In a world increasingly aware of environmental challenges, artists such as Dimitra use sustainable materials to address contrasts concerning the ephemeral and the disposable, as well as the handmade and the automated giving discarded materials conceptual function.
Through her use of mass produced materials she changes their functionality into narratives that reveal parts of identities. In that way, she transcends material boundaries, fostering conversations about memory, sustainability and the evolving relationship between industry, craftsmanship and self. More than simply addressing ethical responsibility of eco-consciousness, her sustainable approach recontextualizes ideas of value, permanence and production methods.
As part of Insistrum's upcoming exhibition ''Wasteland to Wonderland : Art in The Age of Sustainability', she invites us to reflect on sewn narratives that interweave human form, organic structures and habitual practices.
Read more about her unique yet sustainable approach in the following article!
Your artwork evokes a strong sense of movement. Though its’ structure and your
performative acts serves bodily metaphors. If so, how does this metaphor shape
our understanding of sustainability?
I would say that our understanding of sustainability is initially related to the material I have extensively used in my work: the inner tubes from bicycles and motorcycles. It is a material whose primary property is to inflate and serve the movement of a motorized object. Although this material is discarded daily in large quantities, for me, it symbolically functions as a product of mass industrial production that, through reuse, changes meaning and property. It is transferred from the motorized object to the human body, functioning as a covering, clothing, or symbol.
How do you manage to balance materiality with the concept of time (past and
present)?
The relationship between the present and the past is something that deeply interests me in my work. I am inspired by folklore and the traditions of various cultures, and through this lens, I am concerned with the connection between manual craftsmanship and the use of a contemporary industrial material, which initially has no relation to this process. Through the act of weaving, a manual technique that we could associate with the past, and the use of a material that symbolizes mass production, industrial movement, and creation, a dialogue is created between tradition and the modern world. Creating forms or techniques that morphologically refer to ritual objects, idols, or even traditional costumes and outerwear, I aim to establish this connection with the modern world. In an era dominated by mass production and technology, handmade work and the reuse of materials gain new significance, highlighting the timeless relationship between humans, their materials, and their techniques.
How do industrial materials such as plastic and calligraphy challenge conventional
values and shape sustainability?
Industrial materials, such as plastic, carry a strong symbolic charge, as they are products of mass production and consumption, with a direct environmental impact. Reusing them through art challenges the concept of the ephemeral and disposable, highlighting the potential for transformation and re-signification of these materials. On the other hand, calligraphy, as a practice with deep roots in tradition, enters into dialogue with these modern materials, creating a stark contrast between the past and the present, the handmade and the industrial. Through this coexistence, conventional values that separate the natural from the artificial, the old from the new, are questioned, and a new approach to sustainability is proposed, where memory, materiality, and cultural heritage coexist with modern technology and industrial leftovers.
What kind of sewing and knitting techniques redefine automation and
industrialization? Could you briefly explain this process in your presented works?
I would say that what particularly interests me is that the industrial material, like the inner tube, once it is cut and sewn by hand, takes on a different dimension. It is cut like a pattern and sewn by hand, as leather is traditionally sewn, and this fascinates me. There is a repetition in the process, but this repetition carries a meditative dimension, as it connects with manual labor and tradition. In my works, movement is present, usually in large forms, but at the same time, there is also a lot of weaving and tying, with materials coming together next to each other. This process combines the dynamics of movement with the delicacy of manual techniques. This specific process, which resembles traditional weaving techniques, is applied to modern industrial materials, creating a stark contrast between the old and the new, the handmade and the automated. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of sustainable creation, highlighting the possibility of transforming industrial waste into something new.
How is the relationship between memory and materiality presented in your work,
particularly in the reuse of industrial and everyday materials?
In many works, the form or shape that each piece implies holds particular importance, as it transforms the material into something new. Thus, forms like an armor, a helmet, a body part, bones, reproductive organs, or clothing are created, becoming carriers of memory and materiality. Through this process, each material takes on a new dimension and meaning, connecting the human form and the human habits.
We are glad that you are part of “Wasteland to Wonderland” exhibition. What is
your motto for this exhibition?
"Every material out there, even the most insignificant and everyday, can reveal something new to us and make us create a new story, a new existence. It is in our hands, in our imagination, and in our willingness to create something that speaks about everything that concerns us."
Find out More : https://www.instagram.com/dimitrastavropoulouu/
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