Everyday Magic
Heather Joi uses household materials for fashion
Aluminum foil, Saran wrap, plastic bags, burlap bags… what do these things have in common?
They’re art materials, of course!
Inspired by the malleability and accessibility of household items, I have used them to craft numerous pieces, pleasing the muses through the alchemical process of transforming mundane materials into fun costumes.
It all started with a trip to a coffee house. This place was unique in that it sold used burlap bags that had once stored coffee beans. I got caught up admiring them, when an artist friend suggested I put them to use, as I had previously only worked with flora. That was enough of a nudge to get me to explore my palette.
Each of these everyday materials has a unique personality, as I soon found out. It felt like a collaboration. While I had a general idea of what I wanted to make, the final form would emerge organically—despite the inorganic nature of something as synthetic as plastic.
I've always been fascinated by historical fashion, but my true love lies in creating surreal and fantastic creatures. Often, I'm designing costumes for a specific project, such as music, dance performance, or art piece. My creative process can sometimes be indirect. Before constructing an exact plan, I meditate on my idea while playing with the materials, visualizing the costume and potential challenges. The creation itself is like an improvised dance, and the materials are the music. These materials just happened to form a kind of song I hadn’t heard, yet!
This array of household items was especially enjoyable for my more lighthearted characters. Being inexpensive, they are readily available and allow for more experimentation. They also would dictate my construction methods.
For example, the Centurion Cosmonaut was used a cardboard armature, to get the foil to stay in shape.
The pieces that made me most proud were the ones that showed the most innovative use of these materials.
Enough talking, let's explore the work!
Go ahead and comment on which ones were your favorite, or which ones didn’t quite hit it. I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you too have ever crafted costumes from everyday objects, I’d be thrilled to check them out.
All of them exemplify your stellar creativity. Truly sublime. But, I'd say my favorite is Victorian Bag Lady.