This thesis has sought to answer how gara, a type of embroidery embellished on traditional sari, works as a communicative tool of Parsi identity to both non-Parsi and Parsi. In order to achieve...Show moreThis thesis has sought to answer how gara, a type of embroidery embellished on traditional sari, works as a communicative tool of Parsi identity to both non-Parsi and Parsi. In order to achieve this, we shall see first how dress is able to communicate identity to oneself and others through a process this thesis dubs embellishment, before focusing in on the social, historical, and religious aspects of gara, and uncovering what collective Parsi identity is communicated through gara exactly. This thesis concludes that the process of embellishment communicates an identity that is Parsi through applying an identity narrative on dress which is interacted with by others to formulate a temporarily fixed identity of the wearer. This identity narrative embellished on gara has social, historical, and religious roots, all of which are discussed in the thesis at length. This thesis thus answers two important questions in the study of identity communication through dress, by explaining how identity can be transmitted though dress, as well as how this identity is formulated.Show less
Several Belarusian artists began including re-appropriated folkloric imagery and art-making techniques in response to anti-dictatorial protests, which erupted in Belarus on May 24th, 2020 following...Show moreSeveral Belarusian artists began including re-appropriated folkloric imagery and art-making techniques in response to anti-dictatorial protests, which erupted in Belarus on May 24th, 2020 following the rigged elections. Rufina Bazlova was one such artist, who documented the protest events in The History of the Belarusian Vyzhyvanka (2020-2021). This digitally-native artwork was mechanically embroidered to mimic traditional Belarusian cross-stitch embroidery on linen shirts- vyshyvankas. Using Bazlova as a case study, this paper examines how, and to what extent, the interweaving of digital and folk-storytelling in contemporary Belarusian art contributes to the representation of a post-2020 Belarusian identity, perpetuated across mass- media since 2020. In exploring this investigation through Peircean semiotics and anthropological methodologies, this thesis shows: how folkloric imagery and material heritage contribute to a distinctly Belarusian identity through their indexical and symbolic meaning, which also gives them anti-colonial agency; and how their contemporary re-contextualisation within the digital creates a historical continuity between former oppositional identities and a uniquely digital, post-2020 identity. In doing so, this research targets a common misconception of a lacking Belarusian culture and identity.Show less
This thesis focuses on vernacular photographs that have been altered by artists stitching various forms of embroidery directly into the photographic paper, creating an interplay of thread, paper,...Show moreThis thesis focuses on vernacular photographs that have been altered by artists stitching various forms of embroidery directly into the photographic paper, creating an interplay of thread, paper, and image. The combination of these opposing traits into a single work subverts the viewer’s assumptions about both mediums, and constitutes a specific spectator experience. I utilise theories from film, photography, painting, and digital media that deal with materiality and embodiment in order to examine what is at work in an embodied spectator experience with specific works from four artists using varied approaches. My hope is to provide insight into potential avenues and outcomes for embodiment with both these objects in particular and embroidered photographs more broadly.Show less
