Ecdysis
Part of 'Hanging by a Thread,' a group exhibition hosted by the Western Australian Fibre and Textile Association, September 2020.
Artist Statement
Ecdysis; the name given to the process by which snakes shed their old skin, casting off their outer cuticle.​
I spent the first day of this year commencing an internship in Hong Kong for Redress, the world’s largest sustainable fashion NGO. This experience marked my introduction to the concept of a 'circular economy,' to promote systemic change and reinvigorate localised trade and production.​
Ironically, I returned home to Australia amidst a global health pandemic, to what appeared to be a society fractured by its lack of local and regenerative systems.​
A metaphorical exploration through material and aesthetic, Ecdysis responds to my personal learning journey as I seek inspiration from circular systems that surround me in nature. ​
I enter this decade determined to realise my role in catalysing this transition to circularity, marking the beginning of my ‘ecdysis’ from linear to circular ways of thinking.

Molly Ryan, Ecdysis 1 & 2 (hand-fused raw silk fibres, naturally dyed and screen-printed with natural ink). 2020, Digital image. Photography: Dan McCabe.

Molly Ryan, Ecdysis 1 & 2 (detail) (hand-fused raw silk fibres, naturally dyed and screen-printed with natural ink). 2020, Digital image. Photography: Dan McCabe.

Molly Ryan, Ecdysis 2 (detail) (hand-fused raw silk fibres, naturally dyed and screen-printed with natural ink). 2020, Digital image. Photography: Dan McCabe.

Molly Ryan, Ecdysis 1 (hand-fused raw silk fibres, naturally dyed and screen-printed with natural ink). 2020, Digital image. Photography: Bo Wong.

Molly Ryan, Ecdysis 1 (detail) (hand-fused raw silk fibres, naturally dyed and screen-printed with natural ink). 2020, Digital image. Photography: Bo Wong.
