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70 lbs.

2018-2019

The average North American produces around 70 pounds of textile waste a year. The aim of this project is to confront this abstract number through its physical manifestation and manipulation of a years worth of textile waste. The quilted format references a tangible connection to Canadian material heritage and a metaphoric representing of what we are passing down to the next generation.This data object is both a chance to reckon with our own behaviour and a meditation on how large one individuals impact truly is.

More than 30 people contributed to the making of this project through sewing workshops, documented here @aquiltedyear. The contemplative act of sewing invited participants to think about their relationship to their clothes and to begin a broader conversation about sustainability. Our effect on the environment is a heavy burden that we must confront and carry; radical change will not come easily. The patience we will need is reflected in the months of labour intensive sewing it took to put this together. Thinking differently about the part we play starts with a change in mind set, we all need to change if we are going to have an environment worth passing down to future generations.

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This piece was shown three times in Toronto before it was taken apart. The conclusion of this project was for all 70 lbs of material to be re-purposed once again and to keep the fabric in use. This resulted in 11 different projects, which will soon be gathered together in a publication and celebrated as they continue to inspire more people to divert what they can from the waste stream.

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Drone photography and video by Nik Arthur 

Ottawa based maker and grower, with a practice currently centred in the exploration of growing flowers and environmental impact.

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