ball nogues studio at shenzhen hong kong biennale 09

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 openedimage courtesy of ball nogues studio

garments being unpacked image courtesy of ball-nogues studio

string prepared for hanging the clothingimage 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 gortonimage courtesy of ball nogues studio

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

image courtesy of ball nogues studio

detail of the hanging articles of clothingimage courtesy of ball nogues studio

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

a view from within the structureimage 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