A Mature Growth was made for the launch of the International Talent Support archives, for “Building The Ark”. ITS asked Olivia Rubens to explore the concept THE FUTURE, and THE FUTURE OF ITS, which finds its incarnation in ITSARCADEMY. The main purpose of the series “BUILDING THE ARK” is to explain to the public what is ITS: the past, the present, and the future. ITS ARCADEMY is focused on sustainability and responsible creativity. Through Rubens’s project, ITS needed Rubens to help them conceptualise and tell the world the values and ideas upon which ITS ARCADEMY is being built, and what to expect from its future. A Mature Growth focuses on morality and communal bonding through our values, especially during the pandemic. It humorously points out the ever-retracting boundary of morals, using Rococo and 18th century references as an example of “excess” and “taboo”. We must deal with unforeseen consequences – climate change, waste, wealth gaps – from past generations’ greed and ignorance. This can also be an opportunity for beauty: growing new over old, using found objects and waste, and repair as art through Kintsugi. The quirky reference common in this body of work is bubble gum: a symbol of sticking together to challenge the status quo. The garments made for A Mature Growth were knit in London, with some pieces sewn and sculpted in-studio in Canada. The green garments are photosynthesis coated with Post Carbon Lab so that they live and breathe, just like plants, giving off oxygen and sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The garments must be cared for and kept alive, with indirect sunlight and misting in order to maintain their climate positivity. Rubens repurposed used plastic, ceramic and vintage crochet tablecloths, together with ethical alpaca, organic wool and organic cotton in her knits to create the look.