Isabel Bonilla
Denim Ocean 15

6 x 6 inches
Upcycled denim 
2025

"Producing just one pair of jeans can use up to 10,000 liters of water, not to mention the high energy and chemical cost of the process, all for the average person to wear an article of clothing only seven times before getting rid of it. The US ranks as one of the top nations producing fashion waste, with tons of its unwanted clothing being sent off to other countries each year. Where I’m based in Costa Rica, these items end up in secondhand shops called tiendas Americanas (American stores). By purchasing discarded jeans and upcycling them into art, I give the material a new life and aim to break the cycle of production to landfill. By intentionally using denim to make landscapes of the natural resource utilized to create it, I simultaneously remind viewers of the beauty of our environment as well as what we stand to lose if we fail to preserve it."

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