I always dig a green theme, so I was immediately intrigued when I saw the invitation to Avantgarb{age}, The Art in Wearing Trash. The photography show, which opened last night at ICANA (Instituto Cultural Argentino Norteamericano), includes works by American artist Caitlin Margaret Kelly who photographed models wearing clothing made with recycled materials made by Argentine designer Aidana Baldassarre.
A Colorado native, Kelly’s initial project set out to find a new way to use the endless amounts of trash she saw on the streets of Buenos Aires. Like many expats living in this city, she was appalled by the lack of recycling. Teaming up with Baldassare, the two produced a POD book with the same title as the photography show. They are currently working on creating a fully recycled edition of the book.
Made of old ties and recycled tire rubber, the clothing designs are interesting, innovative, and even have a bit of an S&M vibe. I like what they’re doing by using recycled materials, but I don’t know how wearable some of the pieces are.
“You have to have a whole lot of self esteem to wear this on the street,” Kelly admitted to me at the opening as I checked out a tire rubber bustier and a pair of pants made entirely of plastic bags.
Kelly’s photographs highlight not only the clothing but also the unconventional looking models. The spirit of the show is definitely one of experimentation, and as Kelly explains, she hopes people look at her and Baldassarre’s work and ask “What if?” What if you make a dress out of tire rubber? Or jewelry out of plastic bottles? The possibilities for using trash are endless, and these two have made an art of it.
Avantgarb{age}, The Art in Wearing Trash
Through April 29th
ICANA: Instituto Cultural Argentino Norteamericano
821 3 de Febrero, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 7 PM
Links:
ICANA:
Cate Kelly:
Aidana Baldassarre: http://trash-fashions.com/default.aspx
POD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_on_demand
