Proposal
Title: Heirloom Factoria Dec 4, 2012
We cannot be further away from knowing the craftsperson who make the garments we wear. The industrial revolution brought upon us cheap merchandise made at an exponential rate. I intend to draw parallels between garment factory and a fascist regime by acting out the experience of a factory worker though an installation involving a video, a series of uniforms a poster and a timer punch card machine. The uniforms will be assembled the same way, as they would be in a factory setting. This will be done at in my own home atelier where I have a setting including cutting table and sewing machine.
The reason for making the uniforms under these settings is to have the process of sewing the garments part of the entire artwork. The parallels to fascism will become apparent in the repetition, structure, corporatism through the idea of a uniform. At the same time I’d like to address the anonymity of the factory seamstress. The factory made clothing has become so mechanize that we have no real link to the craftsperson/s who made the garment. I intend to make the viewer think about clothing made in a factory as well as the factory worker. I want the parallels between fascism and the factory to have the viewer think about where their clothing comes from and what means it went through to get to them and the ideal of corporatism become more apparent here in North America. Also l would like to research stock footage of marching soldiers and rifles shooting to merge with the documentation of the working sewing machine. The video will be edited video of the working industrial sewing machine layered shots of Italian fascist imagery. This is to add a visual impact to support the parallels between the factory and fascism. The punch card machine will be set up to be interactive so that to viewer can punch in to view the art and then punch out when done. This will strengthen the feeling of timed labor and add an element of mock control. The use of the fascist propaganda style poster done with the garment laborer in mind in a medium that was present during the 1930’/40’s having seamstresses instead of soldiers adorning it and will tie in all the elements in the installation.
The inspiration behind this idea is from the story of my mother’s origins and her working in a sewing factory in Canada. She arrived here with two sisters escaping the aftermath of a fascist ruler. Myself, being the only garment maker in this generation in my extended family has me question this fact and the history surrounding this type of labor. This work is part of a series where I explore exposing the public to the process of labor and the distance between the laborer and the consumer, such as Machines of Love and Grace 2010; sculptural dress with video projection of a working sewing machine including sound and Sweat and Tear(s) 2011; construction an reconstruction of a knitted dress done in video time lapse. I am aiming to address people who don’t really know about the subject or have not really given it any thought. My hope is to inform them and have them think about how their clothing had been made and the increasing distance we have with the craftsperson. Video will be shown on a piece of black fabric so if there is industrial lighting it won’t effect it. I will also have a series of uniforms, pattern pieces and all the left over material(s). The installation will be arranged to feel like a factory esthetic even in a old factory.
This is a website dedicated to this project including research and work in progress. http://artxsandrac.weebly.com/
Fasa Grant obtained 200$
Technical/ space requirement
(initial assessment subject to change according to space):
Projector depending on space ceiling mounted (don’t own one will need to borrow)
Wall space required for poster, punch card holder perhaps garments(wall mounted rack, or independent)
Punch card machine on it’s own mount or on wall/column depending on space.
Hanging fabric from ceiling (can go on wall as well this is flexible)
Title: Heirloom Factoria Dec 4, 2012
We cannot be further away from knowing the craftsperson who make the garments we wear. The industrial revolution brought upon us cheap merchandise made at an exponential rate. I intend to draw parallels between garment factory and a fascist regime by acting out the experience of a factory worker though an installation involving a video, a series of uniforms a poster and a timer punch card machine. The uniforms will be assembled the same way, as they would be in a factory setting. This will be done at in my own home atelier where I have a setting including cutting table and sewing machine.
The reason for making the uniforms under these settings is to have the process of sewing the garments part of the entire artwork. The parallels to fascism will become apparent in the repetition, structure, corporatism through the idea of a uniform. At the same time I’d like to address the anonymity of the factory seamstress. The factory made clothing has become so mechanize that we have no real link to the craftsperson/s who made the garment. I intend to make the viewer think about clothing made in a factory as well as the factory worker. I want the parallels between fascism and the factory to have the viewer think about where their clothing comes from and what means it went through to get to them and the ideal of corporatism become more apparent here in North America. Also l would like to research stock footage of marching soldiers and rifles shooting to merge with the documentation of the working sewing machine. The video will be edited video of the working industrial sewing machine layered shots of Italian fascist imagery. This is to add a visual impact to support the parallels between the factory and fascism. The punch card machine will be set up to be interactive so that to viewer can punch in to view the art and then punch out when done. This will strengthen the feeling of timed labor and add an element of mock control. The use of the fascist propaganda style poster done with the garment laborer in mind in a medium that was present during the 1930’/40’s having seamstresses instead of soldiers adorning it and will tie in all the elements in the installation.
The inspiration behind this idea is from the story of my mother’s origins and her working in a sewing factory in Canada. She arrived here with two sisters escaping the aftermath of a fascist ruler. Myself, being the only garment maker in this generation in my extended family has me question this fact and the history surrounding this type of labor. This work is part of a series where I explore exposing the public to the process of labor and the distance between the laborer and the consumer, such as Machines of Love and Grace 2010; sculptural dress with video projection of a working sewing machine including sound and Sweat and Tear(s) 2011; construction an reconstruction of a knitted dress done in video time lapse. I am aiming to address people who don’t really know about the subject or have not really given it any thought. My hope is to inform them and have them think about how their clothing had been made and the increasing distance we have with the craftsperson. Video will be shown on a piece of black fabric so if there is industrial lighting it won’t effect it. I will also have a series of uniforms, pattern pieces and all the left over material(s). The installation will be arranged to feel like a factory esthetic even in a old factory.
This is a website dedicated to this project including research and work in progress. http://artxsandrac.weebly.com/
Fasa Grant obtained 200$
Technical/ space requirement
(initial assessment subject to change according to space):
Projector depending on space ceiling mounted (don’t own one will need to borrow)
Wall space required for poster, punch card holder perhaps garments(wall mounted rack, or independent)
Punch card machine on it’s own mount or on wall/column depending on space.
Hanging fabric from ceiling (can go on wall as well this is flexible)
