Images from India, celebrate my own cultural heritage of my part Indian background.
Fashion Editorial Piece
Collaborating with Fashion Photographer Remie Dominique
Concept
The piece will explore objectification which Middle-Eastern woman have faced through Sexualism.
The idea is to use the object of a rose, as roses are a symbol for marriage and love but also convey the idea of woman being seen as an object.
The meaning of Roses
Long a Symbol of love and passion, the ancient Greeks and Romans associated roses with Aphrodite and Venus, goddesses of Love. Used for hundreds of years to convey messages without word, they also represent confidentiality. In fact, the Latin expression “sub rosa” means “under the rose”, this concept means told in secret, and in ancient Rome, a wild rose was placed on the door to a room where confidential matters were being discussed.
Each colour offers a distinct meaning: red, the lover’s rose, signifies enduring passion; white, humility and innocence; yellow, expressing friendship and joy; pink, gratitude, appreciation and admiration; orange, enthusiasm and desire; white lilac and purple roses represent enchantment and love at first sight. The Number of stems in a rose bouquet can also express specific sentiments.
Interviewing Individuals, collecting their experiences, as well as portrait Photography
Maria
*What is your ethnicity?
Middle- Eastern Arab.
Yemeni/Saudi
*How do you feel about your cultural heritage?
To some extent, cultural traditions I like and some I dislike. Some people take culture to the extreme, depending how extreme you want to take culture.
For me, I am unlikely to take it to extreme. I moved to the UK when you I was ten. First ten years I lived in Saudi Arabia.
Living in two different countries, I feel I live in two different worlds. This experience has made it easier for you to identify the difference.
Living in England has had a huge impact, the way I am today, personality, even the way you think.
There is positive and negative. The positive, you get to see many views from different cultures, different upbringings, different thinking. It has made me less ignorant towards people. People can perceive this as negative, but for me, I find it embraces who you are. Another negative, people tend to think you are too Western, you’ve ran away from the culture, I disagree with this.
I find it is hard to live with very different cultures. Saudi Arabia is more traditional, living in England I am freer, I have my own opinions, and voice. It is hard to put a middle point.
Do you feel you fit into society?
A bit of both worlds, I don’t fit into either. I realised I am not excepted anywhere, England or Saudi Arabia.
What is your favourite part about your cultural heritage?
The food, sense of style, energy, jokes, the notion of closeness towards my family, to some extent.
Have you had any negative experiences about your ethnicity?
My negative experience was in High school. A guy who would ask “Why are you wearing the scarf?” but in a disrespectful manner. The guy was a Muslim member himself, where his family members would wear the scarf as well.
Do you find your family values confusing?
Yes, because I have lived in England, my family value has been changing. The younger generation are more open minded to societies issues. The older generation side of the family don’t seem to understand because of how they brought up (cultural tradition). But we are growing, evolving and learning more. Confusing but there is progress.
Why do you wear the Scarf? Does the scarf embrace who you are?
I feel Empowered, it is a symbol of your religion, I have made my own decision. Intentions play a big part, to truly think it is a correct way.
The Story
It is known that a woman tends to wear the scarf when they hit their period, so the day before school, my mum recommended to wear the scarf from the beginning, so it is not awkward for me to wear it half way of High school. However, she made clear it is my decision. I thought it made complete sense so I wore it. I feel there is still so much more to learn about, it implicates your lifestyle.
The location was Urban to relate to the idea of industrial location to relate to migration through the army like nature. This location creates more identity on the portrait photography. The location was taken from the collaboration with fashion photography.
Feedback given was to find different locations which was urban, this could perhaps be through graffiti to emphasise the idea of rebellion and freedom, which are elements which are explored in the Eastern and Western culture. The idea of breaking the rules.
Nirvana
What is your ethnicity?
Afghan
How do you feel about your cultural heritage?
Semi-Cultured, Cultured.
Do you feel you fit into society?
Yes
What is your favourite part about your cultural heritage?
Clothes and jewellery, I enjoy dressing up but it also helps to embrace who I am.
Have you had any negative experiences about your ethnicity?
Yes, I have, at school I use to wear the headscarf and people would judge me of it. I found it difficult to go to school and even eat my own cultural food, students would find it weird. The whole lifestyle is different to the Western expectations.
Where did you grow up?
I lived in Afghanistan for 10 years, then I moved to the UK. Initially, I missed Afghanistan, but I adapted to the culture here, in the UK. Growing up in London, it was already mulita cultural so it was easy for me to adapt to this big change in my life.
*Do you feel moving to a different country has implicated your views on culture?
Yes definitely, presenting myself clothing wise, now I don’t wear the head scarf. My aesthetics has completely changed through me wearing western clothes and creating an interest with makeup which would have not happened in my Eastern upbringing. The lifestyle of making friends is completely different, I am an individual who is friends with a lot of boys, this would not be allowed in Afghanistan, it would have been frowned upon.
Having this massive change in my life of migration, my music taste has changed. I used to listen to traditional Afghan music, that was my main music choice. However, my music taste has changed, to more grime and R&B music. I still listen to Bollywood music, it’s just like having two types of music that I listen to.
*Do you find your family values confusing?
Yes, my parents live in Afghanistan most of their live so it is difficult for them to understand the younger generation, they find it hard to accept our own decisions we make, which perhaps were implicated through our Western upbringing. My parents are more traditional, they don’t agree with certain life choices I have made. My parents fear I won’t follow through with my culture.
Haani
What is your ethnicity?
I am half Afghan half British
How do you feel about your cultural heritage?
I am cultural, proud of it, not fully British.
Do you feel you fit into society?
Yes, I do, I feel I fit into society. I mix both cultures quite well. Life is a great contrast; feel like a double.
What is your favourite part about your cultural heritage?
The family aspect, and traditional food.
Have you had any negative experiences about your ethnicity?
There were a few in Secondary school, but only a minority of people would do it. People in the UK have become more open minded to understanding different cultures, society has evolved.
Where did you grow up?
Growing up in Middlesbrough there was not much of Muslims, and coloured people living there, however now society has grown and there are more people of colour living there.
Do you feel living in the UK has implicated your views on culture?
No, my parents have taught you about the cultural. I feel strongly in touch with my religious side.
Do you find your family values confusing?
No, I understand it. My close family, understand it.
Possible Ideas Idealisation
The feedback given was to perhaps collaborate the arabic typeface to convey the message of Eastern and Western culture.
However, for this piece in my opinion the shots were strong so I wanted the focus to be more on the photography, therefore exploring a more minimalistic graphic design layout will be more appropriate.
The idea of including all gender rather than focusing on women creates more of a diversity and creates the idea of a boy series for the publication. It relates to the idea of unity and equality through gender and this idea of culture becoming more of a unity and accepting.
The feedback given was to perhaps photograph more boys as there is only one model.
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