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Helena Powell MSDC

Woven Textiles

About Helena
Trained as a silk weaver, Helena has spent years working with handweavers and a variety of different mills, to now focuses on the maths, chemistry and design aspects and brings to life woven landscapes. She works using key principles from the Sudbury Silk Weavers and combines these traditional techniques with hand dyeing and deconstructed Fibonacci sequences, present one of a kind pieces.
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Helena works closely, examining all the elements of tradition while combining extensive research into dyeing and process to create a zero-waste weaving practice. From spinning to colour to construction, each part is meticulously planned with a sustainable focus.

She is driven by the colour around her, exploring a sense of place with a playful aspect and combining mathematical ratios that are found within everything we see. This playful aspect is also evident in the contemporary designs within the woven structure, where pieces can appear sketched, either with structure or colour, building on tradition through the design work.

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Education:

  • BA Textiles Design, Glasgow School of Art

Employment and Work Experience:

  • Helena Powell Textiles (September 2024- Present)
  • East Anglia Alpaca Mill (July 2022)
  • Skye Silks (December 2022-May 2025)
  • Stephen Walters (June 2023)
  • Skye Weavers (July- October 2024)
  • Todd and Duncan (May- October 2025)
  • Green Grads Eco Scout (June 2025)

Awards:

  • Colour in Design 2024, Runner Up/ One to Watch
  • Ultra fabrics Sustainability 2024, Commendation
  • ArtThread Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2024, Shortlist
  • Green Gowns 2024 Sustainability Champion- Student, Finalist
  • Great Northern Events ‘Highly Commended’ Award 2025
  • Society of Designer Craftsmen, Outstanding Innovation in Crafts & Design, Handmade Chelsea 2025

Exhibitions:

  • Speculative Fictioning The GSASA Archives Exhibition, Glasgow, May 2024
  • Glasgow School of Art Degree Show, Glasgow, June 2024
  • New Designers, London, June 2024
  • Black Dot Gallery, London Design Week, London, September 2024
  • Trouble Grounds, Glasgow, October 2024
  • Green Grads In The North, Manchester, October 2024
  • New Ashgate Gallery’s Rising Stars, Farnham, March - April 2025
  • Green Grads at The Decorative Fair, London, May 2025
  • Vigour and Skill London Craft Week, London, May 2025
  • Green Grads in The North, Manchester, October 2025
  • New Ashgate Gallery’s Rising Stars in Handmade Chelsea, London, November 2025

Guest Speaker:

  • The Loom Shed Graduate Talks (June 2024)
  • GSA Careers One Year On (March 2025)

Commissions:

  • Calyx Cotton (2023)
  • East Anglia Alpaca Mill (2024-2025)
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