notes
[ in progress ]
This is a selection of personal notes and visuals that explore how acts of care and refashion(ing) might shift us away from a focus on making per se and the expected generation of new designs and collections. Contemporary fashion should also be a conscious creative practice that allows for consideration of mindfulness and resources that expand on expressions of cloth, inclusivity, and environmental awareness.
Since presenting these ideas in settings like the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and the California College of the Arts as well as via design/textile journalism and global art venues, current climate and global humanitarian crises necessitate venturing furthering to explore how fashion is as much about fashion(ing) in partnership with our environs (via slower methods) as it is about continually generating form.
“Slow for me is basically about cultivating a connection to place as well as an understanding of self in relation to the environment. Immersing ourselves in the art of slow fashion might allow for deeper connections, more efficient flow, as well as identification of softer tools for implementing change. Local wisdom is certainly part of this equation as well as increased sensitivity to the cultural experiences and conditions/talents of peoples globally.” – A.D.
[ mood boards by Abigail Doan studio ]
“I think about that empty space a lot. That emptiness is what allows for something to actually evolve in a natural way. I've had to learn that over the years ― because one of the traps of being an artist is to always want to be creating, always wanting to produce.”
― Meredith Monk, American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer
“Light or luminosity is created by the way elements are juxtaposed. They become reflective and a radiance comes from putting different things together.”
― Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer
“You take an object from your pocket and put it down in front of you and start. You begin to tell a story.”
― Edmund de Waal, contemporary, artist, potter, and author