ABSTRACT


General Contracting aims to prove the importance of storytelling and research as key elements to creating content whose value isn't defined solely by the way it’s consumed, but rather through encouraging mental enrichment and empathetic understanding. These ideals and practices are validated in the work of Matthew B. Crawford of The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in the Age of Distraction. The current climate of the apparel industry is driven by profit and makes copies for quick turn around without an understanding of the content used. As a result, large retailers like Macy’s or The Gap struggle to keep consumers engaged. By challenging these traits of the industry, General Contracting explores an alternative route to creating content.

In a time of separation in the political and social climate there is a need to create conversation between groups with differing viewpoints. In creating common ground, new opportunities arise to connect and gain new perspectives.

The First iteration of General Contracting explores the American Midwest through first hand experience. Each object produced is made of materials originally intended for a singular purpose. The range of used items comes from two primary sources. Working directly with the largest workwear uniform outfitter in the United States, Cintas, provided
discarded apparel. Additional objects were collected through having grown up in and actively living within Midwest culture, a practice both personal and observational. Each resulting object of the practice is defined by the pieces that make it up. The intent of each new creation is to add self-expression to the preexisting utility of the original garments. In doing so, the first iteration of General Contracting seeks to engage two parties, those who view and use clothing as a tool to get work done and those who view clothing as a tool to reflect their thoughts and identity. In practice, General Contracting illustrates that both mindsets exist in every individual, reducing the perceived divide in culture. A similar conclusion is drawn in These aren’t the same pants your grandfather wore! The evolution of branding cargo pants in the 21st century mass fashion, a dissertation by Joseph Hancock, which explores the cultural phenomenon of cargo pants transcending time and culture.

Others have come to explore not only similar subject matter aimed at bridging gaps in culture, but also pursue a process that defines the end result. Vetements Spring 2017 collection in collaboration with 18 different brands tapped into each unique specialty of the partner brands. Similarly, New York based designer Heron Preston worked with the New York Department of Sanitation on a project called UNIFORM that has gained relevance in the fashion industry using repurposed garments. Last, Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore in The Medium is the Massage explore the importance of process informing result. Within, they explain the use of restraint to drive creativity while also illustrating the relationships people form to the objects they consume.

The first iteration of General Contracting is rooted in a personal connection to the Midwest and a study of its culture. In doing so, the project connects individuals who may feel like strangers in the Midwest and those who feel at home. In the future, General Contracting seeks to continue to explore the importance of the creative process and its power to tell stories and create powerful results.

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Hand made Norris Lake, Tennessee red clay.

Digging red mud out from the shore of Norris Lake, a reservoir in Tennessee and working it into a cone 04 firing body. Step by step transforming the clay by soaking, mixing, sifting, drying, and kneading. Developing a concept for the final collection of pots to compliment the natural beauty of the clay paired with the hand built uniqueness.