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After a Fashion: The Funeral Clothes Project

Everyone has them, the things that don't "spark joy" but instead serve as painful reminders of grief. What does it look like when they come together and see the light of day? The exhibit will be visible from the sidewalk 24 hours a day during Reimagine week (no RSVPs needed).

After a Fashion (The Funeral Clothes Project) is a series of fabric artworks made from clothing worn in mourning. Inspired by a personal experience with a dress she wore to her mother’s funeral and could never bring herself to put on again, Spencer Merolla asked family, friends and strangers whether they also had clothing too tainted by association to wear. Slowly she began collecting clothes—sometimes decades old—that had languished unworn in the backs of closets, too distressing to wear and too sentimental to just throw away. Handling these testaments of grief is a powerful experience, as every garment comes with a story. Joining them together creates an opportunity for otherwise private griefs to come together across time and space, refashioned into a testament to our shared experiences of loss and remembrance.

NOTE: The show will be visible from the sidewalk in front of ChaShaMa (266 W 37th Street) 24 hours a day throughout the week.

Visual Art