A Temporary Outpost of the Blue Fashion Commons

Tools

Twigger Holroyd, A. ORCID: 0000-0003-3403-3516, 2021. A Temporary Outpost of the Blue Fashion Commons. We are Commoners: creative acts of commoning, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, 18 May - 26 June 2021.

1455856 Holroyd 1	1455856 Holroyd 2	1455856 Holroyd 3
1455856 Holroyd 4	1455856 Holroyd 5	1455856 Holroyd 6
1455856 Holroyd 7	1455856 Holroyd 8	1455856 Holroyd 9

Item Type:	Exhibition
Creators:	Twigger Holroyd, A.
Publisher:	We are Commoners: creative acts of commoning
Place of Publication:	Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown
Date:	2021
Abstract:	‘A Temporary Outpost of the Blue Fashion Commons’ is an interactive installation that explores the notion of clothing as a shared community resource, rather than as privately owned outputs of a hyper-commercial system. The work is presented as a window into a fictional parallel world, where – for environmental reasons – the sale of all blue textiles, whether new or used, has been banned. With the supply of new items cut off, systems of exchange have developed in which blue items are traded and repaired at community-run hubs. The hub takes the form of a bespoke wooden structure, used to display a varied assortment of everyday blue garments and accessories for adults and children, along with resources to support their repair. While a visitor may take a garment away without any monetary payment, they must do so according to the hub’s rules. These rules specify that people must donate garments, skills or time to earn the right to withdraw items. Will people participate according to the rules of this miniature commons and thus enable the installation to become a successful unmanned clothes swap? Or will it descend into an untidy mess, picked clean of its most desirable items? The uncertain outcome of this experiment demonstrates the contingent nature of every commons, and the ongoing work that is required for a commons to thrive over time. The installation also encourages us to think differently about our clothing – as items that can be borrowed, again and again, from a vast shared material resource, rather than as products designed for rapid disposal – and prompts us to reflect on the crucial role of maintenance in situations where material resources are limited. Visitors who take the time to study the garments displayed within the installation may notice items embellished with distinctive chain-stitch motifs. This trend has arisen within the parallel world, where many have rejected branded logos and meaningless imagery and instead started to embroider their items with folk symbols. Motifs taken from nineteenth-century English smocks, a rich yet little-celebrated craft tradition, are particularly popular. The installation was commissioned for a touring exhibition, 'We are Commoners: Creative acts of commoning', curated by Craftspace.
Description:	The exhibition tour continues: Leicester Gallery, De Montfort University: 10 July – 4 September 2021 Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey: 18 September – 14 November 2021 The Civic, Barnsley: 5 February – 23 April 2022 National Centre for Craft and Design, Sleaford: 7 May – 10 July 2022
Related URLs:	Publisher
Event Title:	We are Commoners: creative acts of commoning
Event Location:	Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown
Event Dates:	18 May - 26 June 2021
Divisions:	Schools > School of Art and Design
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	04 Aug 2021 09:48
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2021 11:17
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/43788
Licencing: