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Introduction
Introduction
Sustainable Style is inspired by the Lifers exhibition at ROM created by artist Noelle Hamlyn.
In 2019, Noelle collected some life jackets that had washed up on a beach, and these life jackets inspired the idea behind Lifers.
Noelle found previously used clothing in thrift stores and other places, and tailored them to cover the life jackets.
By connecting these two objects, Noelle invites people to think about:
Our relationship with the clothes we wear
The impact of the fashion industry on water and climate change
What we should consider important to us as the climate continues to change
Imagine that Noelle invited you to add your own Lifer to this exhibition. What would you design?
Background Information
Background Information
When Noelle is creating a Lifer, she thinks about the style of the clothing, how it was originally meant to be worn, how it was made, what the worn spots say about how its original owner wore it, and how it was decorated.
Noelle wants to remind us that every piece of clothing holds a story worth preserving, and Lifers help to tell that story.
At the same time, Lifers also make us think about how the ways we make and use our clothes affects the Earth around us, The effects of the fashion industry affect water, the climate, the workers involved, and the waste we produce.
By putting the effort into creating something like a Lifer, we can train ourselves to think more carefully about how our actions affect these “Four Ws,” and how we can imagine better climate futures.
You will need
You will need
Pencil
Eraser
Colouring tools (marker, paint, etc.)
Glue or glue sticks
Fabric scraps (optional)
Digital design tools (optional)
Instructions
Instructions
Step 1
Step 1
Explore the Sustainable Style tour to discover how the fashion industry affects Water, Warming, Workers, and Waste
Step 2
Step 2
Step 3
Step 3
Use an extra piece of paper, a Google or Powerpoint Slide Deck, or a word cloud generator to give weight to your words in step 2.
Words that you think are more important should be larger, and words that you think are less important should be smaller.
Arrange your words into a word cloud, or use a word cloud generator to do it for you.
Step 4
Step 4
Using the word cloud you have created, choose something you wear now (or have worn in the past) that:
Is important to you
You can connect to some or all of the words in your word cloud, especially the bigger ones.
Describe the piece of clothing you chose, and why you chose it.
Step 5
Step 5
“Tailor” the piece of clothing you chose in Step 4 to fit onto the Lifer statue in the centre of town.
You may want to sketch your design on paper or the worksheet template first.
You can replace existing blocks with new blocks
You can add blocks and items to change the shape of the Lifer.
*If you are working outside of Minecraft, follow the instructions on the ROM site version of this activity.
Step 6
Step 6
When creating a display of art like Lifers, artists will write an Artist’s Statement to explain the meaning behind the art.
Find and read Noelle Hamlyn’s Artist Statement in the Sustainable Style Tour.
Step 7
Step 7
In a book and quill, write your artist's statement.
Add a photo of your lifer.
Sign the book when you are finished
Export a PDF of your artist's statement.
Add it to a lectern in front of the lifer.
Step 8
Step 8
Optional
Using the photos and text from your Artist's Statement PDFs, and your word clouds, turn your classroom into your own Lifers exhibition.
Follow up
Follow up
Thought Questions:
What do you wonder about clothing and fashion?
What did you discover about clothing by exploring the Lifers exhibition?
How can clothing help tell someone’s story?
How can art inspire change?
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