Citizen (Ongoing)

(Size: variable)

Follow this project! I'll be posting new photographs regularly as the project unfolds.

In my practice, I explore the formation and preservation of ethical values and perceptions of morality in human psychology, particularly where religion is at play. Right now, I’m chiefly concerned with the rise and development of Christian nationalism and how the movement affects the safety and well-being of American citizens, especially American children.

For the project Citizen, I am creating a fictional line of trendy children’s clothing featuring text and hand-drawn illustrations which probe viewers to consider several prominent moral crises Americans collectively face. Fashioning aloof garments in the style of luxury children’s clothing brands, I am mining the visual language of capitalism and materialism to highlight the enormous gap in empathy and compassion which surround searing political issues such as gun violence, immigration, and gender equality. Ideas which encircle these issues are constantly re-packaged, temptingly branded, bought and sold. I am looking deeply into the emotional and psychological deterioration this causes, trying to prod into the massive callouses that we have formed, maintained, and groomed.

Scrolling on social media one afternoon, I ran across two consecutive images: the first promoting a beautiful $300 girl’s swimsuit, and the second, an anti-immigrant meme featuring drawing of the state of Texas encircled in barbed wire with the slogan: “come and take it.” As I fit these two images together, imagining a six-year-old wearing this bathing suit and swimming through a river infested with razor wire, there was immediate, nauseating conviction. Here was a fitting illustration of the enormous gap in consciousness concerning these contentious issues, a stark reminder that at the center of all of this are fellow human beings.

Culturally, we are a little better at seeing the humanity in children—far better than we are at seeing it in adults. When I project disturbing slogans and images onto garments intended for children, there is extra repulsion, extra agitation, and clear discomfort. In truth, if this content isn’t suitable for children, it isn’t suitable for anyone. I hope for viewers of this project to imagine these garments on children they know and love, and to deeply consider the real faces, the touchable, tangible people at the center of the political rhetoric, and the lasting consequences of noisy discourse void of compassion.

Portraits

Alongside photographs featuring the faux children’s garments, I have created large, nearly life-sized portraits of American children recruited from a large electronic casting call. The portraits ask viewers to confront the children, truly see them, and carefully consider their humanity. Making these portraits was by far my favorite part of this project; I hope to make more as the work progresses. Most of the portraits you see were captured within the first few frames; I wanted the expression and body language of the children to be honest and authentic. The process of styling the children was an interesting one, further illuminating the power and influence adults have, even in the small decisions I made—which clothing for which child, hair style, shoes, socks, and makeup. Essentially, the children are put into a costume, then walk onto a set crowded with enormous, bright lights, stood in front of a stranger with a big camera, and recorded. Though the interactions were truly a joy, I learned a lot from them, in witnessing the transfer of power, my influence, where they asserted themselves and where they didn’t. It brought a lot of the core ideas of the project to the surface—how the decisions made by adults literally exhibit themselves on children. It was a gift, dwelling in their humanity, speaking with them, and recording their response in these photographs.

Clothing

To create the clothing, I researched luxury children’s clothing brands, and I have meticulously modeled this faux collection after them, mimicking common cuts, colors, and patterns. I scoured the internet and local resale shops for clothing items which could be revised or embellished, either physically or digitally. I sourced as much vintage clothing as possible, as these items were literally worn by today’s adults, a perfect picture of the relationship between generations. I photographed portraits of all the children wearing the clothing in its original state, before alteration. Using combined methods of sewing, knitting, weaving, embroidery, and digital compositing, I am now modifying the clothing, adding peculiar texts and images. The altered clothing is kept separate from the children in the portraits, as it is important to me that the children see themselves portrayed positively, and no trauma is re-introduced.

Some of the slogans are plucked directly from existing children’s clothing, and the context of the project drastically changes the meaning. Others are replicas of adult clothing that already exists for sale, texts from popular memes, or direct quotes from influential politicians. Others use dark sarcasm to illuminate the absurdity of some of the most jarring realities in American culture.