One of our assignments for Spatial Dynamics was to create an item that, once placed on our body, would create a different or new perception of who we were (thus causing an identity shift). Paper was the only allowed medium. I chose to craft a shayla-inspired headwrap out of a translucent tissue paper material.
I have always been drawn to headwraps simply for their aesthetic qualities, which I understand becomes a complicated matter due to the connotations tied to hijabs and burqas in our world today. On one hand, I am afraid of not only offending those who use headcoverings as part of their cultural and spiritual background, but also being mistaken for someone who actively promotes the shayla's symbolism. On the other, I can not truly fight my desire to wear headwraps every day purely as a clothing accessory. Additionally, I also find myself worrying about drawing "too much" attention wearing a piece that has such strong Middle Eastern heritage (conflicting with my obvious Asian appearance). To me, choosing to wear a headpiece is a heavy and deliberate choice that carries a lot of history, and therefore do not feel comfortable wearing one yet without thoroughly understanding its context.
My goal for this assignment was to combine my self-consciousness and Asian ethnicity with our society's views on headwrapping practices for women in order to embody a new identity.
Pictured above and below is my final piece. I made a prototype first out of wire and tissue to quickly find the measurements of my head and explore what types of drapery would be possible through the material. My challenge was in finding structure and "fullness" in paper due to the thinness, and decided to create a stiff structure in front of the mouth as an abstraction of shayla scarf forms.
The main structure fitting around my head is made of bristol board. The flower detail is made from folded tissue paper covered in an acrylic paint wash.
These are preliminary sketches separating out the headwrap components and measurements/angles of my head.
This here is a short clip demonstrating how the material traveled through the air.
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