built to wear is constructed from 10, 000 american apparel garments
image courtesy of ball nogues studio

built to wear is a new installation by ball nogues studio for the 2009 shenzhen hong kong biennale.
the project is a collaboration between the studio and ethical clothing company, american apparel
with curator beatrice galilee. using the help of organizers and group of 30 volunteers from shenzhen,
the result is a hanging architecturally scaled structure comprised from 10,000 items of clothing:
baby dresses, bikinis, g-strings, muscle shirts, spaghetti tank tops and t-shirts manufactured by
american apparel, the largest garment factory operator in the united states.

throughout the biennale, the installation will be dismantled and the garments distributed to visitors,
each piece of clothing serving the dual role of building component and individual article of clothing.
currently, most US garment production has moved offshore. built to wear invites viewers to
contemplate the relocation of manufacturing from the developed world to emerging economic powers
like china, while reconsidering notions of material lifecycle in architecturally scaled structures.
by using a coveted consumer good - the garment - as a basic building block, the project expands
and critiques notions of 'green' architecture while activating public space through consumption.

overall, the installation will serve as a symbolic gesture of sustainability and a reminder that buildings
in our cities are impermanent - frozen moments in the flow of products through the tributaries
of global exchange. outside of its environmental commentary, the project recontextualizes the
clothing item - a symbol of mass consumerism - into an alternative gesture of hope.


general view
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


before installation - boxes of clothing waiting to be opened
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


garments being unpacked
image courtesy of ball-nogues studio


string prepared for hanging the clothing
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


volunteers laying out the articles of clothing and using clothes pins to attach them to the lines
image courtesy of brianna gorton


image courtesy of ball nogues studio


the structure undulates hanging low to the ground and moves up towards the ceiling
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


image courtesy of ball nogues studio


image courtesy of ball nogues studio


detail of the hanging articles of clothing
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


blue, red and yellow garments were used to construct the installation
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


a view from within the structure
image courtesy of ball nogues studio


image courtesy of ball nogues studio


image courtesy of ball nogues studio


below ball nogues studio's installation is 'walking on water' by hideyuki nakyama architecture.
pools of water are shaped by an arrangement of smooth stones which weave in and out
of the exhibition space. visitors are invited to walk through the pools.


'walking on water' by hideyuki nakyama architecture
image courtesy of hideyuki nakyama architecture


image courtesy of hideyuki nakyama architecture


concept drawing of 'walking on water'
image courtesy of hideyuki nakyama architecture