Stolen for Inside Out Singapore -
Beings of A Garment
Stolen has always been proud to be a Singapore brand.
For this 50th celebration of our nation's success, there's nothing more gratifying than being selected as the only fashion representative out of the 20 creative talents to represent Singapore in the travelling showcase entitled Singapore: InsideOut.
A three-part installation, our artwork entitled "Beings of A Garment", explores the meaning behind the existence of a piece of clothing - is a garment only alive when worn, or does its soul remains even without its wearer? The cross-disciplinary art piece morphs from a garment design to an installation piece and finally into a performance.
Our designer Elyn Wong designed three different garments made of a translucent textile. For the first act, the garments are shown statically. The immobility of the garments alludes to the perception of garments as inanimate objects when not worn.
In the second act, the garments are replicated in multiples and displayed in a space designed by architect Chang Yong Ter. The pieces are then given life and move with the aid of the specially built lighting system and motorized structure in the installation alongside the soundscape of Elyn's breathing in the background. This then allows the garments to embody themselves as living, breathing beings with a soul of their own.
The final act involves dancers from T.H.E Dance Company entering the same space, before donning some of the pieces on display and breaking out into a performance. The garments then take on the personality and individual expressions of the dancers, receding onto the body and becoming almost invisible.
The multi-disciplinary performance and installation encompassing dance, fashion, architecture and music is a collaborative effort between our designer Elyn Wong, choreographer Lee Mun Wai from T.H.E Dance Company, architect Chang Yong Ter and audio-visual collection Syndicate.
