As an introduction to our Spring 2022 studio site East Pointe, I developed a “Cabinet of Curiosities”. East Pointe, is a beautifully chaotic conglomerate of rich labor history, ecological complexity, and social systems. Upon first visiting, I was most captivated by the sense of mystery the space instilled in me. I saw the cabinent as a way of uncovering the site’s past.This jacket attempts to capture my experience through the curation of various “traces” of my exploration of the site. I photographed onsite textures and moments, conducted online research to collect historical images, maps and first hand language from factory steelworkers. Each of the photos was then transferred to the jacket through cyanotype, a photoprocess which uses sunlight to expose the image. The jacket collages “traces” of the site’s history to encourage the viewer to unpack the complexity of this space for themselves.
