The Preservation of a Green Suit

2019

We are extensions of our objects. If memory-laden objects burden us and our identities, should they be preserved? In the vintage store Treasure Mart, idle objects sit. I wonder if, by fetishizing old objects, do we stagnate the present? I encased a vintage 1960s green women’s suit in clear vinyl and wore the garment in a performance. The vinyl garment was rigid and uncomfortable as I sat in Treasure Mart’s front window showcase to consider the difference between functionable objects and objects as artifacts of the past.

I activated the suit and the shopping space. My garment becomes a visible obstacle to ephemeral identities because of the emotional weight objects can contain.