ARTIST STATEMENT
Upcycled Adolescence explores the ritual of repurposing second-hand textiles in order to develop new and unique garments. Through the influence of Jack Carden and Colm Dillane I was influenced by the art movements, Dadaism and Abstract Expressionism. During the process of making the jacket I incorporated historical and contemporary art elements into wearable fashion. I repurposed artworks sewn into a wearable jacket by recycling existing paintings and simple sketches across the jacket to reflect a free and unruly creativity found in children's imagination. The animation is an extension of the jacket, as if it is growing out of the urban landscape by referencing street art.
ARTWORK PROCESS
I created the upcycled jacket work using fragments of old paintings on canvas that were upcycled and made into a wearable jacket/wearable sculpture.
The animated video work features the upcycled/wearable art jacket and depicts a young man journeying through an urban landscape. This animation is an extension of the three-dimensional jacket artwork and suggests a connection to the urban landscape by mimicking graffiti/street art elements in the jacket.
