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VISUALS
Intertwining Works The final CCAD Grads in the Galleries braids to new lengths By Lydia Freudenberg
FOR THOSE WHO have visited ROY G BIV Gallery in the last month, the fashionable braids and woven sculptures draped throughout the spaces are mystifying. The display may seem collaborative, but it’s actually just complementary. The braided works, made by Erica Rodney, and the woven pieces, created by Anita Maharjan, are part of the final Columbus College of Art and Design series CCAD Grads in the Galleries: Celebrating 140 years of creative excellence.
Grandeur Garments
With a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and a master’s degree in fine arts,
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cityscenecolumbus.com | December 2019
Rodney created monochromatic garments draped in braided hair to express more than a single message. “I think we get a lot of things wrong because we try to pinpoint one thing and say, ‘Oh, that’s the problem,’ but it’s not like that. Just like us; we’re complicated creatures,” Rodney says. “I’m trying to be a better fashion designer, and I have no choice but to talk about the things that I think are problems.” Rodney wanted to explore textures that she could easily manipulate. She comes from generations of braiders; the hair she uses represents her own culture. “Hair has been a big part of our lives as black women,” she says. “And when I decided to use the hair I was like, ‘Yes, this is fine arts and fashion. This is what I’ve been feeling for so long.’” The fabric is cut clean and rather simplistic, bringing attention to the unique choice of hair. This also signifies the exploration of fashion and encourages others to think twice about how they represent their second skin: clothing. “We’re not really connected to our clothes; we just pick (clothes) out of the barrel that are already made,” Rodney says. “We have to do better with what we’re wearing. It should be more personal, slow and more intentional.” But what really gets Rodney fired up is the unsustainability of the fast-fashion, ready-to-wear industry. According to CBS News, 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emission is created annually because of textiles production – and that’s just the beginning. Rodney talks about Xintang,