Thursday 27 May 2010

BENEATH THE PAINT - TRIBES it's coming!




When I came up with the idea for this shoot I had no idea how much on POINT it would be.

TRIBES it's coming - was a 'tongue in cheek' look at people, their social standing; their ethnic differances and how little or how much of a difference it really made in todays society.
An imaginary FASHION TRIBE if you will, was created; using a multitude of heights, languages, skin tones, backgrounds, sexes, sexual preferences, apptitudes within their profession [modelling], religious backgrounds and of course, LOL general likes and dislikes.

Individually, based on attire (read as 'genus) they were made-up, painted, transformed into a singular tribe, by dint of now being joined together by the masks created, the make-up, the FASHION. They were then taken on a walk, 'a spiritual journey', to a place they had never been to before and here on these 'mourning grounds' , they were tested, they joined as one and they were transformed.
For no longer were they black or white, male or female, straight or gay, they...., WE, BECAME that TRIBE. And even now, (I know becasue it has been communicated back to me, by differeing people in various ways) that there is a special feeling that each person that participated in that event feels. A 'special' warmt at being, for that brief moment, part of something that was different; special. Truly TRIBAL and PRIMEVAL.

"it's coming" was a two-pronged message, both of doom AND elation.

The TRIBE; [our tribe;] was symbolically joining together. Proving that no matter the type of mask you wear in your day to day lives; no matter the PAINT you put on, we're all the same underneath and we should ALL learn to love and respect the differences between ourselves.


But "it's coming" was also a message of doom.
A message that if were didn't work together;
if we chose NOT to look past the paint to the person beneath;
that as easily as we were joined for the purposes of a photo-shoot so too,
far too easily lines could be drawn between
neighbours of differing RACES, because of how we voted;
or age old friends because of who we chose to support in what debate.
And in this way it heralds a warning of a return to an earlier age of tribes.
One of TRIBAL WARFARE.
Constantly splintering off;
breaking into fractions;
dividing up the spoils amongst the victors with no thought to the vanquished.


Look all the recent global speculations hurtled,
mindlessly back and forth against religious groups
based purely on how they commune with their God.
Or the jailing of two men for simply loving each other,
or relations in the Caribbean over what should be
a celebration of yet another 'first'.
We need to move forward,
we need to continue to celebrate these differences
we sometimes chose to keep hidden.
We need to reach out PAST the PAINT,
or we will be reaching back BACK INTO OUR PAST.

TRIBES it's coming

tribe |trīb|noun: a distinctive close-knit social or political group


in light of the political climate,
RASCONRAD brings you....
TRIBES - it's coming
"the truth is people, no matter our differances; we're all the same under the paint! RC..."

BIG LOVE TO GAVIN PIERRE MEDFORD who provided us with VINTAGE STOLES, foxes and minx of all sizes and colours. THANK YOU; THANK YOU; THANK YOU!!!
TEXTILE DESIGNER: Chantelle Hewitt
STYLIST: Sacha 'Bow' Cocks
MUA: SIma Rahman
PROD ASST: Lucinda Valentine

PHOTOGRAPHY/CONCEPT: © 2010 RASCONRAD PHOTOGRAPHY

FOR ALL IMAGES http://gallery.me.com/rasicon#102154

© RasCONRAD PHOTOGRAPHY

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