Welcome to Aftermath Learning Lab, a research and art lab exploring textile and technology-related pollution!

Aftermath Learning Lab is an environmental health research and art lab whose mission is to reduce global textile waste and other technology-related pollution through interdisciplinary research at the intersection of art, policy, developmental psychology, education, and public health with an environmental justice lens. Watch the LEAPS 2024 Textile Waste Conference recordings, learn about global fashion pollution via our free Textile Waste Facts course, follow The Aftermath Sculpture on its national tour, or scroll down to learn more…

 

This video is a short documentary about The Aftermath Sculpture, an art advocacy installation about the global environmental health impacts of textile pollution. The sculpture was created in 2021 by developmental psychologist and lab principal investigator Dr. Julia DeVoy, health researcher Dielle Lundberg, fashion designer and environmental educator Matilda Lartey, internationally recognized artist Mark Cooper, and STEAM education researcher Dr. Brian Smith. The video is available on YouTube and includes embedded captions.

 
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The Aftermath Sculpture National Tour:

Picture of Aftermath Sculpture at Boston College

This image shows the inaugural exhibition of The Aftermath Sculpture from January through March 2022 at The McMullen Museum at Boston College.

Aftermath at Boston University School of Public Health

This image shows an exhibition of The Aftermath Sculpture in September through October 2022 at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Aftermath sculpture at Smithsonian

This image shows an exhibition of The Aftermath Sculpture in April 2022 for The ACCelerate Festival at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Aftermath at Boston University Charles River Campus

This image shows an exhibition of The Aftermath Sculpture in October through December 2022 at the Boston University Charles River Campus.

 

This banner image is an announcement for The LEAPS 2024 Textile Waste Conference, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). The priority deadline to submit a presentation is Friday, February 9 with submissions accepted until Friday, March 5. Registration is free, with an option to donate to a non-profit upcycling initiative.

 
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The LEAPS 2024 Textile Waste Conference:

The LEAPS 2024 Textile Waste Conference is a virtual conference that exists to leverage environmental, art & policy stakeholders (LEAPS) to advance awareness, collaboration and transformation around policy and structural solutions to textile waste and related environmental health challenges. The conference is hosted by Aftermath Learning Lab in partnership with The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society at Boston College and community partners Make Fashion Clean (MFC Tie-Dye) in the U.S. and The MFI Foundation in Ghana.

LEAPS 2023 Textile Waste Conference Videos:

The video playlist features presentations from The LEAPS 2023 Textile Waste Conference that occurred on May 18, 2023. Click on a video to expand it, view the title, and watch. The videos are also available on a YouTube Playlist. Captions are embedded.

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Key Publications and Presentations:

  1. Julia E. DeVoy. “Accelerating Just Transition: A Call to COP28 Action (SE# 7, Zone B6).” Invited panel speaker on December 5, 2023. United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP 28). Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Learn more about the panel.

  2. James Rojas. “Boston 'Aftermath' Sculpture Depicts Fast Fashion, Rapid Textile Production.” WBZ NewsRadio Boston. March 16, 2023. Interviews Julia E. DeVoy. Learn more about the interview, and listen to the full interview.

  3. Dielle J. Lundberg and Julia E. DeVoy. “The Aftermath of Fast Fashion: How Discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the Environment.” Boston University School of Public Health. September 22, 2022. Read full essay.

  4. Matilda Lartey, Stacey Johnson, and Dielle J. Lundberg. “Textile Waste, Environmental Justice, and the Aftermath of Fast Fashion”. A Collaborative Panel Discussion by The Aftermath Learning Lab and Make Fashion Clean. September 11, 2022. Watch the full panel discussion.

  5. Julia E. DeVoy, Elizabeth Congiusta, Dielle J. Lundberg, Sarah Findeisen, and Sunand Bhattacharya. “Post-Consumer Textile Waste and Disposal: Differences by Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Retail Factors.” Waste Management 136 (December 2021): 303–309. Read the open-access peer-reviewed article.

 
 
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Aftermath Learning Lab News: