Mariahilferplatz Graz

Project against the short happiness of fast fashion

Brigitte Bidovec, City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler, Lisa D., Wilfried Prantner and Elisabeth Fiedler (from left)(Bild: M. Reichart)

With their upcycling project "In search of fulfillment", Lisa D. and Wilfried Prantner are making a stop at Mariahilferplatz in Graz. The aim is to raise awareness of environmental pollution and overproduction in so-called fast fashion.

The truck is symbolic of the vast quantities of used textiles that are sold or given away from Europe to Africa and disposed of there thanks to overproduction. Around one truckload of used textiles is dumped on the beaches of Ghana every second, not only destroying the livelihoods of local people, but also damaging the climate and environment in this country.

Lisa D. and Wilfried Prantner and their association "Bis es mir vom Leibe fällt" (Until it falls off my body) have been fighting against fast fashion for many years. With their latest project "In search of fulfillment", they are now making a stop in Graz. Until the end of May, a truck frame will be set up on Mariahilferplatz, wrapped in carpets and tarpaulins woven or tufted on site from old T-shirts and items of clothing under the guidance of experts. The aim is to draw attention to the many problems associated with production and logistics.

At Mariahilferplatz, weaving is carried out in cooperation with schools(Bild: M. Reichart)

But the project is not limited to the articulated lorry sculpture, there is also a clothes-for-work exchange, a pop-up store in Lendhafen, performances by Rimini Protokoll and the Radical Daughters as well as a separate discourse program from 23 to 27 May.

A topic that concerns us all
The broad support for the project, not only from politicians but also from major festivals and cultural organizers such as Elevate, Diagonale, Designmonat, DramatikerInnenfestival, steirische Kulturinitiative, Institut für Kunst im öffentlichen Raum, Kunsthaus and many others, shows how much the dark side of overproduction concerns us all.

City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler put it in a nutshell at the opening: "There is no one person to blame here, we have all contributed to this problem with our consumer behavior." Now we can all do a little to improve the situation. You can find out how to do this until the end of May at Mariahilferplatz in Graz or here.