Mother by Sarah Beck February 10, 2008

MOTHER (Make Overs To Heal Economic Rifts) is an installation by Saskatoon-based artist Sarah Beck. Following on her 2004 project Shop ÖDE—an installation centered around a full-sized military tank built with the same techniques as flat-pack furniture—Beck takes a tongue-in-cheek but critical look at the garment industry, specifically the plight of so-called “pink-collar” workers in the world’s export-processing zones (EPZs). MOTHER is an installation that mimics the retail strategies of multinational clothiers such as The Gap, but instead presents attire suited to pink-collar EPZ life, with adaptations such as fireproof linings, built-in potties, and cameras in caps. This exhibition is part fashion, part retail, part social commentary, and all art.

Sarah Beck will give a talk and tour of the exhibition on Sunday, February 10 at 1:30pm. Beck will also lead a SomethingOnSundays special activity starting at 2:00pm on February 10, titled Brand Power: Leave Your Mark. Participants will join Beck in making an art project out of clothing labels.

Official Website: http://www.mendel.ca