Parsons School of Design has partnered with the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) and materials innovator Aquafil to launch Passage Patterns—a textile art project that brings global migration data to life through sustainable design.
Created by students in the MFA Textiles program, the artworks use ECONYL® regenerated nylon, a fiber made from recycled materials. The pieces visualize real data from the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, which tracks global migration and climate-related displacement.
The exhibition opened this May at Parsons in New York and will travel throughout the year, with upcoming stops at Aquafil’s showrooms during NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days in Chicago, and later at United Nations offices in London and Geneva.
Faculty member Preeti Gopinath noted the project’s goal of using textiles to highlight urgent social and environmental issues. Through thoughtful, sustainable design, Passage Patterns encourages viewers to reflect on the human impact of migration and climate change.