Message in a bottle
Hin und zurück macht noch lange keinen Kreis.
Message in a bottle is an ongoing activity within the project Become A-Ware. The project Become A-Ware has been investigating for several years how online retailers handle returned clothing. Fashion items ordered from various online companies are artistically altered and sent back as a kind of “message in a bottle,” along with an accompanying letter. Some items are also fitted with a tracker in order to follow their journey and fate.
The entire process is documented, from the initial order and the alteration of the item to its return and the refund of money or goods.
Of the 50 “messages in a bottle” sent so far, only six were not accepted back or found their way back to the project through other means. This means that in 44 out of 50 cases, the companies did not notice that the garments had not been returned in their original condition, and the money was refunded anyway.
«I am an altered garment. When I was ordered from H&M, I had a somewhat different look. Now I am a one-of-a-kind piece, bearing the signature of a Berlin designer.
I am a message in a bottle that seeks to find out what happens to the likes of me or any returns.»
Message in a Bottle No. 50 was shown in the exhibition ‘The Story of My Life – Object Biography as Concept, Method and Genre’ at the Museum der Dinge in Berlin and was added to their archive.