July 7, 2020: Masks for this Medical Moment with DR. ana rule
I spoke with Dr. Ana Rule, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and is the Director of the Exposure Assessment Laboratories. Dr. Rule has been helping the public understand the spread of particulates and the importance of masks. Her areas of research include aerosol science, bioaerosols, and occupational health.
Resources mentioned during the talk:
Correction to Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of Common Fabrics Used in Respiratory Cloth Masks
Instructions on how to make a mask Design recommended by John Hopkins Medicine
N95DECON - seeks to review, collate, publish, and disseminate scientific information about N95 decontamination to help inform decisions about N95 decontamination and reuse.
EXTENDING THE LIFETIME OF N95 MASKS - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY by Kirsten Koehler, PhD and Ana Rule, PhD
Coronavirus Face Masks & Protection FAQs by Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.
July 8, 2020: Sustainability and Mask Making with yasmin ahram
A new and sweeping trend of mask wearing fuels new consumption and waste. I spoke with Yasmin Ahram, Lead Communication Designer for the Slow Factory Foundation about sustainability and mask making.
Resources mentioned during the talk:
What the Homemade Mask Movement Says About Sustainability by Yasmin Ahram. Published in Teen Vogue, April 22, 2020.
July 15, 2020: Art and Politics with Kate Kretz
Together, Kate Kretz and I discuss her new work “Social Murder,” and how it fits into her larger artistic practice. Kretz is a 2020 James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist whose work spans textiles and other media, focusing primarily on creating time-intensive, intricate work telling difficult truths.
July 16, 2020: Fashion and Disease Prevention with Alison Matthew David
Accessories, like masks, are just one example of how fashion has been used over time to prevent the spread of disease. I spoke with fashion historian Alison Matthews David about where today’s moment of mask wearing fits into the story of how we protect ourselves through clothing. David is a historian of dress and textiles, focusing on 19th- and early 20th-century fashion, accessories, and material culture. Her work intersects with multiple areas including medical history, criminology, and occupational health. She is the author of Fashion Victims: Dangers of Dress Past and Present and Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed and Murdered Through History.
Resources mentioned during the talk:
Fashion Victims: Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Alison Matthews David. 2015.
Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed and Murdered Through History by Alison Matthews David. 2019.
Bibliography On the Relation of Clothing to Health by O'Brien, Ruth, Ruby Kathryn Worner, and Esther Peterson Daniel. 1929.
Materials and clothing in health and disease : history, physiology and hygiene : medical and psychological aspects by E T Renbourn and W H Rees. 1972.
Health, Art and Reason by Stella Mary Newton. 1974.
Consumptive Chic: A History of Beauty, Fashion, and Disease by Carolyn A. Day. 2017.
July 20, 2020: Fashioning Masks with Erin Robertson
Erin Robertson, winner of Project Runway Season 15, has been putting her talents to good use during the COVID-19 crisis. She has been sewing cotton face masks for healthcare workers, as well as selling some chic options on her website to raise money towards her frontline PPE efforts. In this interview, Robertson and I discuss her artistic practice and donations.