Gould Library

Cairn /kern
A pile of rocks used as a landmark, burial monument, or trail marker

Inspired by the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, fragments of concrete are re-imagined as Cairns to aid us in navigating an understanding of how our clothing is made. Ten pieces from this series are on view in the Athenaeum.

Our clothes travel complicated journeys, from human hands in unsafe factories on the other side of the planet, to our closets, our dressers, and our bodies. The women who made them are unseen by us - but the work of their hands surround us. 

This work pays homage to the 1,129 garment workers who died in the collapse of the Rana Plaza Factories on April 24, 2013.  I honor the will of the survivors and many other garment workers who struggle to provide for their families under unfair working conditions.                       

-Rachel Breen

Presented in conjunction with The Price of Our Clothes, an exhibit in the Perlman Teaching Museum, on view March 26 - April 27, 2018