Dame Detritus
Year: 2019
Event: Wearable Art Mandurah (WAM) Finalist
Inspiration:
Dame Detritus emerged from experimenting with collected materials rather than a specific design concept. A bicycle helmet found in curbside rubbish, lace scraps from a local designer, PET plastic bottles ironed, heat shaped and painted. Reverse Garbage (industrial waste recycling centre) provided awning material for the dress base, and vinyl strips for the bodice - foil jersey was sourced from a liquidator. A bag of shibori-shaped organza tubes languishing in the studio from a previously incompleted design were integrated with acrylic paint, before the finishing touch of sequins and beads.
Materials & Techniques:
plastic, acrylic paint, vinyl, aluminium, hot glue, lace, shibori-shaped organza, foil jersey
More Information:
The use of the shibori-shaped decoration is reminiscent of my TAFE Studio garment design in 2014 – the pattern for the dress section is the one used for Beyond Chrysalis – Emergence, which is also descended from that garment. Once sewn, it was airbrushed with black to tone down the brightness of the foil material. The headpiece was built with many discarded shoulder pads over the found bicycle helmet. Dame Detritus featured in the Excellence in Fibers V Print Exhibition - a juried exhibition published in Fiber Art Now Volume 9 Issue 2 Winter 2019/2020.
Bonus Information:
Dame Detritus stayed on in Mandurah and was used for a photo shoot for some aspiring models. The photo shoot for the showcase shows the headpiece with both antennae leaning to one side – obviously it became a little distorted in its travels to Western Australia but was not readjusted as requested!
