SCALE 

2022

discarded denim, plastic

16" W x 12" L x 66" H 

Disposable fast fashion is built to prioritize profits with no accountability. A business model assembled on fleeting trends and low-quality synthetic (non-biodegradable) fabrics to keep prices low, it detrimentally affects water supplies, outputs waste accumulation in the landfills and water-systems, champions unethical labor practices, and generates other negative impacts that are exacerbated by the scale and speed of production. 

A single pair of denim pants requires 1,800 gallons of life-sustaining fresh water while an average person in the US uses about 100 gallons a day. Due to the volume and poor construction of the clothing that is generated, much of the inventory is discarded and microfibers (plastics) are released into our environment. Our psychological acceptance of fast fashion eventually becomes a part of our physiology as the planet has limited real estate and we have no option to but coexist with the remnants of our actions. 

“Scale” is constructed from six pairs of denim to embody a symbolic mass pulled from our waterways and hung like a trophy fish weigh-in. The flounce edges are unfinished and loose threads uncut to display the poor quality of the denim. The transparent human limbs contain the threads and small remnants produced during the artwork’s construction.