Fashioning the body : a celebration of the ordinary

Fatehrad, Azadeh and Bednall, Anthony (2022) Fashioning the body : a celebration of the ordinary. In: Futurescan 5 : conscious communities; 07 - 08 Sep 2022, University of Leeds, Leeds, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Abstract

“Fashioning the Body: A Celebration of Ordinary” considers ideas around clothing in contemporary society; in particular, those associated with psyche, dress and the environment. Our collaborative paper is a reflection on an ongoing project exploring the ordinary in the field of fashion and its effect on fashion pedagogy. “Fashioning the Body: A Celebration of Ordinary” explores the relationship between fashion or clothing with the body, through artistic representation and fashion design practice, as part aesthetic and part linguistic code, enabling the conceiving, de-constructing and questioning of identity. We seek to ask if fashioning the body, whether real or imagined, is a coded practice, recognising that coding will inevitably communicate ambiguity and complexity. Can fashion or clothing subvert perceptions of identity and validate the body as a signifier and tool for “character” choices which challenge social codes and act as a canvas for the politics of identity and belonging? Can fashion provide a broader visual commentary around the notion of individual, collective or national identity? What are the perceptions of fashion and an individual’s clothing in relation to contemporary culture? We also reflect upon the relationship that individuals have with their garments. Through a series of collaborative interviews and participatory community workshops we aim to provide a platform to develop and share methodologies and approaches in contemporary fashion studies. We consider perceptions of narrative embedded within pieces owned by individuals and the condition, whether real or imagined, of a relationship that includes context, familiarity and lived experience, as well as the relationship between fashion and the body. Through artistic representation or a form of display, we aim to provide a fresh perspective.

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