When I started researching about identities for my premasters project, I found that, indeed, our identity is dynamic and situation-sensitive, and we tend to conceal some information about us and instead curate and present identities which enable us to adapt to every social situation we're in, and perhaps protect us and act as shields in society. And thanks to social media and the saturation of accessible information around us, it has become easier for us to to pick what we find suited to our tastes and present highly polished and fabricated identities not just online, but in the offline world as well.
With that being said, I decided to go with a dynamic approach to the main concept: a live art performance. I designed the bodywear from a combination of tissue paper and satin fabric (carefully stitched together at seams which the performers knew where to tug at).
The art performance is more of a reflection of our behavior in today's society. How we are consumed by what we see of others, how we follow so intently and intrude the lives of others and assume what we see is the real picture, but in fact, we are deceived, and yet we choose to believe the beautiful lies rather than push for truths. Ignorance becomes a virtue, society turns a blind eye. At the same time, we are curators ourselves, subconsciously affected by the data we are exposed to on a daily, even hourly, basis, and present it as our own, thinking this is who we are, and conning those around us. But when it comes to pinpointing the origin of the elements that make up what we call our "identity", they trace back to a starting point further away from our own selves.
Now, the real question is, to which extent are these presented identities authentic? Are we really in control of the impressions we give to others through our identities? And can we really tell what the purest form of identity is?
This art performance is a pursuit of the purest form of identity: what lies beneath the surface.
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Project by & Creative Direction: Lubna Omar
Choreography: Lubna Omar & Habiba Khattab
Performers: Habiba Khattab & Donia Ashraf
Choreography: Lubna Omar & Habiba Khattab
Performers: Habiba Khattab & Donia Ashraf
Photography & Art Direction: Omnia Magdy
Music: London Grammar - Nightcall
* Music is copyright to its rightful owners. I do not claim it as my own, and the sole purpose of its use was for the art performance.
