Esprit Sport 1987 Blazer (garment constructed from pattern) with Engineered Digital Print Lining

dimensions vary

Dec 2016

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"Transplanting" considers the idea of reclaiming a narrative by taking up the 'mantle' of those who preceded you. Using a vintage pattern that had been previously constructed by my mother, "Transplanting" implicates a context that can be carried on the body when one can no longer find roots in a place. The engineered digital print lining utilizes old family photos of my grandparents as well as material sourced from Utah State University's database of printed ephemera from the Topaz Relocation Center, including a poem published in the internment camp by my great-aunt, Toyo Suyemoto. The text of her poem "Transplanting" can be found below: