Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation by heermandalia

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

MATERIAL AESTHETIC OF SELF - PRESENTATION by Heer Maheshkumar Mandalia

Received and approved:

May 14, 2021 _______________________________________________________ Date_______________ Lead Thesis Advisor Signature Thomas Klinkowstein _______________________________________________________ Lead Thesis Advisor Name May 19, 2021 _______________________________________________________ Date_______________ Chairperson Signature

Gaia Hwang _______________________________________________________ Chairperson Name 05/14/2021 _______________________________________________________ Date_______________ MFA Thesis Candidate Signature

Heer Mandalia _______________________________________________________ MFA Thesis Candidate Name

School of Design Pratt Institute May 2021

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Janine Toro

Primary thesis advisor

Gaia Hwang

Heer Mandalia

Secondary thesis advisor

Chairperson

MFA candidate

Tom Klinkowstein

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Contents Abstract

Delimitations

Introductory Definitions

Context + Literature

Process + Methodology

Capstone

126

Further Directions Acknowledgments Bibliography `

128 130 132 7

Conclusion

Abstract

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Identity is formed by various factors such as gender, surroundings, religion, profession, and physical form. We can not inhibit aspects such as religion or gender, but we can develop other aspects like a visual form of self. The visual nature of identity is formed by gender and self-presentation. Self-presentation of identity is built by the body itself and the choice of material visual appearances like clothes, accessories, and other objects. In this thesis, I want to explore the rootedness of the physical form of gender within everyday social connections. It sets out to investigate diverse communities’ coexistence relative to external appearance and its impact on one’s material choices. I want to study how individual self-presentation is formed by a collective social, geographical, and religious system and vice versa. Furthermore, explore how appearance can contribute to one’s individual identity by studying everyday social interactions. 9

Abstract

Delimitations

Delimitations This thesis explores, investigates, and questions the idea of how material appearance can intervene with everyday interactions. It explores how people’s choice of clothing, accessories or various materials informs their personality or identity. It investigates how humans can perceive, assume, or judge based on other’s appearance during interaction in physical space. This thesis explores multiple theories around appearance and self-presentation. However, some aspects lie beyond its scope. This thesis does not develop a ‘problem-solving approach to judgment based on appearance in design but rather articulates discussions, exploration, and investigation in this field. This thesis is not a commentary on what is right and wrong. It is showing the reflection of society based on observation. This thesis does not explore the idea of beauty standards shaped by commercial media and social media.

This thesis does not look at interactions via the digital medium.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Introductory Definitions

PHYSICAL FORM

IDENTITY the distinguishing character or personality of an individual (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer identity as a self-chosen perception of their own beliefs, characteristics, and traits has formed through experience of their life journey.

(source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer to physical form as the external, material appearance of the human body.

SELF PRESENTATION

Physical: having material existence, perceptible especially through the senses form: the shape and structure of something as distinguished from its material the building’s massive form

Presentation: something set forth for the attention of the mind (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer self presentation as a chosen physical appearance of self, which we present to society in a social, religious, and professional setting.

MATERIAL CHOICES Material: the elements, constituents, or substances of which something is composed or can be made (source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I refer to material choices as group of physical elements owned by an individual, which is associated with their self-identity.

SELF REFLECTIVE marked by or engaging in self-reflection (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer self reflective as an act to understand the inward personal traits/ qualities and reflect the outward appearance.

INTERPRETATION

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

interpret: to conceive in the light of individual belief, judgment, or circumstance (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer interpretation as a action of perceiving people based on our consciousness built over a span of time.

PERCEPTION

SHARED CULTURE

awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation (source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I refer perception as an awareness of personal’s beliefs developed because of one’s consciousness over a period of time.

Physical: having material existence, perceptible especially through the senses form: the shape and structure of something as distinguished from its material the building’s massive form (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

I refer shared culture as a space or group of people which can influence others’ perception of appearance by sharing their opinion, beliefs and past experiences.

Context + Literature

Body shape?

Facial features? Clothes? Accessories?

Piercing? Body language?

shoes?

Self presentation?

Hand gestures?

When you see a person for the first time, what do you notice?

Bags?

Eyewear? Branded products?

Tattoos?

Make up?

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

16 Introduction

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

If we look at the origin of clothing, it came into existence to protect the physical body from the surrounding. In “Does Appearance Matter?” author Lucia Klencakova states, “According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, clothing is considered twice; first, clothing belongs to physical need, including food and shelter, and then to social need because appearance as an expression of one’s identity also expresses belonging to a certain group, or subculture.”Regardless of its origin, dress is no longer used primarily for protective measures but rather to create and maintain respectability through its visual display. We now use clothes and commodities as a tool of self-presentation and to express an individual’s identity. Clothing is a silent tool that people consciously or unconsciously use to declare who they are, how they wish to be seen, and how the audience will perceive them. Clothes, make-up, and accessories communicate one’s social and marital status, religious beliefs, even sexual orientation. Lucia Klencakova in Does Appearance Matter? sums up the idea by quoting Freud, “Every change in the customary attire … means to express something the wearer of the apparel does not wish to say directly.” Like in ancient Egypt, the household’s male head was accessorized with jewelry and clothing, which would show his status and dignity without any title or use of words. 17

Does our selfpresentation affect everyday interaction?

