Our clothing can hold hidden stories. We might have a piece of clothing that reminds us of a specific memory or person. Or we might have a piece of clothing that when we wear it, we feel a specific feeling. These emotional connections are special and incredibly personal, and can make letting go of our clothing very difficult. Personally, I have multiple pieces of clothing that I feel like this with. I have pieces that were cheaply made and have since broken, but due to various reasons, I have invested my time into fixing them and thus created an emotional connection. Other pieces remind me of past experiences, both good and bad. Such as, a t-shirt I bought on a family trip to Italy. The trip itself was an amazing experience and to share it with my family made it well worth the heat wave that was going on at the time. When I would wear the shirt, I would be reminded of the fantastic experiences I had in Italy.
Due to the shirts comfort and my emotional attachment, I wore the shirt so often that shirt became quite transparent. I couldn’t wear the shirt out in public and had to reserve it for home wear. But as I am going through a minimalist phase, I need my clothing to be able to be worn outdoors. Thus, I had to get rid of the shirt. I couldn’t pass it on to someone else as it was unwearable, nor could I let it waste away in storage or in a dump. I had to find another alternative and one that I would be happy parting ways with the shirt for. So I turned the shirt into my fifth favourite thing about Italy, Gnocchi. This is what my project, The Fabric of Emotion, is about. Celebrating my shirt and my journey together by turning it into something positive and memorable.
I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt emotionally attached to their clothing, so I thought to cater to those Lower Hutt residents who have similar experiences. Giving them a better end of life solution for their clothing that celebrates their emotional connection and creates a lasting memory or experience. I thought the best way to get the Lower Hutt residents involved was to really get them involved in the making of the alternative end life solution. Which led to the idea of a community-made art place or installation in which the community can have free reign of their celebration.
Over the three-month Andrews Ave. closure, the Lower Hutt residents will bring their loved but unwearable clothing and materially manipulate it to be added to the growing installation. A good starter point is for the community to braid their material together. Braiding is easy to learn and do, and has a high yield. From a t-shirt, I was able to get a 6 metre long braid. Fairy lights, or christmas lights, could be braided into clothing to give the installation a nighttime presence. There is a shipping container located at the river-end of Andrews Ave. that will act as a hub for the material manipulation, with assistance and equipment provided there. At the hub, residents will also have the option of having their photo taken and telling their story about their clothing. These photos and stories could be put on social media or even into a book to publish their celebration. The social media platforms could also be used as advertising to bring the people from wider Wellington to Andrews Ave. By using prompts in the form of hooks and wires on the ground, wall and in the sky, the community can have free reign of the design of the space. There really is no limit or restrictions on where they could attach their braiding, meaning they have total freedom over their celebration.
This project has been incredibly rewarding for me in that it gave me opportunities to think differently, explore fun ideas and challenge myself creatively. It challenged me to make snap decisions, iterate quickly and also to follow my gut. There really wasn’t enough time for me to overcomplicate my idea, so I really benefited from the short time frame. I do wish I had presented my work and ideas better, not just verbally but visually. This is something I have always struggled with and this project gave me an opportunity to become better. Whether I improved or not, I felt comforted by the fact the presentations did not have to be polished. So thanks Mark and Euan, it’s been a great course!
blakekathryn
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