Barlach has said of her work 'all my costumes can be worn and are intended for use on the human body. Working with recycled materials is important partly because it is a trace of life. The recycled materials constitute a kind of ‘archaeology of the present’ that I was working with when I made the costume. When I made the costumes friends gave me most of the materials although I found some on the floors of shops.’

Reclaimed Recycling in contemporary British Crafts and Design, The British Council, London 1999