Tarnish

Every year technology and machinery evolves, the old is discarded for the new, filling junk yards, basements and landfills with the old treasures to be forgotten. As time passes these metals deteriorate from lack of use, exposed to elements and begin to rust, too weak to be used as it was originally intended. It is now just an imprint of what it used to be as it takes a new form, covered in striking patches of red rust pronouncing its age and vulnerability. Taking these pieces and giving them new life in the form of natural dye, imprinting them onto fabric to introduce them once again into the production cycle. Dyeing with these pieces breathes life back into the memories they once held. My grandma passed away in 2019 from cancer, I am inspired by her strength, beauty and commitment to equality. Using rusting pieces from her past I have rescued and revitalized these memories by creating a new life for them in fabric and forming a firsthand connection to her and her past.