Discarded Looms

Cynthia Alberto approaches Discarded Looms as an activist response to overconsumption, waste, and the systems that normalize disposability. At the core of Alberto's weaving practice is the belief that weaving is a life-giving act — a conduit for renewal, repair, and transformation. This series emerged during the pandemic shutdown, when Alberto was unable to access her studio and was forced to become radically resourceful, turning to the materials immediately around her. Everyday discarded packaging — an iPhone case, toothpaste boxes, egg containers — became looms.

By reclaiming these objects, Alberto asserts that anything can be used as a loom if we challenge dominant ideas of value, usefulness, and worth. Discarded Looms directly confronts the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality that fuels consumer culture, particularly in the age of online shopping, where convenience obscures the labor, resources, and waste embedded in every purchase. The work asks viewers to slow down and consider each step in the life of an object — from production and packaging to disposal.

Through the creation of Discarded Looms, Alberto's relationship to consumption fundamentally changed. The series insists on the necessity of recycling and refusing waste, calling attention to the materials we routinely take for granted. By extending the life of discarded objects through weaving, Alberto transforms refuse into tools of resistance, demonstrating that sustainability begins with attention, care, and a willingness to reimagine what is already in our hands.