Growth Stages
-
Days 1-4
The initial growth stages took 4 days in the pure dark, as I learned from my months of testing.
-
Day 5-6
I installed in the gallery on this day as the sprouts began to show. Moving was a task.
-
Day 7-8
Sprouts steadily showed and overall look began to show as green.
-
Day 9-10
In the final days the sprouts were very green and had drunk many gallons of water over the course of the process.
The Industry
Four weeks of product testing, I tried different fabrics and seeds. Chia held the best, but as an amateur plant enthusiast I killed it many times before I found the perfect recipe. 5 days soaking wet in the dark, if you were wondering. I grew the test samples in a drawer in our bathroom.
The concept for this project I’ve been developing for over a year now.
Words I was interested in include:
Sustainability
Greenwashing
Recycling
Reusing
As someone who inspires to be sustainable as both a consumer and a producer of products, I find a lot of irony in these words, especially in the context of the fashion industry.
I wasn’t sure when looking at this finished piece if people would think it was sustainable? Well I guess I kind of hope they did, even though it’s not. I mean the dress is going to grow for 12 days, cost me a lot of money, I bought brand new products, wasted a bunch of things and will end up throwing it away in a matter of days. That is to say that this project is a commentary on the fashion industry. I don’t have a specific direction or conclusion I was hoping to make, but rather hope that you will make your own. 🌱
