Grandma's Jumper

This project explores the life (and death) of a garment that is left behind when someone passes away. When keeping an item of clothing that belonged to a deceased loved one, it acts as an instant reminder; it can evoke memories and a sense of nostalgia. Some people may feel an obligation to retain an item simply due to its associations, even though it may be disliked aesthetically and never worn again.



By extracting the essential elements that are embedded within the garment – such as scent, colour and DNA – the original form would become obsolete. By deconstructing the clothing and extracting its composite and essential elements, we might be able to keep the associated memories without having to retain the physical object.

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The byproducts of this process would be a coloured liquid, a steam distilled scent and DNA-rich ashes. These substances could then exist as a new set of memorials, which may be distributed amongst relatives or utilised in new ways.

2012