A 21ST CENTURY TRAVELOGUE BY ARTIST JOSHUA-MICHÉLE ROSS IN COLLABORATION WITH YVETTE MOLINA

 

The Suitable World: Seeking One Perfect Thing
A History, A Performance, A Quest.

The Quest.  The Suitable World documents a 28-day journey across Iceland wearing a single three-piece suit.   It is about seeking economy, beauty and utility in the things we carry with us.  It is also a meditation on trying to preserve the things we love against the relentless wearing effect of time.

The Performance.  The suit will inevitably be in locations where it seems out of place.  How does the suit hold up? How do people react to the suit?  The project explores the tension between the suit and its surrounding environment.

The History.  Look at any picture taken over fifty years ago.  Farmers, engineers, explorers… young and old, everyone had a suit.  In earlier times of less material abundance suits were often a singular and precious item.  They conferred respect and social inclusion.  They were cared for.   We will interview people (young and old, rural and cosmopolitan)  on their relationship to “the suit”.  

These are the rules we will adhere to during the project; 

  1. One Suit.  28 days, worn daily, no substitutions or professional cleaning interventions.
  2. Clothing may be removed (as layers) but not replaced.  
  3. The suit may be hand-cleaned during the journey.  
  4. The suit may be removed at day’s end.  I cannot venture outside unless suited.