An exhibition of work by art, design, media and architecture students from Manchester Metropolitan University
Sharon Bainbridge
The dressed body is a situated object within the social world, something we pay little heed of unless something is out of place: the clothes don't fit us or the clothes don't fit the situation we find ourselves in. We look no further than the external and may consider we understand the semiotics of the clothes we and others wear, yet we may choose not to inquire about the provenance behind that latest acquisition. My work has its roots in the examination of the plight of the 'Needlewoman' in Manchester and London, by Engels during the Industrial Revolution. The many who died then of consumption is juxtaposed against the many who die now from similar illnesses due to our consumption in the West of Fast Fashion and our fascination with 'cheapskating' the never ending search for the cheapest garment, ignoring the cost of how it became that cheap. I have explored these ideas through the placement of objects, photography, film, print and installation work.