Page 25 - 50 Years of Fiber Art: The Fiber Artists of San Antonio Exhibition Catalog

Johanna Norry

Georgia, johannanorry@gmail.com

johannanorry.com

DECADE: 1980s

Water Never Goes Out of Style is made from 100 pairs of damaged Levi's. Evoking
images of the dye-laden water that pours into rivers in the developing countries where
the majority of jeans are made, 2000 denim water drops (representing the 2000 gallons
of water used to make a single pair of jeans), pour out of a denim sewer pipe. I am
associating this piece with the 1980s because that is the decade when Levi's closed 60
of its U.S.
manufacturing
facilities and moved
their operations
overseas, where
labor was cheaper
and environmental
laws were more
lenient or non-
existent. This act by
Levi's impacted San
Antonio, TX
specifically and in
1990, there was an
unsuccessful class
action lawsuit that
alleged that Levi's
had closed its San
Antonio factory and
moved the operation
to Costa Rica in an
attempt to avoid
paying workers'
benefits and
pensions.

Water Never Goes
Out of Style

Repurposed Levi's
Jeans
68" x 24" x 20"
$1800.00