The Crossover Project

This unique artwork is part of The Crossover Project collection, made from waste and surplus materials. 

About the artwork
The feeling of a garment. The memory of clothes we wore. A moment in time. 

Untold stories.

‘Hold on to the memories’ by artist Eva Merendes reflects on the perception of clothes as a disposable commodity by giving clothes a new meaning as items holding on to memories for us. Eva’s installation in triptychs features three mixed media paintings mirroring the three life-sized soft sculptures moulded onto people close to the artist. By displaying the three paintings on easels, Eva stages the scene of a life drawing class and encourages the viewer to sit with their memories. 

Each pose manifests a different lived experience; ‘Déja-vu  - the first sculpture in a reclining pose lying on the floor revisits past memories that need to be let go; ‘And there I was waiting for you’ - the second sculpture seated in a meditative state reflects on the concept of time; and ‘I am here now’ - the third sculpture seated on the floor with a hand up is about being fully present in the moment.

In a world that encourages mass consumption and fast fashion, Eva puts forward a new narrative echoing the recent call for Slow Fashion in the garment industry which focuses on the quality of the manufacturing process. Through this body of work, she encourages the viewer to rethink and hold onto the stories of our clothes like a photo album capturing moments in time on which to look back.

About the artist
Eva Merendes is a Greek mixed-media artist currently undertaking her MA in Fine Arts at City & Guilds Art School. Influenced by her studies in Psychology, Eva offers an unconventional perspective where art becomes a tool for scientific study of the mind and behaviours to unveil what lies beneath the surface. 

About the Crossover Project
For the first time at such a scale, The Crossover Project brings together the worlds of art, design and fashion in a bid to tackle waste within the creative industries. With 1.6m tonnes of furniture and bulky waste ending in landfill each year in the UK, the project aims to salvage waste from the design and fashion sectors and present it to an exciting roster of talented emerging artists represented by avant-garde gallery Bleur to create unique works of art using art as a force for change to raise awareness around the need for circularity of materials to tackle waste. The collection of works will be exhibited in an immersive exhibition at The Royal Exchange in London from 23rd June until 8th July. Partner brands include Diesel, Ron Dorff, Georg Jensen, Elle Decoration and Edward Bulmer and others. 

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www.bleurart.com
www.crossoverprojectofficial.com