This collection works to tear down our preconceptions and false binaries to make space for elegance within chaos, and for chaos within elegance. This collection is about reclaiming the parts of ourselves that we are told are shameful, and transcending the culture of violent men.
Confessionals used for the sacrament of reconciliation were the central inspiration. The curtain in a Roman Catholic church confessional symbolises that dividing line between redemption and sin. The lie instilled that we must beg forgiveness for being our truest selves. It conceals the truth they find uncomfortable: that sin and morality do not always remain distinct.
Catholic guilt is overwhelmingly complex. The rules of the Church are the only safe course charted, from which we must not stray, lest we end up in eternal damnation. Guilt and shame are the stars that guide us down paths we are told are treacherous, from the way we navigate the world to the way we explore and express ourselves.
Gender division is rooted in class division and has been used in patriarchal systems to consolidate their power throughout history. The culture of violent men bombards us with warnings about our natural sinfulness and the corruption of our bodies, leaving us with complicated and discordant relationships with the soul and what houses it. Whenever the ruling classes became stronger, the laws grew fiercer - leading to hostility towards transgender people, same-sex love, and other forms of non-conformity.
The truth behind the veil is more complex and more beautiful than the lie. Expressing our truest selves is confession without shame.
Tear down the false icons.
