Discarded items turned into exhibits at Halsey

The upstairs of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art resembles a consignment shop — an unusually dreamy, otherworldly consignment shop.

Clothing is meticulously folded and stacked, the layers of jeans, T-shirts, pants and polos rising and falling like waves.

A highbrow second-hand shop, it isn't.

Instead, the exhibit is Jarod Charzewski's dig on North American consumerism and burgeoning landfills. Deposits of denim, corduroy, cotton and synthetic fabrics, united by color and type, fill much of the space. For the material, he borrowed about 6,000 pieces of clothing from Goodwill Industries.

"The whole piece is just sort of this fictitious look at the new Earth, as if we had exchanged natural layers for modified material layers," says Charzewski, a visiting professor at the College of Charleston.

Charzewski's work often references landscapes and people, and man-made structures among nature. In the spring, he helped a group of students from the college turn charred material and rubble from Bowen's Island Restaurant into artwork.

Here, he criticizes what he considers a misuse of material, land and resources in the installation titled "Scarp."

" 'Scarp' is taken from the word, escarpment," Charzewski says. "Exposed layer of earth, essentially. But I really like the word. It points toward garment. It's a scar as in a scar on the planet. It says discarded, it says scrap."

The layers of colors — green, yellow, red, beige, brown and blue — imitate geological strata, suggesting our need to continuously replace belongings and clothing. Tongue-in-cheek perhaps, Charzewski alludes to a "planet rich in synthetic nutrients and chemically enhanced goodness." The piece's scale, color and shape make "Scarp" accessible to audiences.

It fits nicely with "Diving Dunce," Halsey's first-floor installation from fellow visiting professor Loul Samater. Like Charzewski, Samater uses discarded materials — balloons, glitter and party hats — and strips them of context. Both pieces can be viewed until Oct. 10.

Almost as interesting is how Charzewski went about finding resources for the project. He visited Goodwill's Outlet Store on Rivers Avenue, ready to bargain a deal — or with any luck, talk his way into borrowing the clothes.

Retail operations director Tom Wright told Charzewski to take as much as he wanted.

Charzewski loaded his car. It wasn't nearly enough. He tried sweet-talking Wright again.

"You don't get it, son, do you?" Charzewski remembers Wright telling him.

He took Charzewski into the warehouse, which houses several large, Dumpster-size bins.

"All of this is emptied and filled once every day from the Lowcountry Goodwill stores," Wright told Charzewski. "So, somebody who wants to do something with the material, that's great."

Charzewski targeted textural clothing — sweaters, corduroy — primarily for the exterior portion. Denim worked well to resemble slate or limestone. Charzewski also avoided polyester and other fabrics that wrinkle easily.

Another plus: Charzewski nabbed a good pair of pants. The volunteers who helped install the piece took several shirts as well. And he's already been promised offers to help dismantle the piece.

Their fee? A T-shirt or two.

"And I like that," Charzewski says. "Goodwill is happy with that."

Reach Rob Young at 937-5518 or ryoung@postand courier.com.