Masquerading Materials collection
This collection uses found materials, collaging together 2nd garments which the charity shop couldn’t sell. I opted not to have choice in the materials that come in the rag bags, using both garments which have spent time on the shop floor and garments considered suitable only for the textile sorting facility. I found that these unwanted clothes were on the whole very wearable, but commonplace, often low quality materials which were slightly uninspiring. Inspiration instead came from drawing stained glass windows in churches, where along with other public learning spaces became a calming and creatively charging place to be and draw in, which felt in contrast to the textiles I was working with and the fashion industry they are a product of. The gravitas of religious imagery, richness of colour, light and the bling/wealth of cathedrals I drew from is what adds value to the valueless textiles.