those performances that invent ephemeral autono-
mous situations from which temporary public rela-
tionships emerge that make possible critical dialogue
on a given issue (CAE 2000: 87)The gallery was thus a craft lab for producing dia-
logue as well as building “material publics”, but
through its long process it also built new friendships
and a craft scene which has survived long after the
exhibition closed and resulted in crafting workshops
at the university, discussions for academic papers
from participants, as well as garment reshaping and
knit-ins at people’s homes.
The exhibition had another goal which was of show-
ing that hacktivist DIY does not have to look grubby
or lack craftsmanship, but can instead be an estab-
lished part of the fashion system. In fact, DIY could
be regarded as a new form of luxury, the new exclu-
sivity, but an exclusivity of participation, of sharingGaranti gallery during one day of Megan
Nicolay’s T-shirt reform workshop.
and developing craftsmanship and exploring action
spaces in new ways. It could be done together with
friends, but also through “master classes” as in higher
music education where they are commonplace. Per-
haps the “masters” here were the invited artists who
led the workshops.
In this way the exhibition and workshops offered a
non-expensive mode of engagement in crafting but
also in fashion as many of the “masters” were estab-
lished authorities in their niches, such as Junky Styl-
ing or Nicolay, or for example Sujuco or González
who are playfully engaged in mimicking the big
fashion. The discussions often came to frame alter-
natives and complements as to how fashion works
and what it could be, and many times the partici-
pants in the workshop expressed that they were now
part of “a new big thing” of not just being mindless
consumers.