Artist: Constance Collins
Title: Riversnake: Killing me with Color
Attribution: Riversnake: Killing me with Color; 2021; Constance W. Collins
Year: 2021
Materials: Upcycled handwoven silk, alpaca and bamboo fabric and yarns
Dimensions: 16"w x 19.5"h
Image Statement: In this piece, I address the damage to our environment by the textile and fashion industries in which I have worked. These industries have destroyed waterways throughout the world, leaving individuals without any clean drinking water and physical ailments. I use my original handwoven fabrics as a metaphorical ground around the yarns that create the river. The river begins clear at the top of the piece but gradually changes color, reflecting the accumulation of chemical dye runoff from the textiles produced to meet the demands of fashion consumers.