An art installation at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) focuses on sustainability.
Entitled “Under The Umbrella,” this exhibition is a curriculum-based project created by professors Anne Kong’s and Glenn Sokoli’s Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design students. Working in collaboration with Rentbrella, an umbrella sharing company, the exhibition calls on the public to consider topics such as recycling, reusing and lifestyles that support sustainability.
With help from Rentbrella, the exhibition utilizes 400 umbrellas to highlight a sustainable solution to eliminate tons of umbrellas from reaching landfills each year.
Rentbrella currently has 35 umbrella-sharing stations installed throughout Manhattan, allowing users to access an umbrella for a free 24-hour period. The sharing stations are located within office buildings in partnership with companies including Wework, Braun Management, Moinian Group, Tishman Speyer, Beacon Capital, Chetrit Group, Meringoff Properties, Feldman Realty Group and CIM, and Rentbrella plans to expand to over 300 locations in New York City by 2022.
Thanks to Rentbrella’s commitment to sustainable living and the reduction of pollution, each umbrella is both rain and sun resistant and was developed specifically for New York’s climate. The umbrellas are made of fabric made from recycled PET bottles, state-of-the-art hydrophobic material that features UV protection capabilities and fiberglass, and at the end of its cycle, the umbrellas are reused in new products.
“Under The Umbrella” is currently on display at FIT, located at West 27th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, through April 11. The exhibition is free to the public and open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
