Scales
June 2017 – April 2020
Wallpaper, silicon and cotton threads, beads, paper and paraffin wax. Wadding, blue polyester knit.
I collaborated with the Material Science Institute of Mulhouse (IS2M), to observe samples of natural elements under powerful microscopes and become amazed by the scales present on butterfly wings.
I started to research a shape that could be reproduced with the least levels of wasted material. The use of laser cut as an industrial technique finds a balance with handmade sewing. I used to waste and second-hand materials that offer different types of textures. I cut more than 3500 scales, of different sizes.
I placed the scales by hand to create the texture of the skirt. The top involves the ribs patterns we can also see on the butterfly wings. The final dress is composed of more than 3000 scales of different sizes and materials that create the texture. It was also a work of costume making to succeed with the technical challenges of this piece. This manifesto costume is the starting point of a story that promotes the fragility and complexity of our environment. It embeds the tension between industrial and handmade work. The ornament of this costume becomes a source of interrogation and creates a new imaginary related to our world.
Wallpaper, silicon and cotton threads, beads, paper and paraffin wax. Wadding, blue polyester knit.