Make My Mark T-shirt art installation brings up-cycling to EDGE festival

Ashfield Public School students come together to create, Make My Mark, a recycled T-shirt art installation on the benefits of slow fashion

Inner west artist and art and design teacher Michelle Kistima-Menser at Ashfield Public School with student Maya Himawan wearing hand printed T-shirts that will form part of an EDGE Ashfield installation. Picture: Matthew Vasilescu

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Students from Ashfield Public School are using old T-shirts to create an art installation inspired by the circular fashion movement.

Textile artist and art educator Michelle Kistima-Menser is at the helm of this project to create a large scale public art installation for Inner West Council’s EDGE Ashfield festival.

She said after reading Jane Milburn’s book Slow Clothing — Finding Meaning In What We Wea r, she wanted to help raise awareness of the possibilities of creative up-cycling, of making informed decisions about how we choose to dispose of our unwanted clothes as well as how to make more mindful decisions about purchasing new clothing.

Each re-purposed T-shirt is designed around a series of circles made up of students’ thumb prints with a single handprint in the centre — in this way students get to make their mark both literally and symbolically with this project.

Art educator Michelle Kistima-Menser and student Maya Himawan at Ashfield Public School. Picture: Matthew Vasilescu

Alison Jose, founder of the inner west-based Circular Fashion Centre, is one of those leading the charge to help us repair, reuse and recycle garments wherever possible.

At a talk on circular economy at the school the students got to learn about circular fashion and other textile waste streams and they also saw the carpet examples that their T-shirts will become when the art installation exhibition period is over.

“I wanted this to be more than a creative exercise for the students,” Ms Kistima-Menser said.

“Learning that their shirts are still useful for making into other products allows them to personally get in touch with their own clothing waste.

“It raises awareness of where our clothes come from plus illustrates the negative impact of landfill versus the new positive circular economy outcomes once the clothes can no longer be worn.”

As part of the EDGE festival 400 T-shirts will be used to construct the creative installation, Make My Mark, in the foyer at Ashfield Service Centre from September 12-15. The installation will be accompanied by a video of the making process.

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