Lost Societies, Found Objects

2022

In Cat Brierley’s imagined post-apocalyptic wasteland, people scavenge, investigate, and play with found objects in an endeavour to understand a world littered with the relative glamour of late capitalism. The ‘Lost Societies, Found Objects’ collection focuses on decay, overconsumption, and resourcefulness in the face of adversity. Luxury knitwear sourced in local charity shops has been deconstructed, embroidered, dyed, bleached, slashed, and repaired to simulate the passage of time and continuous lineage of clothing.

Through hand-embroidered illustrations, the knits become a prehistoric cave wall reflecting the history, legends, and surroundings of these imagined people. Motifs include graffiti, aliens, nuclear weapons, insects, and the inescapable iconography of corporations due to the vast amounts of trash found in the wasteland.

Fran Rowse, award-winning Cornish photographer, captured the ‘Lost Societies, Found Objects’ collection in this set of photographs. Fran’s work explores realms of fantasy and realism simultaneously which lends itself to this high-concept work underpinned by socially conscious commentary. The collection was shot in an abandoned minefield on the Cornish coast, and styled using independent designers to embrace resourcefulness and sustainability that we desperately need to maintain and cultivate knowledge of in our environmental crisis.