One Sheep
2023 I WORTH PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
WHAT IF WE HAD LESS AVAILABLE? A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT OF RADICAL LIMITATION ON A PLANET IN SCARCITY
production
website, software, wool report, membership agreement, sample of raw sheep's wool, cone of sheep's wool, picture of Franz, booklet
in collaboration with
Giulia Fabro (project assistant)
Max Scheidl (web development)
Burkart Schwaighofer (software development)
Research partners
Hannah Kelbel (Knitting Consultant)
Roland Taferner (Austrian Sheep and Goat Association)
Patrizia Reisinger (Lower Austrian Sheep and Goat Association)
Spinnradl GmbH
Ötztaler Schafwollzentrum
on show at
Dust to Dust, Circular Week Tirol, Innsbruck (AT) 2024
Critical Consumption, MAK Museum of Applied Arts Vienna (AT), 2023
Fashion for Future Bolzano, UniBz, Bolzano (IT), 2023
Milan Design Week (IT), 2023
funded by
Worth Partnership Program (European Union)
Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria
Austrian Cultural Forum Milan
Bildrecht GmbH
Most of the sheep‘s wool in Europe goes to waste, while the production of polyester fibers from petroleum is expected to triple by 2050 - an almost overlooked scandal! The concept of fast fashion calls for cheap and easy-to-process materials that can be sourced effortlessly. However, we already have exceeded our planetary boundaries - our resources are dwindling at an unprecedented rate. Yet, could we live with less?
What if all the people on the planet shared the wool of all the sheep on the planet? What if no other resources were spent on our clothing? No more land to be degraded by the cultivation of cotton and no more oil to be used for polyester production. The project explores this scenario of radical limitation through a series of artefacts and experiences.
A playful web tool guides visitors through a process of composing their own wardrobe collection with just one kilo of sheep's wool available. The amount of material defines certain limits and nevertheless allows for creative freedom. A membership agreement for a speculative sheeps wool cooperative examines ethical questions of distributive justice that arise, when sharing a limited resource.
The simple thought experiment reveals unexpected socio-political potential for how the resources on our planet could be used in an appreciative and collaborative way.
A MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT DEFINING THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SPECULATIVE SHEEPS WOOL COOPERATIVE
WHAT IF TEXTILE PRODUCTION WOULD MOVE CLOSER TO OUR HOMES? HOW WOULD OUR FASHION DISTRICTS LOOK LIKE?
AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE TOOL ENABLES VISITORS TO COMPOSE THEIR CUSTOM COLLECTION WITH ONLY 1 KG OF WOOL
WOOL FROM TYROLEAN MOUNTAIN SHEEP
A PERSONAL WOOL REPORT INDICATES THE MATERIAL USED ALONG WITH THE LEFTOVERS, WHICH END UP IN THE COMMUNITY POOL