2009

ČŠŽ

The question was: What is the most relevant ingredient for me in reference to my cultural identity? Something I relate to, something I am submeresed with? While the history of Slovenia is quite complicated in terms of its identity, I founded the language to be one of the most stable traits and the core component for my identity as an individual. Language is something that lives through people, changes constantly and reflects a culture best. It is not only words, the whole simbolic and emotional prehistory of a nation is interwoven into it...

Textiles and Garments.

The project deals with the Slovenian language. Three sounds generated by three unique letters to the Slovenian alphabet are transformed into prints and garments. Those three letters are – Č,Š and Ž named “šumniki” with one word translating to “rustling voices” in English. The word “šumnik” derives from the word “šum”. “Šum” means = noise, a soft muffled crackling sound like that made by the movement of dry leaves or paper, so Č,Š and Ž are letters that are producing it. Every sound has its own oscillogram. An oscillogram is a visual record of a sound, a fingerprint of a sound. From oscillograms, I’ve developed the textile patterns, prints and burnouts and I have mixed them with each other in order to get this noisy yet poetic feeling in the clothing that represents visually this noise best! Language is something that is alive and it is changing all the time. With the change of a letter or a word, the meaning becomes completely different. The garments have incorporated zippers. Accordingly, on how the garment will be zipped or put on the body, the silhouette and the visible prints will appear differently. What we get is something new. The pattern pieces that are used to create a garment are made out of semicircles and triangles obtained from the typography of the three letters.

Photography: Cecilia Poupon
Photography bottom: Amanda & JZ

Video: Sebastian Vargas & Pablo Perez, Kairos Studio
Scans: Personal archive