Fantasy Sewn and Fastened
To regulars at the Myraide on McKay, Mass Ambiguanus or Andrew might just be the friendly faces they see when ordering their morning coffee. But if you peel back past their chainmail jewelry, you might just come to uncover their artistic, philosophical, and conceptual nature.
Andrew is a Montreal-based costume artist specializing in beadwork, crochet and chainmail pieces. They're originally from a small town in Ottawa, yet they wanted more and became accustomed to moving around. They have lived in Toronto, British Columbia, and Montreal. They've been making costume pieces since 2018 and have always been completely immersing themselves in realms of fantasy. As a kid, they spent much of their time playing video games, finding fantasy through the screen. Now, their escapism is through weaving, crocheting, and sewing costumes with personal meanings and stories woven into their fabric.
They approach their work without the application of time, rendering it too constricting and competitive with themself, creating one project at a time in spur-of-the-moment fluxes of inspiration. Andrew often works in bright, public, green spaces like the Montreal Botanical Gardens, where they typically have a yearly pass, or the patio of their workplace, Myriade, on warmer days. They also find creative comfort from their dining table at home, finding joy in the company of their partner and loveable six-year-old black cat, Buttons.
Andrew is piecing their newest project together about death, life and their armed forces lineage and the tacit homophobia embedded in military culture. They create the pieces of the costume's chest plate denoting death by weaving twine, black glass and plastic beads together in square-like diamond shapes. They separately connect larger pieces of silverish-white metal and beads together to fortify the top half of the chest plate, representing life and accentuating the breast. While the chest plate as a whole is a callback to their family's connection to military duty and their own deviation from that narrative, the underscoring of the breast in their newest piece derives from their obsession of their acclaimed peculiarities of the male presenting boob.
Andrew mediates on selling his pieces and doing commissioned work, yet this meditation does not come without distaste. They worry about how the inclusion of money in their process would disrupt their purpose of creating, where instead of being driven by artistic purpose, they're driven by monetary reward. They also ponder on working for a place like Cirque du Soleil, as they've dreamt about working in a circus performance atmosphere, as clowns are an obsession of theirs—but wonder about how the fast-paced environment would affect their creative process.
However, Andrew remains steady in their ecosystem for now, looking for little change in places like finding a new space to inhabit and a new apartment to disrupt reality in with their partner and Buttons. For now, Andrew exists, remaining tranquil in their craft, completing one costume at a time, bound by the beads, twine and chain mail they fabricate new fantasies with.
Bicycle chains and bungee cords Andrew found in British Columbia make up an old project they made while living in B.C. While Andrew primarily plays around with beads, chainmail, and crochet when costume making, this piece is a testament to their artistic duality and drive to work with new materials and perspectives. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew is working on the breastplate for their newest project from the comfort of their home. Their current project is an armour-like costume piece that seeks to meditate on their familial ties to the military. Andrew works on all their projects in comfortable places, from their kitchen table to the botanical gardens; Andrew thrives in bright and social spaces. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Pieces of sheer, black fabric wade in the teeth of Andrew's sewing machine. While Andrew does a lot of their sewing and mending for their costume pieces by hand, this machine is integral to each of their projects in both grand and minor ways. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
When working with fine, microfused braided bead thread, Andrew must work tediously with their hands when threading bead patterns together. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
A glass bead choker is a part of an old project of Andrew's. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew's workstation features fabric scissors, black plastic beads, and microfused braided bead thread, all relevant ingredients needed to create a chest plate for their current project. An old Myriade coffee cup sits to the right of their workstation. Andrew works full-time at the Myraide location near Guy-Concordia Metro station. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew's first costume project used a scrunch sewing technique to enhance the fabric ripple effect between red plastic beads. Their first project was inspired by clowns, a fascination of Andrew's. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew sits on their living room floor with completed costumes, reminiscing on their previous motifs for each project. They hold a previous piece and explain how they can repurpose the veil for a future project on marriage. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
This is a chainmail necklace that Andrew wears often. This necklace was made by their partner, with Andrew's help, and is inspired by Andrew's work with chainmail. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew holds up their new chest piece project made with glass beads, plastic beads, and chains. The piece is a representation of death, life and their familial ties to the military. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew lays out an earlier piece of theirs adorned with pears and made with ornamental baby blue fabric. This piece was also inspired by their fascination with clowns, a motif found beyond their art—the second you walk into Andrew's home, you are greeted with a framed image of two clowns they designate as themselves and their partner. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew wears a headpiece from a more recent project made of glass beads and silver balls. Andrew fastened the headpiece and necklace in such a way that leaves gaps in the regal pattern, mimicking the look of chainmail, yet still upholding a delicate appearance. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Older projects of Andrew's lay scattered on the floor of their home, each of them a piece of memory or personal philosophy. The light blue crocheted costume, pictured just left of the centre, represents Andrew's gender identity: how they were assigned male at birth and their mother would dress them in baby blue. The bowtie for the costume features a pink fold meant to represent the vagina and the female connection to all things male-assigned. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew's six-year-old cat, Buttons, observes them while they work on her cat tree. Buttons is integral to Andrew's work. When Buttons plays with Andrew's knit projects, their fluid mindset welcomes the idea that Buttons is adding to the richness of their project. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Mounia is the owner of Bead Planète Inc. near Jean Talon Metro. She greets Andrew with a smile and genuine curiosity for whatever new project they are shopping for. Andrew has been going to Bead Planète Inc. for over a year, and the two bask in wholesome camaraderie during every visit. Mounia raves to customers about Andrew's talent whenever they stop by the store. April 7, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew is browsing for potential beads for their next project about marriage. Even though Andrew came to replenish their supplies for their current project, they love to plan ahead and get excited about new inspirations. April 7, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew holds colourful beads, pondering on future colourful projects. While they hate to be bound to time, Andrew is excited to complete their current project and explore new creative avenues. April 7, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
April 7, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)Andrew stands by their home window, modelling a previous project of theirs that's been borrowed and worn by local Montreal DJs who are fascinated by their work. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
Andrew wears their glass bead choker from a previous project. March 21, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Hannah Vogan/Concordia University Advanced PJ Class)
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