Old clothes, new ideas

Adela Coc Blog.

What do you do with old clothes? Here’s what Derick Melander does:

“I create large geometric configurations from carefully folded and stacked second-hand clothing. These structures take the form of wedges, columns and walls, typically weighing between five hundred pounds and two tons. Larger works are often site-responsive,creating discrete environments.” 

“For me, the process of folding and stacking the individual garments adds a layer of meaning to the finished piece. When I come across a dress with a hand-sewn repair or a coat with a name written inside the collar, the work starts to feel like a collective portrait. As the layers of clothing accumulate, the individual garments are compressed into a single mass, a symbolic gesture that explores the conflicted space between society and the individual, a space that is ceaselessly broken and re-constituted .”