[suit.a.ble] Don’t Follow Suit: An Ode to Dissonance
This work beckons the observer into a realm where the mundane collides with the surreal, where the banal becomes a canvas for the extraordinary. In this enigmatic viewscape, the viewer is confronted with a tableau that defies categorization, challenging conventional notions of identity, space, and performance.
At its centre stands a young woman, a figure of both defiance and vulnerability. Her choice of attire serves as a declaration of independence, a rejection of societal norms and expectations in favour of personal expression and autonomy.
Perched atop a pristine toilet, a site of beauty and the potential for the profane, the woman's presence becomes a focal point of redemption and revolution. Within the ostensibly safe yet confining and stagnant rows of immaculate white stalls, she occupies a liminal space between the public and the private, the banal and the absurd. Her very act of standing upon the toilet transcends its utilitarian function, transforming it into a stage for performative liberation.
In her hands, she holds a clarinet, an instrument of harmony and discord, of order and chaos. As she plays, her music reverberates through the sterile confines of the restroom, filling the space with notes of dissonance and harmony. It is a sonic invocation of the contradictions inherent in the human experience, a symphony of contradiction to forced privacy and brutalist conformity.
Surrounding her, the rows of white stalls stand as silent witnesses to her act of defiance, their pristine surfaces reflecting the interplay of light and shadow. Here, within the confines of this sterile sanctuary, the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, inviting the viewer to question the nature of perception and representation.
The work is a testament to the power of the absurd, a celebration of the unexpected and the unconventional. Through its fusion of disparate elements – the tracksuit, the toilet, the clarinet – it invites us to embrace the chaos of existence, to revel in the dissonance that defines the human condition.
Thanks to Cam Whitehead for the very suitable writing
This photograph is one of 10 images produced for the [suit.a.ble] photo exhibition on March 2nd. If you would like to read about the exhibition itself CLICK HERE