When one thinks of lace, we associate it with delicacy, intricacy and soft femininity. Now, for her project Political Lace, creative technologist Melissa Coleman has imbued the material’s characteristics with an ethical consciousness, producing a detachable collar that draws attention to one of the biggest issues facing women around the world. The clever accessory is fitted with an LED light that blinks every seven and a half minutes, the rate at which young women die unnecessarily during child birth. Whilst being wonderfully pretty, Coleman’s work simultaneously raises awareness of and encourages audiences to consider women who internationally deal with malnutrition and medical inadequacies.
