In Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine, each part of the national costumes have a sacred and often magical meaning to it. Shawls in particular have taken a special place in society and are still kept and worn by older generations. These headpieces are made from vintage shawls passed down to me by my grandmother who lived in a small Ukrainian village all her life. The 60-year-old pieces travelled with me all the way to New York City and had been given a second life by being transformed into wearable art objects. Inspired by the fast paced megapolis, these headpieces can change shape easily, symbolizing the flexibility and constantly changing energy of New York. Moreover, they still preserve the magic and spirit of the small Ukrainian village and the memories from my childhood. For me, this is the true task of fashion – with each season, providing a new perspective on something timeless.
The line between IRL and online has quickly become indecipherable through our interaction with social media platforms. In our desperation for clout to garner an audience, clicks, likes, or hits as well as the all-too-real insecurity of fomo, we’ve become quick to expose ourselves (or a version of ourselves) online. Corporations, government agencies, and hackers all know us better than we know ourselves. Yet this disconcerting fact seems to render us unphased. We leave ourselves vulnerable and unarmed online.
In the real life scenario of this, many are only comfortable exposing themselves if they work in a profession that requires publicity. Scopophilia in real life isn’t readily welcomed, especially when we aren’t aware of being watched. Private Place approaches this through the idea of fantasy, using the metaphor of exhibitionism and voyeurism as an illustrative contrast to this vulnerability. The exhibitionist’s strength is that they control just how much they choose to expose themselves to the voyeur, but their power is only as strong as the audience they are able to attract. Here the subject invites an audience to become her voyeur for the emotional release of strength, vulnerability, fear, and power. The idea of privacy invasion becomes inverted and something longed for, much like our attitude has become with online followers.
Photography: Dustin Mansyur @dmansyur | Model: Liz Harlan @f3mm3n1stn1ghtm4r3_ | Styling: Ella Cepeda @ella_cepeda | Beauty and Hair: Agata Helena @agatahelena | Set Design: Dustin Mansyur | Poem and Excerpt Summary: Dustin Mansyur | Digital Tech: Johnny Vicari @johnnyvicari | Video Editor: Ricardo Martinez Roa @ricardomartinezroa
