Skeleton: 2305
2025RISD MID 2026
Instructor: Laurie Brewer
Materials: Reused activewear and blankets (filling)
Microplastics are now inside the human body. Our
bones, our tissues, everything we are is no longer ful
ly organic. It’s ironic—when we die and decompose,
what remains of us is not just dust and bones but
synthetic materials that will outlive us. Even in death,
we are entangled with plastic, a permanent mark on
the environment we continue to destroy while also
destroying ourselves.
How did we get here? Overconsumption, fast fash
ion, digital excess—humans have drastically changed
their behavior over centuries, becoming increasingly
detached from nature. Natural materials have been
replaced by synthetic ones, and microplastics have
taken over. They are in our food, water, air, and inside
our own bodies. Studies show they are toxic, reduc
ing feeding, causing poisoning, increasing mortality.
They accumulate in ecosystems, travel up the food
chain, and ultimately infiltrate us. The very things we
produce to make life easier are making us sick.
This project started with a book that asked: What
will the future of archaeology look like? That ques
tion stuck with me. What will future archaeolo
gists uncover about us? What will they see in our
remains? Unlike past civilizations, whose artifacts
tell stories of craftsmanship, survival, and culture,
our legacy is waste. We live in a world where trends
dictate mass production and mass disposal, where
plastics outlive generations. When future socie
ties dig up our past, they won’t find biodegrada
ble remains. They will find skeletons infused with
microplastics, bodies that refuse to return to the
earth.
Inspired by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development
Goals—particularly the 17th, which ties together all
global issues—I made a skeleton entirely from reused synthetic textiles, materials I’ve
thrifted and repurposed. This skeleton represents
the future of humanity, a vision of what remains
when human bodies become synthetic, incapable
of breaking down naturally. It’s a statement on how
we treat the planet and ourselves.
As we poison the environment, we poison our own
bodies. The more we consume, the more we re
place our organic selves with something artificial.
Destruction of the planet is also self-destruction.
Background: Chile’s desert dumpsite for 60K tons of fast fashion seen from space
materials:100% Polyester97% Polyester
3% Spandex90% Nylon
10% Lytcra86% Polyester
12% Spandex100% Microfiber
100% Polyethylene100% Polyester