Marisa DiPaola

Candywrapper Ballgown I
candy wrappers picked up on the street, thread
48 x 30 x 30 in.

I am creating a line of wearable ball gowns from trash gathered on the streets, based on the notion that the enchanted is simply a rearranging of the ordinary. I act as the fairy godmother, giving Cinderella her chance to go to the ball, performing the alchemy of turning the filthiest dregs into exquisite dresses.

On the flipside, we cannot ignore that these dresses suggest that clothes are the wrappers that women and girls are advertised in. They are the foil and plastic decorating and hiding a sweet filling, waiting to be unwrapped and devoured. Thus, the dresses act as a visualization of the paradox of the fairy tale and the world outside of its sphere.

© Marisa DiPaola