For this interactive installation, Corrina Hammond hand-weaved the most ubiquitous garment on earth, the t-shirt. Sketched on paper, warped up and handwoven using traditional overshot, twill and plain weave drafts and techniques, the most rapidly produced item in leisure wear today started as straight-up lace curtains.
As the installation continued, Corrina began removing panel sections of the ‘curtains’ to create different items from the cloth. She used the lace curtains to construct leisurewear garments –in the end, creating one t-shirt, two tank tops, one hoodie, and one pair of pants (with pockets!) within the duration of the installation.
The garments were created by cutting the pattern pieces onsite then sewing it offsite, returning the finished garment back to the installation, along with the remaining curtain. The performative act of repurposing the curtains, recalls a number of problematic films from popular culture. The ‘down cycling’ from curtain to leisure wear feels decidedly 21st century in contrast to the 20th century film references.
In creating leisure wear of lace curtains, Corrina challenges us to contemplate the current issues surrounding the textile industry and garment making; to ponder the ever changing fashion trends which dictate what kind of garment becomes classic or a collectible.