Reign Water

ocean the siren ( repurposed sari) , fresh water the naif

( yard sale fabrics) and the practical swamp vixen, witch of the wetlands (vintage fabric)

I am in the midst of designing an installation that tries to connect emotional, visceral and literal communication. The recycouture dresses mix with other mediums in an art meets science wedding. Biology, ecology, psychology and chemistry, natural and manmade systems have patterns that resonate. This is not a surprise as we humans build from that which we know. Our awareness of this is the issue, as we seem to have gone off into ego and lost our way.I guess this makes  FashionRIP Project todays Little Bo Peep. 

I have sewn three of the gowns and they are ready for the embellishments that will create their personas. The dresses are from repurposed, remnant and vintage, or secondary market supplies and are real, wearable pieces -functional. My couture, custom garment background left tracks. These dresses are an expression of my art..whatever that is at the time it is.

Fresh Water is sweet, graceful and innocent, but not naive. She maintains a higher standard of purity and clarity than the human species and wants us to get with the program. She personifies the small rivers and streams of the higher altitudes and is therefore still fairly pristine. She is a dancer.

Ocean is pissed off. She is experiencing major acidification - aka acid reflux- which is damaging to corals, her underwater nurseries and thus it effects the survival of all her children. In response she is fighting back with tsunamis, hurricanes and giant swells that erode human habitats. She is not able to discern who is innocent and who is responsible, she sees our species as a threat. She understands that it is human activity that is making her suffer and she will not be placated by our fairly small attempts to change our ways. That we are hindered by those of us who are blinded by ignorance, greed and ideology is not her problem. Her problem is her children's survival. She is a mother, a creator.


Swamp Witch is the sorceress, the scientist, the amazing alchemist, the liver of the water system. Her job is to detoxify and cleanse the water bodies meeting grounds. She is a permeable, organic flexible and shifting border.  She works with dissonance and harmony, she knows when  to juxtapose and when to blend. She understands and values diversity. She is species wealthy and happy that humans are finally getting to know her. However, her work at times is far too challenging to go it alone. She is seeking our help, our greater understanding and our appreciation. She is the musician.