The process of death and decay is often seen as scary and gruesome occurrence, especially when the body is transitioning through the decaying process. I wanted to explore how this natural process into the afterlife can be seen as beautiful. My fascination with bones and decay stemmed from the 600 million years exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. I was drawn to localised tissue removal, which is a part of the decaying process where parts of the soft tissue start to decay, and the layers of the body are revealed. I designed and made a series of three dresses that all incorporate bones, knit and holes where the models skin can be seen.  The bones are made out of paper and wire and constructed through a paper mache technique. I used laddered knit fabrics as my main material to mimic the aesthetic of decay. Using knits also allowed me to design close to the skin meaning the knit fabric has become symbolic of a second skin. Layering the knit fabrics symbolises the localised soft tissue removal.

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Modelled by: Talani Newton, Camille Rodriguez and Melody Lam

Photographed by: Maddison Woollard