Our lives have significantly shifted over the past few months during this global health crisis. Most of us have been asked to spend more time at home, and public spaces for sharing and exchange are, for the most part, no longer accessible. Our places of work and play have merged, and the boundaries between the two are no longer so well defined. Thus, it seemed fitting to ask viewers to participate from home, from the spaces in which we nurture our relationships with clothing. 

 

Denim Care aims to open up new perspectives on our clothing, and hopefully instill a newfound curiosity and appreciation for textile work, for the invisible labour that goes into making the clothes we wear. 

 

The exhibition is a virtual shopping experience for the viewer, subverting the commonly seen capitalist online shopping model. On the site, the viewer is led to believe that they are simply shopping for a new pair of jeans. In the process, however, some of the complex notions tied to the raw materials, manufacturing process, the garment’s use and end of life cycle and impact are slowly revealed in playful, engaging, lighthearted ways. With this format, Denim Care is able to engage and inform the audience without alienating or overwhelming them. We just don’t want to hear (or remember) the bad things. Indeed, research shows that people are very good at avoiding unpleasant or difficult information. Why? It seems that there are three reasons: either because it brings about negative emotions and diminishes the pleasant emotions, or it makes them feel obligated to act on it when they would rather not not have to do anything, and finally because the information makes them question their identity or beliefs (Sweeny, K., Melnyk, D., Miller, W., Shepperd, J., 2010). 

 

Taking inspiration from participatory art, the viewer is asked to actively engage with the site, occasionally prompted to take action, both virtually and physically (for instance, in order to access a discount code, the viewer must complete a manual exercise). These tasks help convey the intricate, tedious or demanding work involved in garment production, and invite the shopper to take a moment to reflect on their actions. Viewers are occasionally asked to use objects from their own homes as props, which help establish more personal connections to the work and foster empathy (if not empathy, then at least some form of curiosity) for garment workers’ unrecognised labour.