project image
R. Armstrong
GARMENT WORKER

first performed on July 17, 2007
New York, NY, New York, NY
performed 365 times in 2011

R. ARMSTRONG

Ghent, Belgium / New York, NY

rarmstrongworks.com

GARMENT WORKER
R. ARMSTRONG

On July 17, 2007, I signed a contract with my audience that reads: “From this day forward, I, Rebecca Armstrong (the artist), do solemnly promise to wear no garments that I have not made myself. Garments include all wearable objects excluding shoes, socks, bras, underwear, and jewelry.” I have upheld the contract since that date, teaching myself how to sew and creating a tiny visual slippage in the daily lives of all with whom I come in contact. The project aims to disrupt the cycle of exploitation and invisibility that is so much a part of the garment industry, while at the same time exploring issues of identity and individuality in late capitalism. The performance is intentionally subtle. By wearing clothes, we all perform our identities. By taking individual control of my clothes, I shift responsibility from the machine of capitalism into my own hands.