[Artist Statement]

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A curious mermaid decides to visit land. Mimicking how human dress themselves, she adorns her body with the objects she finds in the ocean, creating a seaborn dress.​
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I got this inspiration from a scene in ‘The Little Mermaid’ (Ariel’s Secret Grotto). I’m also paying homage to the origin of my name, which comes from another mermaid.​
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This dress reflects my very hatred for it despite it turning out pretty. While I am happy I could find materials for this project, I am too, disgusted and angry that I have managed to collect and clean a small handful of them. The amount of trash I can find at the beach astounds me. Imagine the possible amount of litter that is floating out at sea at the very moment.

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Photographer: Ong Ji Xuan
Edits: Jessabel Teng
Helpers: Owlet

Dress made by Jessabel Teng