In Memorium or The Wake of Progress

This tells the tale of obsolescence; of rituals, technologies and fashions that fall out of favour. The Kiribati people of Micronesia used to create elaborate armour woven from raffia and embroidered with human hair. This piece takes its shape from a suit of Kiribati armour in the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, but uses cassette tape for decoration. The panels were hand-woven using the overshot technique. Overshot patterns were popular in Eastern Canada in the 1800s and were used to weave coverlets. The Kiribati no longer make their armour. Cassette tape is now a medium of the past. Overshot patterns are out of fashion and rarelt used. Tempus fugit.