Decomposition Costume

In a class about Art & Magic, I did a research project about ritual costume, culminating in the creation of my own — a costume that would honor the process of decomposition. Thus, a series of intersecting and seemingly unrelated processes unfolded that led to this costume. 

There was a sofa chair I had snagged from the giveaway pile at the end of a neighbor's driveway, that after years of sitting on my porch had fallen into disrepair and had become uninviting. Rather than haul it to the dump, I decided I'd take it apart to learn about how it was made. In the process I unearthed these layers of adhesive-laden gauze that intrigued me. After thoroughly washing them, I began assembling them into pieces of the costume — a shirt, mask, and wrap. While helping a friend organizing an assortment of animal bones she uses for sculpture, I found a shape in a pelvic bone that inspired the design of the mask, which I sewed together and stuffed with milkweed fluff and supplemented with found polyster batting. Several accoutrements later, and voilá — the perfect outfit for tending the cosmic compost pile.