Fragile – Le Séchoir

Fragile – Le Séchoir

155cm x 75 cm, June 2015, Polyester muslin and cotton engraving printings, tulle underskirt.

«No(w) Future» workshop’s project.
Exhibition at le Séchoir, Mulhouse (France), from June 5th 2015 to July 14th 2015.

The exhibition emerged from an intense week in November 2014, when the students went into immersion in the natural reserve « Frankenthal » in les Vosges. Accompanied by Guy Stephan, forest ranger, and their tutors Charles Kalt and Didier Kiefer, the students from Mulhouse and Strasbourg were pushed to experience critically the observed areas. For 3 days, they documented their experience with a final exhibition in mind.

With Juliette Clegnac (Year 3, Textile design), Margot Douay (Year 2, Art), Loraine Gaultier (Year 1), Louise Germain (Year 2, Art), Pélagie Gourhand (Year 3, Textile design), Etienne Hubert (Year 3, Art), Victoria Kieffer (Year 2, Art), Laurane Le Goff (Year 1), Alexandre Marpeaux (Year 4, Design), Héloïse Monfourny (Year 2, Textile design) et Alexis Reymond (Year 3, Design).

I used living leaves and lichens as printing objects. Through this process, I questioned the fragility of the natural materials around us. Each print was killing a bit more of the plant but conserved it permanently on the fabric. I used polyester muslin to refer to our textile industry and sew this dress as a manifest garment.

It aims to expose the paradox between environmental inspiration patterns and the textile industry destroying it. This project also criticizes the industrial ornament technics. Here, each flap of the dress is unique as the printed pattern was composed by hand. Furthermore, the process of printing gives value to the cheap material.

Immersed in the forest