Nicole Dextras designs plant-based clothes for ecologically minded apocalypse survivors
Lest you fear nakedness after the inevitable apocalypse, the Vancouver artist has you covered
Nicole Dextras is an environmental artist. That is, she creates plant-based art to raise awareness about some crucial issues we're facing today.
Dextras developed her vegetal craft using trial and error until she came up with her garments made out of natural elements. The costumes are a call to remember our connection and responsibility to the earth, while they question the impact of the existing clothing industry on our environment.
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Her current art project, A Dressing the Future, features survivors from a dystopian world wearing her elaborate outfits. The characters travel through time to shine light on disasters like forest fires, floods and desertification.
Dextras gives life to this futuristic world in through installation, street performance, photography and film. And her characters are at a distance from the usual post-apocalyptic archetypes we see in video games and movies — they're more akin to people who already exist in our society today, who use ingenuity and their resourcefulness to thrive. And in this way, Dextras's art sends a message of strength and resilience that focuses on solutions instead of fear.
Follow Nicole Dextras here. You can see her work The Dystopian Museum at the "Digital Carnival: FIRE" exhibition at the Richmond Cultural Centre, August 30-31.
See more of Dextras's outfits below!
Stream CBC Arts: Exhibitionists or catch it on CBC Television Friday nights at 11:30pm (12am NT) and Sundays at 3:30pm (4pm NT). Watch more videos here.
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