Julia Moser　Panta Rhei. Growing colours for flowing waters / Ephemeral iron. Aesthetics of decay

FFP2024

Ephemeral iron. Aesthetics of decay

Salt, metals, rust, dyeing, blaze, beauty, ephemerality, value of non-valuable, elements in flux… my project is about the unexpected beauty that can be found in the rough, the harsh, the things that seem to be ugly or without value at first glimpse. It‘s about colours that tell about the passing of time, recalling stories of its origin.

I wander through lands filled with metal mountains originating from the steel production factory of my region– leftover metals resulting from the production of steel… non-valuable at first glimpse, each of the pieces to be found there seems like an artwork for itself when it‘s been given attention and room to shine. My garment creation tries to give this room, incorporating the pieces as accessorial pieces in the closing system of the garment. Being part of the garment, essential for holding it together.

Going side by side with my original textile created from repurposed discarded textiles originating from the salt mine of my region. A place where our forefathers – the celtic people – got their salt from at the very origin, a salt mine was built. The first one in Austria to be using steel tools for salt mining. The salt has a preservative effect revealing the treasures of our past, the history of our ancestors. The old metal tools recovered from the mines are reminiscent of the metal structures and pieces of the steel mountains I have chosen.

The originally white protective clothing worn by visitors to the salt mine has become increasingly stained with rust and patches over time and use, revealing the passage of time like scars. While stains are usually undesirable phenomena, my project aims to draw attention to the beauty that can be found in these colours aged by time. Combined with a clothes deliberately stained through intentional rust colouring and the torching of the materials through the use of fire (reminiscent of steel production), a textile with a special surface structure and colour is created that blends harmoniously with the roughness of the metal parts.

In the search for dyes that do not require harmful chemicals and large amounts of resources, the rust colouring is created using rusting metal tools in a kind of shibori technique.While in conventional shibori the threads used to pull the fabric together are no longer visible at the end of the dyeing process, the metals used to pull the fabric together in my dyeing process are decisive for the colour and pattern and leave their mark over the course of the dyeing process.

All in all resulting in an androgynous reversible workwear-inspired look that focusses on the importance of workers and craftspeople of our past and present.

　　Material：discarded salt mine protection clothes (cotton), rust dyed and pleated textile (semi-synthetic), metal objects

　　Photography by YASUNARI KIKUMA / ©︎ FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM

FFP2023

Panta Rhei. Growing colours for flowing waters

Dyeing with bacteria has extremely environmentally friendly, water-saving and water-protecting qualities and does not require the use of harmful chemicals. Building on my previous research into the use of pigment producing bacteria for dyeing textiles, my project not only uses the pigment formation of bacteria to colour the textiles, but also incorporates the growth of the bacteria into the fashion and textile design itself. For example, the formation of the bacterial strain Bacillus mycoides, which was isolated from a self-collected water sample, is reflected in the surface of the textiles, which was manipulated by heat (also based on the fact that the bacteria must be killed by heat after the dyeing process). In terms of content and design, it addresses the issue of preserving fresh, living water. Textiles from recycled water bottles are repurposed and the bacterial strain Janthinobacterium lividum, which was isolated from the Danube river in Vienna is used to dye the fabrics – a dyeing method that requires hardly any water and does not pollute the water during or after the dyeing process. Usually, it takes a lot of chemicals to colour synthetic fabrics and the question remains as to how sustainable it is to recycle synthetic materials in this case. The bacterial strain used, however, also manages to colour synthetic fabrics without the use of harmful chemicals. The shape of the fashion and textile design is likewise based on the element of water. In reminiscence of energised waterfalls and places of power in nature, it aims to poetically evoke moments where the qualities and energy of water can be felt and experienced. It is assumed that there must first be a closeness and connection to nature before the question of its preservation can be asked. Accordingly, this garment aims to trigger emotions, awaken a longing for nature and truth and provide food for thought. Instead of shoes, the model stands barefoot on stones and experiences the connection to nature through this direct contact with it. The stones usually used for meditation practices were collected from the Danube river and processed by the teacher of advanced meditation methods Franz Kainz using a special grinding process. The garment itself contains hidden pockets with tools for collecting bacterial strains, which should also invite to enter into an exchange with nature.

With gratitude for the support to bacteriograph Erich Schopf, the Crafting Futures Lab/University of Arts Linz and the Institute of Polymere Science/Johannes Kepler University Linz.

　　Material：recycled polyester derived from plastic water bottles, deadstock polyester fabric, stones from the Danube river

Julia Moser

E-mail：julia.moser@kunstuni-linz.at

Instagram：@growingpatterns.livingpigments