The Armor Project was the biggest project of the semester in my opinion. It was also the most important. For this project, we were tasked with choosing a social issue that was bothering us, and then create three pieces of “armor” that can spread awareness or protect from the social issue of our choosing. Before starting this assignment, we had to read the “Arts for Change” list and pin point how we want to go about spreading our message. We also had to read a piece on interrogative design to sort of inspire us and give us a better idea of what we should be going for. The only material requirement was to use rigid wrap for at least one part of our project.
My social issue of choice was pollution, more specifically the pollution that the fast fashion industry contributes to. I wanted to let people know with this project that time is running out, we need to buy less, and that the chemical runoff from clothes in landfills are seeping into our water supply. My MAIN GOAL was to buy nothing new for this project and yes, I did achieve my goal.
For my headpiece I wanted to convey the message that clothing sits in landfills for a very long time and does not decompose. Most inexpensive clothing is made from acrylic which is a petroleum-based substance. This material does not decompose for over 1,000 years and as it slowly breaks down it creates chemical runoff that seeps into our water supply. We are slowly killing the planet and the human race. The materials used for this project were mostly gifted to me the t-shirt and headband I used as a base were given to me by my friend Olivia. I chose to tie the t-shirt into knots to give it the looks that it is being rung out and the chemicals are just rushing out.
For my body armor, I wanted to do a t-shirt that got my message across loud and clear. BUY LESS. We need to. We need to place an emphasis on buying things that we really like. We need to save up and spend more money on things that will last for 30 years. I used doll clothes that my friend Gracie gave me for my t-shirt. They were hers from childhood. I just cut out the clothes that stood out the most to make the message visible, and loud and clear. Each letter is sewn on. I had fun doing this one. I miss sewing.
Finally, the hourglass. Time is running out; we must act now or there will be gone forever. The hourglass is made from rigid wrap and cardboard. The cardboard came out of the recycling bin and the rigid wrap was given to me by my teacher. After constructing the hourglass, I then painted it with important symbols. If the rising temperature goes beyond the tipping point it will run away to +5 degrees. Once we get there, if a parallel line is drawn from Paris, all the land below will be too hot to be habitable. Only one billion people left on earth at the end of the 21st century. 7 billion people don’t know this? Time is running out, and in the bottom of the hourglass is our future.