RA Magazine Blog: Disappearing act

Formerly a fashion designer, Helen Storey has more recently investigated how science, art and fashion might come together in leading the way for a more sustainable future.

Her installation Say Goodbye, commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts and supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is a key work in the current exhibition GSK Contemporary - Aware: Art Fashion Identity at 6 Burlington Gardens.

The work features a dress - a delicate filigree of transparent strands and dark coils - that is gradually lowered into a bowl of water. The garment is made from an enzyme-based, water-soluble textile that dissolves over time. In the video below, Storey and her collaborator, the scientist Tony Ryan, explain the thinking behind the work, while the RA's Director of Exhibitions Kathleen Soriano describes its role in the context of the exhibition:

_{Helen Storey, Say Goodbye, 2010, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. Textiles Trish Belford, University of Ulster. Science by Professor Tony Ryan OBE, University of Sheffield. Model Pixie @ Profile Model Management Ltd; make up and hair Sam Basham. Photo John Ross}

• Royal Academy of Arts