Abby Wang ’23
Major(s): Environmental Studies & Visual Arts
Collagraph print, 11″ x 14″ (click image to enlarge)
At the Arctic Museum, I was struck by how interconnected nature was to the lives of the people. As someone interested in sustainability and fashion, I was particularly interested in the relationship between clothing and hunting in Arctic cultures. After reading about different types of clothing displayed in the museum, I learned that the people fashioned all their garments from the animals and nature around them, but still respected the environment and prevented overhunting. My piece explores this by contrasting a Kalaallit woman in sealskin clothing with the hunted seal, as parts of the seal wrap around the woman to mimic clothing. The equality between the two figures are emphasized by the circling composition, as well as the continuous cycle and mutual reliance on each other rather than destruction or domination.