The Overall

The overall is a loose-fitting single piece of clothing made from dark blue fabric. The back features a printed text in big white letters which reads “working on transformation”. Initially it only existed in the sizes M and L, which caused some students to create a size “S”. The overalls are to be worn over your own clothes, covering them completely.

The primary purpose of these specific overalls is to perform or present an idea and engage with an environment through play and experimentation. The reference to work gear and the explicit motto “working on transformation”, allows one to temporarily leave one’s own personal identity and professional position behind and to slip into a role and become active.

There are different possible purposes for the overall. When used in collective sessions, it can indicate the group facilitators or mediators, clarifying their role to the rest of the group. When used in real life situations, for example in public space, the overall can help to clarify that one is in a designed or scripted situation, offering a sense of safety. When people address you, you can point at the overall and use it to clarify that you are performing an experiment or test, also indicating that you could take it off if people want you to temporarily stop the experiment to provide them with explanation and context. This shifting in and out of your role will give you more leeway to navigate and mitigate possible tensions.

In combination with other tools and props, overalls can help actors in an urban transformation process to perform various roles and portray a story as well as communicate information about the spatial, political and other aspects of a given context or environment. For example, when used in public space the overall starts to communicate the idea that a simple movement or gesture – like moving a potted plant or cleaning a wall – is part of a larger effort to transform that environment. People wearing the overall are both representing and enacting a certain change.

However, the overall – or the idea of the uniform – can also become a source of tension. For some people it might seem that you are “depersonalizing” yourself or that you are appropriating work wear. In such a situation one could refer to the notion of “working on transformation” and to the idea of performing an experiment and to shifting roles. Alternatively, one can also pose the question why someone dislikes the overall. The answer can provide valuable insights in the perception of people regarding their own position and that of the person wearing the uniform.

[Design] OK-RM

[Year] 2019

[Material] 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton

[Sizes] M + L