Rescue mission - Clothes canopy experiment

In my project I have mainly been reclaiming and reusing discarded clothes that have either belonged to me or have been sourced from my social circle. Considering that all of those garments are still in very good condition, I stated wondering if I could take my methodology a step further by working with garments that are no longer wearable.

When it comes to the destination of the clothes that our society declares unwanted, I have long thought that second-hand stores are the most environmentally conscious option available to me. However, while the charitable stores represent the most tangible disruption to the cycle of fast fashion, the clothing they are unable to resell gets exported overseas to be managed by population of developing countries. These very clothes likely belong to an estimated 85 per cent of all textiles that end up in the landfill every year, according to the World Economic Forum.

See more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702)

I have decided to approach the nearest op-shop and see if I can take a look at some of the clothes from their ‘unsalvageable’ and ‘unsellable’ piles. The staff seemed happy to give me as many of those items I was willing to take and have asked me if I had any preference. I decided to approach this experiment indiscriminately and took home one large bag they filled up for me. I expected the garments from these piles to be damaged or at least stained and was surprised to find that all of them were clean and in very good condition.

I attempted creating a large-scale assemblage made of discarded clothes that has been washed and hand-stitched together in a way that can be undone without damaging the garments. I imagine the construction tied across the gallery space so that it forms a canopy that the viewers can walk underneath. I would like to do small-scale clusters of hand-stitches on some of the garments that would be visible from underneath the canopy which would serve as anchor points to draw the viewers in.

I think this installation would also include some of the garments that I got left, folded neatly in a smaller pile in one corner of the room. The viewers would be made encouraged to look through these garments and to take home any of them in attempt to give the items another chance.