GMU:Sustainable Aesthetics/Leandra Annekathrin Maretzky

My first thoughts about sustainable aesthetics:

When I think of aesthetics, the first thing in my mind is the appearance/look of something. For me this is a visual experience. Now when we connect aesthetics to sustainability, I understand that as a change in the way of creating a design for a certain product. Sustainability means working together with my environment - not against it. I take the items it is offering me and create something new out of it. I don't need everything to be "brand-new" - I can make it look like it is way more new.

I am highly interested in fashion and the sustainable way of creating/purchasing clothes. For me it can be a way of showing personality in a visual appearance. While I researched about this topic I stumbled upon a certain culture in the fashion industry - "thrifting". It is about reusing "old" or thrown-away clothes to make some new ones or even other things out of them. I would like to try this out and make a research/comparison with self-made vs. purchased/shipped/mass-producted clothing.

https://youtu.be/-SaPhS9c5Fw

https://youtu.be/4_Mt4haAp68

Step 1: Searching for fabric/clothes which could be used

Starting point: Which fabric can I find at home?

Old pants, tablecloth - squared pattern

some parts are ripped, not wearable anymore - but nice pattern, comfortable fabric

Bedsheet nobody uses anymore

Too slippery to work as a bedsheet, at some parts holes - but fresh colour, high qualitative silk

Old curtain

A bit outdated - but still in good condition

Fabric net thing for cuddly toys

At some parts ripped apart - but nice colour, interesting fabric

Leftover gift ribbons

Too short for present-wrapping - but beautiful colours, could be interesting for some details

I am still not shure what I want to make out of it - maybe fancy clothing or something more like art.

Step 2: Searching for inspiration on how to work with textile

Artists: https://www.artmajeur.com/de/kunstler/textilkunstler

General forms of art I could include: Journaling/Sketchbooking

Watercolour/Aquarell

-> (Maybe I could use different kinds of fabric layers to create new colours like in watercolour drawings?)

First Sketches

Microbial Fuel Cell

https://youtu.be/brwuAQcvwc4

References

ook_

Documenta 15, ook_ (Weserstraße 26, 34125 Kassel) [reinaart vanhoe, Neue Brüderkirche, Espora, me_sobat, Colorlabor, graanschuur Tarwewijk, Elaine W. Ho, Bartira, Wok The Rock, COLLECTive, k. format, Take-A-Way, Plan B, Dynamitas unlimited, ...]

• https://documenta-fifteen.de/en/calendar/?venue_slugs=ook_visitorzentrum-weserstrasse-26

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Return to Sender

Documenta 15, The Nest Collective

Installation of old clothes and a dystopian waste landscape

• https://hamburgarts.de/documenta-fifteen-return-to-sender-unser-muell-kommt-zurueck/

https://neon.org.gr/en/exhibition/dream-on/

https://palaisdetokyo.com/en/exposition/mimosa-echard-3/