour pigments extracted from textile waste.
This Anthem acknowledgement is greatly appreciated. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to act in their communities.