When given the Urban Adaptation theme “Assimilation/Cultural Appropriation”, an immediate reaction is “how can we assimilate to Chinatown and it’s people?” Another approach, is “how can Chinese immigrants and their ethnically Chinese counterparts hold onto their culture, while living in a new environment?” This is a question posed by many of America’s diverse citizens. I chose to use the popular Yin and Yang to explore this. The symbol, Yin and Yang, represents balance between opposite forces, that become interconnected and almost depend on each other to exist. There is an interconnectedness of the two forces, light and dark, high and low, etc that can be skewed based on outside influences. Being an immigrant to a country where inclusion and boundaries are being broken gradually, one’s culture and heritage may be sidebarred to try and assimilate. In chinese culture, its people are typically more on the conservative side in terms of dress and attire. Camp, is the complete opposite. The Met exhibit, “Camp”, left a substantial impact on my outlook on the Urban Adaptation. Not only are there endless possibilities on being extravagant, flamboyant, and non-gender conforming with the designs, but also the impact of history and culture remains prevalent in many of the more successful pieces. The Yin Yang Dress is meant to play with the mixing, and balance of acknowledging culture and heritage, while stepping out of its bounds towards voguing and flashy performance, by twisting it around the body.
My second idea, (right), surfaced from my interest in lanterns. Chinese paper lanterns have symbolized a bright future, which is why they are released during festivals and decorated during the Lunar New Year. I recalled the metaphor of “weight on one’s shoulder” and thought, what if the lanterns, a symbol of a positive future, could lift that weight?” I wanted to use the lanterns on the shoulders in this way, while giving the female model, a sense of pride, ferocity. Thinking back to the story of Mulan, her bravery and more “masculine” side she fought for her family, and her country. The military styled shoulder piece is meant to provide that strength to the look. I took inspiration from Chinese knotting as well. The good luck charm is often hung from the lanterns. The bottom tail of the dress is meant to correlate with the tassel. The overall piece is meant to embody a lantern, with a feminine but also masculine spin on the common good luck charm.
