Changing Stripes signifies the end of a four year-long-performance in which I wore the same identical outfit without variation. My closet reflected my precise wish to live minimally. This drastic change in appearance came to be represented by a striped shirt, a pair of slacks held up by suspenders, and Doc Marten boots. My clothing was always accompanied by my camera worn around my shoulder that I used to document nearly every aspect of my life.
Initially, my choice of wardrobe was as grounded in aesthetics as it was utility; my attempt to streamline my choices in dress left room for me to chase the absurdities I perceived in my daily surroundings. As time passed, I became the absurdity that intrigued everyone else. It became a responsibility to perform each day for friends and family: a role to fill, a character to play. On the rare occasion my stripes were hidden, I was met with surprise by friends and family.
Changing Stripes explores the relationship between clothing and identity. By dressing friends, family, and strangers in my uniform, I offer those who wear them a chance to step into my world for the past four years and take a chance at representing their ideas of me, if only briefly. I am offering my stripes one last performance before they are laid to rest in the gallery.
