For the final project, Bridget and I would like to make a wearable ensemble that repurposes some of the most wasted materials in our society, such as plastic bags and receipt paper. These two items are the epitome of consumeristic culture, therefore reusing them in a way which gives them new life will make a statement about regenerative cultures, as well as serve as a sort of dystopian look as if someday those would be the only materials we have left in abundance to make new clothes and gear. We want to make a paper mache space helmet from the receipts to represent what the future could be if life continues as is and the air pollution eventually becomes too much for people to breathe it in normally.
When it came to the actual making of the hemet, we soon discovered that we had not collected enough receipt paper to make an entire helmet, as it requires a lot to make it sturdy enough. We were able to find a discarded pad of newsprint on the street in front of the dorms which we used in addition to the receipt paper to create the helmet. We also decided to change our initial design idea from a space outfit to a costume of My Melody, as we thought it may be more engaging for the kids at the pageant. As well as it served as a commentary on the wasteful nature of the toy industry and the plastic it wastes, so many new toys are being made each day just for them to be bought and thrown out not long after. We painted the head and added a flower from receipt paper.
As for the dress, I had collected several plastic bags over the past couple weeks and fused them all with an iron to create stiff sheets of fabric. We decided on making a pinafore dress to match the theme of the My Melody head. I made a half circle skirt pattern to cut out of the fused plastic, then sewed it together and added some straps. It worked out much better than I initially expected it to and I definitely want to experiment more with fused plastic in the future!
At the pageant, the giant paper mache head in addition to the plastic dress definitely caught peoples attention. The kids thought it was really fun and were very impressed to hear it was made of discarded paper. AS well as the dress being made of plastic certainly showed people that there are many possibilities for repurposing and reusing materials. The walk to the pageant was especially fun because it was a beautiful day so there was many people out who would stop and ask us what exactly I was wearing, then we were able to tell them about the event and invite them to the garden to see!
I have attached below the process photos as well as a picture of us (Bridget and I) and with completed ensemble at the event.
