Tiffany Bales, Untitled, 2020. Unbleached muslin fabric, sand, mold builder, thread, chicken wire.
For her sand-fabric dress sculpture, Tiffany Bales designed a specific type of dress that is tied to the traditions of her culture. Growing up, a family member owned a special dress and every year on Colombia’s Independence Day she would wear it to celebrate. Bales never owned such a dress herself but she loves how fun it looked and the pride it brings to her family so she designed her own dress to reference that heritage. But Bales’s dress is different. Her dress is constructed of an abrasive sand fabric. It signifies her discomfort related to a mixed ethnic background without saying bluntly, ‘I’m uncomfortable.’
Tiffany Bales, Untitled (in progress), 2020. Unbleached muslin fabric, sand, mold builder, thread, chicken wire.
