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Mucky Matters

Ally Lee

Profile picture of Ally Lee

I am a multidisciplinary designer with a practice grounded in material exploration, critical observation, and environmental relevance. My work often investigates overlooked materials, subtle systems, and invisible phenomena, transforming them into tangible experiences through objects, installations, and spatial strategies. I navigate fluently between concept development and hands-on making, using prototyping as both a thinking tool and a communication method, and I treat each material as a carrier of meaning as well as function. While my design process is rooted in experimentation, I am equally drawn to the organisational and strategic side of product development. I am interested in roles that bridge creative direction and practical implementation, spaces where design can challenge norms, inform behaviour, and operate within real-world systems.

I am a multidisciplinary designer with a practice grounded in material exploration, critical obse...

Mucky Matters is a product-based installation that reveals the presence of particulate matter, microscopic pollutants suspended in urban air that are inhaled but rarely seen. The project visualises this hidden dust through a laser engraved mirror and a set of dust collecting panels installed across London. Reframing familiar domestic objects as environmental tools, the installation records pollution physically through buildup, residue and reflection. Materials such as mirrored Perspex, coated styrene, and reclaimed steel create interactive surfaces that shift visibly over time. By making pollution tactile rather than statistical, the work invites reflection on urban exposure and questions how we see and overlook the air we live in.

Final work

  • Person holding a clear panel by the handle and squinting through dust to view the mirror.
  • Person gently touching engraved patterns on a mirrored surface with left hand.
  • Person standing in front of the mirror, using fingers to explore the surface of the clear dust panel.
  • Large mirrored panel in studio with engraved patterns creating semi transparent areas.
  • Detail of clear plastic panel with dust settled on one half.
  • Close-up of welded steel frame holding the edge of a clear panel.

Research and process

  • Hand holding a small engraved mirrored sheet with light passing through.
  • Transparent panel with one half dusty, one half clean.
  • Grey scan showing scattered dust marks on a light background.

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Mucky Matters

Mucky Matters is a product-based installation that reveals the presence of particulate matter, microscopic pollutants suspended in urban air that are inhaled but rarely seen. The project visualises this hidden dust through a laser engraved mirror and ...

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