Visitors to the Fabric Workshop and Museum might assume they're wandering past a NASA spacesuit — until they look closer.
The blue-and-white coveralls have patches and adjustable layers, just like the ones astronauts wear. But "MSS," a piece in the museum's new fashion exhibit, is actually a "Mama Space Suit" outfitted with a retractable pacifier and Velcro flap for breastfeeding. Artist Aimee Koran likens motherhood to deep space exploration with this playful piece. A patch on the chest reads "MILF" or "Mothers in the Labor Force."
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This cheeky garment is one of many in "Soft/Cover," the museum's ode to experimental fabric design. The collection spans three galleries and pulls from the FWM's nearly five decade history. New works like Koran's share space with little-seen items from artists' early careers — like "Self-Portrait Poncho," a 1979 piece by Philadelphia Magic Gardens founder and South Street mosaicist Isaiah Zagar.
"(We) set out to answer the question, ‘What happens when artists bring imaginative thinking to fashion, garments, and objects that relate to the body in space?'" DJ Hellerman, the museum's recently departed director of curatorial affairs and a co-curator of the exhibit, said in a release. "The results are wildly experimental. I don’t expect audiences will have experienced a textile show like this before."
"Soft/Cover" spans garments like boxers and capes, upholstery and bedding and genre-defying installations. Other curios in the collection are a vintage 1960s dress emblazoned with the phrase "I can't believe I forgot to have children" and an unmade bed with sheets depicting nuclear holocaust. Like every object in the exhibit, they are displayed on concrete-coated framework rather than traditional mannequins or pedestals.
"Beyond costumes, these artists are exploring the performance of everyday life," said Katy Donoghue, co-curator and editor-in-chief of Whitewall magazine. "We had to ask ourselves, 'How can we convey performance when the body is removed?' We envisioned a deconstructed department store arranged in a way that leads your eye around the dimensions of a piece. We hope it sparks curiosity and conversation."
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