SEDIMENTAL WORKS, 1975–2025
On Thursday November 6th, CARHARTT WIP marks the 50th anniversary of the Active Jacket with SEDIMENTAL WORKS – a project tracing five decades of cultural accumulation through layers of identity, resistance, innovation and evolution, directed by ILL-STUDIO. The project examines 50 years of the Active Jacket and the culture that has formed around it. “[The jacket’s] design has remained unchanged over the past five decades,” says Thomas Subreville, co-founder of ILL-STUDIO. “This project was not about remembrance, but continuum: Fragments of activity, time, and matter compacted into a single surface, to form a geology of meaning.”
The event brings together sound, moving image, texture and movement, contextualizing how the jacket has absorbed and reflected the world around it, from its inception through to present day. Live performances throughout the evening underscore the experience, with a lineup that features classically trained, experimental cellist Abi Asisa, of London collective Life is Beautiful; South London avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Klein; Brixton act Wu-Lu, known for a visceral mix of grunge, punk, jazz, and shoegaze; and Erika de Casier, the Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter and producer, performing her heady take on contemporary R&B and avant-pop with a more stripped-down, minimal arrangement. The private event is being hosted at Tate Modern.
An accompanying book, also titled Sedimental Works, will debut as a special edition format, before its general release later this month, exploring remnants of memory, and themes of cultural continuity through the lens of a single enduring garment. The book features a series of speculative historical texts relating to different epochs of the past five decades, from writers including Scott King, Brad Phillips, Benjamin Krusling, Alissa Bennett, Lynne Tillman, Alex Quicho, Christelle Oyiri, Geoffrey Mak, Paul Dalla Rosa, and Chris Kraus.
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Contact
Federica De Carlo
fdecarlo@carhartt-wip.comAbout Carhartt Work In Progress
Established in 1994 by Edwin Faeh, Carhartt Work In Progress (WIP) develops its own collections based on original Carhartt workwear. The brand combines authentic adaptations of these robust American archetypes, while engaging with the subcultures that have embraced it. This, in turn, has seen Carhartt WIP place itself in a new context and bring forth its own classics.
Carhartt WIP opened its first store in London in 1997 and today operates over 80 brick and mortar locations worldwide. It also has its own skate team and music department, while supporting an array of artists and releasing various in-house publications. Since 2010, Carhartt WIP has worked with a number of like-minded collaborators, including A.P.C., Converse, Fragment Design, Junya Watanabe, Nike, Underground Resistance, and Motown.