At the moment our cafe-shop area has a temporary exhibition by Rūta Žinienė, until the end of January. This exposition talks about current Ecological issues and the cotton industry. It was presented during our end of the year event Young Ideas – Inside the Creative Mind.
This is how Rūta presents her ideas:
“I did not hear my voice in the making of mass produced items.
My conscience was never clear.
I didn’t speak through art neither. I did not have anything to say.
I speak with a thread and needle in everyday objects.”
She is inviting you to question your everyday decisions and rethink your habits:
“What are your resources for?
Money is a resource. Soil, oil, water, your body, your brain, your heart are resources. Sometimes the resources that’s been used are still unused resources.
<…>
What’s the true cost of beauty? How much do I need/want ?
Impression possession.
There are three basic needs that a man possesses food, clothing, and shelter. The global textile and clothing industry is bound to be huge, as it fulfills the second basic requirement of man. It is worth $480 billion at present and is expected to reach $700 billion, shortly. This is because people are getting increasingly conscious of the way they dress. It has become a means to create an impression and represent their personality. Everybody wants to strike an impression with different and fashionable clothes… but about 30% of garments in our wardrobes is not worn.
… More than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years.
90% of our clothing is thrown away before it needs to be. Huge amount of used clothing ends up in landfills. Both synthetic and natural clothing may take hundreds of years to fully decompose. Even if you don’t throw away your clothing after several use, and wear them for couple of years you should be aware that washing synthetic garments releases microplastics, that easily reaches rivers and oceans. That has an effect to aquamarine wildlife.”
If you would like to know more about the issues and info the authors talks about, you can watch her presentation on the subject, or come to see the exposition at Ideas Block! We can also send you the full text of her presentation.
Watch Rūta’s presentation here:
