In the fall of 2023, I covered the lawn in Travers Park, Queens, with second-hand clothing. I arranged the garments like a giant color wheel but with a dark center and a light outer edge. It ended up being over 100 feet wide, the largest clothing sculpture I have ever created. A one-day event, this project was an intervention as much as it was an installation. The clothing was simply placed on the lawn and at the end of the day, brought back to my studio. Most of the clothing was donated by Wearable Collections and the event was low carbon / low waste.
According to the NYC Department of Sanitation, New Yorkers throw out 200,000 tons of clothing and textiles every year.
To create this sculpture, I used 1,302 lbs. of second-hand clothing. So how long would it take for that amount of textile waste to accumulate in New York City? Less than 2 minutes!
It was wonderful to present my work in my own neighborhood in Queens, New York. Whenever I do art installations in the public realm, I get the impression that most people don’t have much contemporary art in their lives. Certainly not in their neighborhood. This piece was definitely a surprise. Many asked if they could take things to rewear, so I explained that on close inspection, most of the garments are flawed.
It was a challenge to do it all in a single day. But with an amazing crew and a lot of faith, we pulled it off.
Here is a shout-out to some of the volunteers
Big thanks to The NYC Parks Department, for believing in this project.
This exhibition was made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Size:
Approximately 100′ x 100′
Materials:
1,302 lbs. of second-hand clothing
