Work Scarves

2020

Work Scarves are a series of fan scarves inspired by the terminology of the employability sector. During my research residency with the career service of the University of Liverpool I became fascinated with the language and syntax that career advisors and the employment industry uses to support and encourage students and recent graduates in their process of transitioning from education to the world of work. The enthusiastic tone of the corporate jargon and productivity-driven language reminded me of the chanting of football fans. Where the chanting of words of strength, identity and pride have become abstract sounds of the idea of success and winning against the competition. ‘Soft skills’, ‘opportunities’, ‘commercial awareness’, ‘real world scenarios’!

The value of ‘skills’ and how they are measured in terms of productivity and commercial viability, can seem far from the idea of the ‘dream’ of a job that gives purpose and enriches one’s life.