Artist Michèle Fandel Bonner sees every label affixed to our clothing as “a little graphic that someone designed hoping for attention.” Bonner’s wall hangings and sculpture made from what Bonner calls “the castoffs of daily life”—including cherry pits, champagne caps, wooden spools, and, of course, clothing labels—are on display at the Chandler Gallery in her upcoming show entitled “Piecework.” Bonner’s taliswomen dolls made from clothing labels won first prize in the Chandler Gallery’s “Small Works Salon 2015: Word + Image.”

“Separating the label from the clothing undermines the industry that gives people the impulse to buy clothes,” says Bonner. “It shows how absurd yet how true it is that such a tiny thing can have so much power.” In “Care,” labels that feature instructions for the care of a garment are sewn into the cross shape that is the international symbol for medical care.

Bonner is “interested in the changing meaning of the objects when reworked, sorted, and arranged into multiples,” and her works often include circular repetitions. In “Ordered Chaos,” zippers follow a downward spiral enclosing a smaller and smaller hole to form a tornado. The spiral is also visible in “Empty Nesting Baskets,” a series of round baskets knitted from recycled t-shirts and hung horizontally in order of size.

In “The Short Window of Cherries,” jam jars filled with cherry pits form a globe of cylindrical windows. According to Bonner, the piece “comes from my childhood memory of climbing backyard cherry trees after dinner for dessert. It’s a reminder to savor what I have, when I have it.” While viewers may initially be staggered by the sheer amount of effort that went into collecting and assembling the tiny materials, Bonner’s labors offer much to contemplate.

“Piecework” is on display at the Chandler Gallery from October 30-November 30, 2015. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 5 from 6-8pm.