Albany Town Hall to host gARmenT wearable art runway shows and exhibition featuring works of local artists

Wearable artworks made by Albany creatives from materials including pencils, leaves and soft-drink cans will star in a runway fashion show this weekend ahead of an exhibition of the works at Albany Town Hall.

Fashion and art fusion project gARmenT was announced by the City of Albany in March, with more than 50 people getting involved.

Local artists Ashley Whiting, Tracey Margetts, Caroline Smith, Mand Markey and Sym Parr have worked with community groups and school students to create original wearable artworks.

This weekend’s show will feature designs created under their mentorship by students from Albany Senior High School, St Joseph’s College and Great Southern Grammar, as well as members of community groups ArtAbility and The Art Shed.

The gARmenT showcase will also feature artworks from local artists including Anne Cochrane, Nat Rad, Ethan Harvey and Angela Diletti.

Diletti, an artist, teacher and allied health assistant, has made a dress out of pencils for the exhibition.

She collected donations of what she estimated as “hundreds” of pencils for her project, cutting them into smaller sizes and drilling holes in them before sewing them like beads on to material to create the dress.

She said the use of pencils had been inspired by the number she had found from her teenage children’s earlier school days.

“Originally, it was just about pencils, and using the materials,” she said.

“But as I was working with it, just the smell of them made me remember the kids coming home and getting all excited about school and buying stationery.

“It’s also sort of become a bit of a reflection on my primary school experience. I’ve always had quirky ideas, and I think it’s just embracing those and putting them out there instead of trying to pretend not to have them.”

Diletti’s pencil dress is one of many artworks created using unusual materials.

Others include Harvey’s insect-inspired piece made of aluminium cans and PVC piping, and Rad’s dress made of greaseproof paper, lights, dried leaves and seeds. The wearable artworks will be presented on Saturday night at the gARmenT Gala Showcase runway fashion show.

Models wearing the designs will have their makeup done by South Regional TAFE Certificate III Beauty Services students and their hair by Tony’s Albany hairstylist Amanda Winchester.

The artworks will also be exhibited at a second matinee runway show on Sunday, with both events also featuring a bespoke dance performance titled ‘Don’t Waste the Planet’, created for gARmenT by Albany Contemporary Dance’s Sym Parr.

The wearable art will then be displayed at the town hall auditorium from August 31 to September 10, with a custom exhibition system designed by local sculptor Max Groszewski.

The project was supported by a $57,300 grant from the State Government’s Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

For tickets to the gala showcase, visit bit.ly/3TdW2ns.

Tickets for the free matinee show are sold out.