NEGATIVE SPACE
Project type:
First year graduate collection
Date:
2023
The first graduate collection inspired by the question 'What is going to fill the negative space left in our absence?' It is a visual exploration of a speculative future where human civilization has collapsed and nature is slowly reclaiming all human-made monuments decaying what is left of us to create a new future.
My main inspiration for the collection is Brutalist architecture and the process of its deterioration. Erosion of the stone structures by plants and elements. To emulate that in my collection I used real plants to grow on fabric and damage the material. I experimented with Chia seeds, Ferns, Red Army Amarath and Florence Fennel micro-greens, moss, and slime mold. The remaining materials were reclaimed from thrift stores and treated with rust.
Color Story
The color inspiration for this collection is a contrast between industrial greys of concrete, wet pavement and rust vs. the bright gentle greens of baby sprouts and vibrant pops of red army amarath.
Sketches
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3
Moodboards
Process muslins
Installation
Further investigation of the materials. It features metal rods recovered from an abandoned construction site which were used for rust-dying the garments. 100% cotton gauze with planted chia seeds.
This carefully curated composition of metal rods balanced by the fragile gauze confronts the concept of my collection. In this installation "nature" is represented by living chia seeds. Yet I carefully planted them on pre-treated fabric and tended to them every couple of hours gently spraying them with water. However, the supposedly man-made rods, rusted all on their own and furthermore are much more stable and overpowering than the ephemeral chia seeds that are meant to "inevitably erase the traces of human civilization".
