The week three brief was to make work based on inspiration from the wider world — an issue or topic that you care about. I care about our attitudes towards objects and how easily we take materials for granted and so easily dispose of them. For example, just thinking about technology advancement in materials, glass was a huge improvement, to be able to have a durable transparent material. Then, think about plastics, what another huge improvement - we now have a durable and light material that can also be transparent and flexible. I would say a problem in the world is not that there are plastics, but that we don’t value plastics enough, such that we throw them away willy-nilly.

Another domain where we don’t value the material, considering the efforts that go into making it, is clothes. The idea of wearing something once and then throwing it away would probably boggle the mind of anyone in the previous century. If this topic interests you as well, I can recommend the book Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas.

I also selected fast fashion because I have a box of tired clothes that needs to be dealt with, and what better way to deal with tired objects than reuse them as art? In the end, I created video interactions with my clothes. I recommend sound on.

I set up my phone in a stand, and filmed slomo close ups of backlit clothes. Each piece mesmerized me in different ways. It’s also best with sound on - you can hear the creaking of the stretch, the rustle of the wave.

I focused on texture, cyclic movement (like breathing), a meditative atmosphere.

I’m also happy to say, I mended some of the tired clothes. I also filmed myself mending the clothes, but it was not interesting. I also decided, going forward, to mend my clothes, rather than buy new stuff, for the time being. Shabby chic is making a comeback.