|
Afghanistan Refugees' A/dress Paint,
digitally enhanced newspaper photographs from 9-12-01 to present collaged
on recycled wedding dress Costume and dress are explored here as a form of symbolic language. Garments originally worn on the human body in a personal context are now transformed into visual forms of aesthetic expression. The wedding veil is worn as a transparent means of concealing the identity, temporarily, from the view of the groom until the marriage ceremony is completed by a kiss. The wedding veil is worn to glorify the bride's identity and present her version of a personal ideal. The Middle Eastern woman's veil or burqa is worn to permanently cover up or conceal her identity. Any celebration of individuality is lost. A wedding gown symbolizes the personification of the feminine memory, hopes, and identity. Regardless of age, economic status, or lifestyle, it is the most memorable and costliest piece of clothing ever worn. By fusing images of Afghanistan refugees onto the ultimate female garment, sheer fantasy is torn apart by the sheer horror and reality of the plight of the Afghanistan refugees. From a distance, the garment appears to be embossed with lace or surface decoration. Upon closer view, the garment becomes transformed from an object of childhood dreams and fantasy into a type of religious vestment, an article of memorialization, reflection, and commemoration. Both articles of dress, the wedding gown and veil or burqa, convey the range in which similar types of costume can be forms of repression and subversion or personal celebration, fantasy, and individuality. |