acts of repair imagines the use of mending to extend the life of utilitarian objects. Stitched patches become markers for time and use; they are also quiet but potent acts of resistance, challenging consumer behavior with limitless possibilities for endurance.
The pattern techniques take their inspiration from 18th century Dutch darning samplers. Duplicating weave structures was seen as an essential component of a girl’s education. These skills—once linked to gendered schooling, thriftiness, and necessity—can be charged with new meaning in a contemporary context. Patching and repair fly in the face of consumer culture, and allow us to reconsider notions of endurance, aesthetics, and the unchecked ubiquity of planned obsolescence.