SFDC® Educator : Lucy Orta, Identity + Refuge - Dresses (1995)

Lucy Orta conducted the co-creation workshop "Identity + Refuge" with residents of the Salvation Army Cité de Refuge in Paris. The four-month workshop emerged from the positive reception of Lucy Orta’s 'Refuge Wear' sculptures in the exhibition 'Art Fonction Sociale!' in 1993.

The resulting collection premiered in a catwalk show at the Salvation Army thrift store in Paris in 1995, followed by a second show in New York in 1996 as part of the exhibition 'Shopping' at Deitch Projects on Grand Street.

The workshop aimed to address the residents' loss of identity and lack of productivity. Lucy utilized donated clothing from the Salvation Army's warehouse, transforming discarded items into new garments during drop-in workshops in the hostel's basement laundry room.

Originally intended as tailor-made wardrobes, the process evolved into a 'bricolage' method. Abandoned garments were dissected, sorted, and re-stitched into new creations, symbolizing both the rejuvenation of clothing and the residents' renewed sense of hope.