Photography for the Abolish 153 campaign by: Nathanael Cardenas
Information material installation:
length 180 cm – width 80 cm – height 300 cm
Material – Resolver fabric soluble polyvinyl alcohol with black cotton jacquard. Developed in collaboration with TextileLab Tilburg
Components – Black fiberglass mannequin hidden inside the soluble Resolver fabric and fully embroidered with black Swarovski crystals.
The material installation took 2 years to make. During the first year the Resolver material was produced and made for the installation. The second step was to drape an oversized dress and integrating it into the installation. A black mannequin was placed horizontal and hidden inside the oversized dress. The dress took it’s own shape by the use of gravity. The transformation of the dress began when water was thrown on it, revealing the black cotton and melting into a new shape. The black mannequin was partly unraveled because of the melting process. The final process began after letting the installation dry. The holes inside the mannequins were closed by horizontal, vertical and diagonal embroidery techniques. It took one year to handcraft around 200.000 Swarovski crystals embroidered into the installation.
The material installation was first seen as a centerpiece during the Tormenta Paris debut. During the state of fashion, (searching for the new luxury) the installation was placed in the Stockhaven exhibition Arnhem. During the exhibition Nathanael Cardenas took the pictures for the campaign. This campaign was made for the Abolish 153 exhibition (16 -22 April 2018) in Kuwait. The Tormenta material installation was exhibited in the Hub Gallery as an abstract statue of liberty for the female emancipation rights in the middle east.