31. Onerva Luoma, Conceptual Artist, Costume Designer | Helsinki, Finland

Onerva Luoma is a young Finnish artist who has come up with a clever - and really fun project - that combines fashion and a library card to make a statement about consumption and so much else.
In her own words, Onerva explains, "The conceptual artwork is called Lead Me out of here (even if I Do not Know if such a Place Exists) and it consists of 55 paintings made on old clothes. Anyone can borrow a painting with a library card, so the artworks will continue their journeys out of the library and into various private and public spaces and situations. The work explores what a meaningful relationship with clothing might look like in the age of climate catastrophe and how we might see clothes as something more than commodities, objects to be bought and sold."

The first time I heard about how destructive fashion was to the environment was back in the 80s in Paris when Katherine Hamnet started talking about green cotton during her fashion shows - so that’s a long time ago. Young designers today must be scratching their heads wondering why ethical production and for that matter consumption practices haven’t evolved all that much since then. As I work on the Carton d'invitation project, I encounter young designers who are trying in their way on a small scale, to address these issues. And that’s inspiring. When I came upon what Onerva Luoma is up to in Helsinki, I contacted her right away and asked if she would come on this podcast to share her brilliant project.

By the way, this is a very inspiring podcast for anyone involved in library work - and I want to thank Danielle Lum of the Toronto Public Library system who consulted with me in advance of talking to Onerva.

Find out more about Onerva: www.onervaluoma.com or go to Instagram @onervaluoma.

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To learn more about the Carton d'invitation project and my documentary, check out my Instagram @cartondinvitation

Thank you to Ashley Rivera, Chloe Hsu and Myla Carlos for the original music.