Summer Semester 2010,
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ON STAGE
The Berlin based electro pop-duo ‘Pitchtuner’ gave two concerts at the German Pavilion at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai. After this performance, they went on a small tour of China and Japan. Following sustainable principles Michael Ross designed the group’s stage outfits. The idea to combine pop culture with sustainable design was especially challenging to him as the two notions are usually considered to be unrelated if not contradictory.
Ross’ personal goal was to create garments with the smallest possible environmental footprint and with minimum waste during production, yet to avoid a stereotypical “eco-look”. The outfits had to be as lightweight as possible and easy to pack, considering the weight allowances of the airlines. As the costumes were to be worn at various concerts, the clothes also had to be washable and durable.
In order to use as little resources as possible, Michael Ross designed the costumes using a variety of vintage items, like cycling jerseys, summer dresses and workmen’s coveralls. Deconstructed and re-assembled they found a new purpose. The main source of the vintage material was eBay, which provided a gigantic selection and allowed to choose and curate specific items. To avoid long distance shipping, only products on the German eBay site were bought.
LIFE EXTENSION
LOW ENERGY/WATER USE