Envisioning identity: the confluence of cultures in fashion image-making
Marshall, Michelle (2024) Envisioning identity: the confluence of cultures in fashion image-making. In: EUPOP 2024: Borders, 1-3 July 2024, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Tallinn, Estonia. (Unpublished)
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Fashion photography possesses the capacity to transcend cultural and national boundaries. My journey as a fashion photographer, shaped by a non-white heritage, a Eurocentric education, and a rich tapestry of diverse cultural influences, epitomises the intrinsic ability of the medium to foster cultural pluralism and redefine the constructs of identity. This paper aims to delve into how these personal experiences inherently infuse my work, promoting a borderless and multi-layered notion of fashion and identity.
Central to this exploration is the reflection of my own lived experience, a confluence of three distinct cultures that have shaped me as an individual and practitioner and a myriad of encounters with diverse global perspectives. More than background influences, these are elements deeply embedded in the visual narratives that I create, silently challenging the traditional perceptions of cultural experience and how we consume fashion imagery. The implicit integration of cultural signifiers and narratives in my work can be perceived as intrinsic acts that question and blur the rigid borders associated with national identity. Through a selection of projects, I am keen to illustrate how fashion photography can be a form of cultural dialogue, where the choice of narrative, garments, models, etc become symbols and participants in wider discussions about identity, belonging and the ever-evolving nature of culture. The selected projects will demonstrate how elements of my identity unconsciously seeps into my creative process, attesting to a personal experience cultivated across various cultural landscapes.
This paper will address how this process can contribute to new understandings of cultural identity in fashion-image making. Promoting the idea of fashion as a dynamic site for shaping how identities are understood in a fluid, interconnected world thus giving scope to challenge existing narratives and embrace a more pluralistic view of what it means to belong in a world that extends beyond the constructs of national borders.
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