I am interested in finding beauty in things that are passed by and discarded. We use a plastic bag once, maybe twice, and then we never consider it again. Therefore, I want to deeply consider it: its form, colors, material possibilities, the sounds it makes when it moves, the feeling left on my hands after touching it. How can I give these unloved items love? Through traditionally feminine fiber techniques such as weaving, crocheting, and sewing, I am loving my trash. And by employing these age-old techniques, I am exploring my own femininity and past generations of women who were, and are, passed-by, used, and discarded.
Body Loom, 2022, Found plastic, steel, yarn, rubber bands, thread, 5 x 2.5 ft., photo by Ina Megalli
Body Loom, 2022, Found plastic, steel, yarn, rubber bands, thread, 5 x 2.5 ft., photo by Ina Megalli
Body Loom, 2022, Found plastic, steel, yarn, rubber bands, thread, 5 x 2.5 ft., photo by Ina Megalli
Plastic Loom, 2022, Found plastic, yarn, wood scraps
Plastic Loom, 2022, Found plastic, yarn, wood scraps
Can Crown, 2022, soda cans
Can Crown, 2022, soda cans
Princess Purse, 2022, fabric, wire, ceramics
Princess Purse, 2022, fabric, wire, ceramics
Elmo Collage (textile exploration), 2022, fabric, thread, found trash, yarn
Making art in my first ever fashion class turned into a semester-long material exploration of trash, and fostered an interest in plastic specifically. I want to be able to create functional, beautiful things, whether it’s a garment or vessel or something else entirely, out of plastic and trash. I have a background in ceramics and grew up around a mom who was always sewing. This became relevant to me, as I started to connect my newly-learned weaving practice to my five-year-old ceramic practice. They are both slow, requiring patience and understanding of the material. I found myself lost in the repetitive processes of cutting and twisting the plastic into yarn (coined on DIY Pinterest as plarn), and slowly locking it into the weave.
I also wanted to explore my own femininity within these materials and techniques. I started to look at the aesthetics of a princess – what does it take to look like a princess? What about to feel like one? How can I honor my sweet, child-like femininity, while also questioning the patriarchal systems that created these aesthetics in the first place? I believe I can be feminine and also feminist, and they don’t have to contradict. I was inspired by beautiful, old crocheted doilies from my aunt. I loved the colors and admired the immense time, labor, and attention to detail that was required to make them. In the same way, the amount of time spent on my projects was time that I could connect with the materials and give them love. It is important that I was carving out parts of my day to devote only to my craft. It was these quiet, slow moments in my projects where I felt free to experiment with new things that could fail.
This semester of fashion has taught me to consider the body, specifically mine, in relation to my art, whether it is a garment or not. And, it has allowed me to go deep into all the possibilities and implications of textiles.