For Bridge 4, every group of two chose a person who lived in New York City during the first half of the 20th century and create a sentimental object according to the chosen character. My partner and I decided to research the famous performer Josephine Baker and re-create her most iconic costume — the banana skirt.
After the premiere of Danse Sauvage, the banana skirt became the symbol of Josephine Baker’s revolutionary style, and a statement piece that carried the legendary Josephine Baker through time. Numerous dolls in banana skirts inspired by Baker’s performance were sold all over Europe at the time, and reminiscence of Baker is present even decades later. Celebrities such as Beyoncé and Rihanna commemorated Baker by paying homage to her costumes; designers such as Miuccia Prada and Marc Jacobs referenced Baker’s signature gelled hair on their fashion runways. Baker’s banana skirt represents the dancer’s fierce nature, and illustrates an ironic response to the obsession of African culture present in Europe during the 1920s. Wearing the famous banana skirt, Baker not only established her status of an unprecedented black female star, but also reclaimed her inherent culture through the performance that played with manipulation of white males’ fantasies and subverted the stereotypical image of a black female.
Final Product
Materials:
paper maché bananas, faux pearls, rhinestones, glitter, acrylic paints
