The Collector's Coat
I have always known my parents to be “collectors”, but when my dad passed away, I learned he was more of a “pack-rat”. Days and days of going through drawers, cabinets, and closets yielded a disconnected treasure trove of his life, of who he was and what he did. Dementia did not help. This piece is a revision of an original Hoard Couture garment, a coat of ombre denims, basic and boring.
I knew I needed some type of system to organize my Dad’s things…his nametags, business cards, zip ties, medical alert bands, military items, lapel pins, and clock keys to list only a minute amount. He also hoarded small containers in which to keep his things. This repurposed coat now represents the collector in all of us. I plan to fill the pockets with his legacy when my mom can part with it. Dad, Jim, Pops, Pe-pa, Grandpa, and Mr. Cooke will live on, tucked away and yet able to be wrapped around my body when I need to feel him near me. Because of Covid, the pockets all came from my inventory, there are no duplicates. Evidently the apple and the tree are still close by.
For public exhibition purposes, the pockets contain items and materials used in each of the original 39 small scale sculptural dresses that started Hoard Couture, whose concept was to highlight collections of unnecessary stuff.
I knew I needed some type of system to organize my Dad’s things…his nametags, business cards, zip ties, medical alert bands, military items, lapel pins, and clock keys to list only a minute amount. He also hoarded small containers in which to keep his things. This repurposed coat now represents the collector in all of us. I plan to fill the pockets with his legacy when my mom can part with it. Dad, Jim, Pops, Pe-pa, Grandpa, and Mr. Cooke will live on, tucked away and yet able to be wrapped around my body when I need to feel him near me. Because of Covid, the pockets all came from my inventory, there are no duplicates. Evidently the apple and the tree are still close by.
For public exhibition purposes, the pockets contain items and materials used in each of the original 39 small scale sculptural dresses that started Hoard Couture, whose concept was to highlight collections of unnecessary stuff.