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- Emma Rea
Emma
Rea
Invisible Hands
Invisible Hands explores the hidden labour, resilience, and inequality woven into the history of Irish lace making. Often viewed as delicate and ornamental, lace was, for many women, a means of survival created under immense pressure during times of poverty and famine.
The book contrasts the lives of the women who made the lace with those who wore it, revealing a system where beauty emerged from hardship. Made by working-class women for the wealthy, it stands as both a symbol of exploitation and endurance.
At its core, this publication reframes lace as more than a symbol of luxury. It is a product of women’s labour, woven from necessity and shaped by class divide. It serves as a tribute to the forgotten women behind the lace and reflects on a once-thriving industry that helped shape Irish cultural and economic history.
Spoiled Rotten
Over one third of all food produced globally goes to waste, around 1.3 billion tonnes each year. At the same time, 870 million people go hungry every day. In Ireland alone, the average household throws away €700 worth of food annually, with 60% of that waste being avoidable.
Spoiled Rotten is a design-led campaign aimed at reducing household food waste and promoting more conscious consumption. The goal was to create something visually engaging and community-driven that could inspire everyday action. The campaign encourages people to rethink how they use food by inviting them to share creative recipes that make the most of leftovers or ingredients close to expiry. These recipes are shared through Instagram using the hashtag #Recipe4Change, building a collective resource of ideas while sparking conversation.
Applications include a social media campaign, outdoor signage, a website and branded merchandise, all designed to be bold, eye-catching and approachable. The tone is warm, empowering and inclusive, with playful visuals designed to shift behaviours without guilt or blame.
This project was Highly Commended by the Creative Conscience Awards, recognising its impact, clarity and purpose-driven design.
– https://www.creative-conscience.org.uk/winners/spoiled-rotten-2024-04-30t172757462z
The Cost of Human Progress on the Planet
Drawing from the themes in Sir Ken Robinson’s thought-provoking audio, this animation explores humanity’s evolving relationship with Earth, celebrating our creativity and innovation while confronting the unintended consequences of our progress.
Viewers are taken on a journey through time, beginning with the remarkable, awe-inspiring achievements humanity has made through creativity and innovation. As the narrative unfolds, it gradually shifts from moments of human triumph and success to the sobering realities of environmental degradation, pollution, deforestation, and the escalating crisis of climate change. The narrative then glitches and shows glimpses of the urgent environmental challenges we now face. This stark juxtaposition invites reflection on how far we’ve come and where our actions have led us.
The animation closes on a contemplative note, offering a quiet call to action. The screen fades to black, inviting viewers to see their own reflection and consider their role in shaping the world around us — not just in the problems we face, but in the solutions we create. In this stillness, there is hope: that through awareness, empathy, and collective action, a more sustainable future is still within reach.
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