Context + Literature

In order to understand how our mind and body works when we unconsciously observe other people, authors, Nancy Rudd and Sharron Lennon discuss it in “Body Image: Linking Aesthetics and Social Psychology of Appearance,” about DeLongs four-step theory on how our mind perceives other people and how we are perceived by other people based on the material things and body construct.

The first step is to observe the person as a whole form.

The second step is to look at line direction, shapes, textures, and how the garment or accessory relates to the body on which it is worn.

The third step includes visual analysis of specific components, and then they are interpreted in a socio-cultural context.

The last step is to evaluate the appearance with the context in which it is presented to the viewer.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Context + Literature

If we look back at the experience of meeting a person for the first few times in college or on a date, we were consciously or unconsciously following DeLongs four-step theory. We try to figure out the person’s character from how they dress, walk and talk to surrounding people. The first impression comes from the body itself and the person’s aesthetic presentation. In “Does Appearance Matter?” author Lucia Klencakova states that “Clothing is a prop used to support one’s identity. In other words, people use clothing to declare who they are; how they wish to be seen, and how the audience will perceive them. Clothes, make up, and accessories communicate one’s social and marital status, religious beliefs, even sexual orientation.” The action of self-presentation is an extended part of the story of who we are or want to be perceived. For instance, we dress differently for different occasions; we would dress up for a date that shows the parts of self we want others to perceive.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Taken together the primary units of body and dress present both aesthetic and social information, which the viewer interprets and evaluates against some personal and/ or socio-cultural standards. In “Body Image: Linking Aesthetics and Social Psychology of Appearance,” authors Nancy Rudd and Sharron states Hillestad’s views “To truly understand what we perceive in the appearances of others we must critically examine not only the form of an appearance but also the content.” According to author Hillestad, the word content represents past experiences and observations for each individual and is also shaped by socialization and education. The author Nancy A. Rudd

and Sharron J. Lennon, In “Body Image: Linking Aesthetics and Social Psychology of Appearance,” talks about these perspectives in social psychology which is used to study overall body image, including cultural categorization, Status characteristics theory, Stigma, Body type, Social comparison theory, and social identity theory.

Context + Literature

Cultural categorization While perceiving people, we put categories in them. We mostly classify people based on their sound, smell, and appearance. Appearance is most often used to categorize, and when we form categories based on culturally relevant differences, we are forming cultural Categories.

The perception of a person based on appearance is based not only on the form but also on social content. As in Facial attractiveness: evolutionary-based research, the authors state that “Familiarity is a powerful determinant of attraction.” For example, In a conversation with my Indian origin friend who is born and brought up in India and moved to New York two years ago who now works as a physical therapist in the Bronx. She described to me that during the Hindu festival of Diwali she wore a kurti to her workplace; kurti is a long below-knee length straight top, which she paired with leggings and accessorized with some traditional jewelry, where one of her non-Indian patient looked at her and question why is she wearing this costume?. If she had worn the same outfit in India, or in front of an Indian-origin person, it would have been a regular outfit and not treated as a costume. However, the same outfit was not relatable to her patient as they had never seen anyone wearing a similar outfit.

Our perception of appearance changes with the cultural understanding we have developed by learning and looking at the behavioral differences in our social realms.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Context + Literature

Balenciaga shoes

Copy for Balenciaga shoe

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Status characteristics theory In Fashioning Power: Visual Self-Presentation in Social Life, writer and speaker Anna Akbari say, “This social capital is not relegated exclusively to the visually correct selection of specific garments or extensive bodily makeovers, it is also traded through one’s association with brands and the veritable transformation into one’s own brand.” She argues that social capital is not achieved by merely coping with another person’s dressing style but also rooted in the brands that a person is choosing to wear. In simpler words, two people are wearing almost identical sneakers, but one is from Gucci, and another is from Zara. The person wearing Gucci shoes will have higher social capital. Merely coping with a style wouldn’t change the perception of the observers. While people who have established their social status in their social surroundings are not questioned about their capital. Lynn Yaeger, in an interview with Anna Akhbari for Fashioning power: Visual Self Presentation in Social Life, revealed that all the jewelry she wears is always real – except for the earrings she wears every day. “Everyone thinks the earrings are real, they think they’re these big diamond earrings, but they’re not. I bought them in Washington Heights 20 years ago.” However, the people around her easily pass it as a “real” piece of jewelry without second-guessing it as she has an already built social status where people have stopped to question her choice of brands. 25

In any given cultural category, the hierarchical social structure is influenced by social cues such as appearance, including gender, age, attractiveness, stigma, and body type. This categorization is often reflected in unequal access to power, social and economic inequality. These theories categorized how appearance can intervene with our social structures in different ways.

Context + Literature

Body type The desirability of certain body forms is evidence of cultural influence. The cultural imagery associated with body type is evident in fashion magazines, beauty contests, sporting events, and children’s toys.

I have been born and brought up in a mid-size city, Ahmedabad, in India, in a fairly conservative Indian mindset. Since the age of twelve, I started gaining weight as a side effect of medicines for my asthma. Since then until now (I am 24 years old), I have heard comments on my appearance almost every week from my close and extended family. The comments keep changing with the clothes I wear if they make me look slimmer or puffier. Which made me more conscious about my choice of clothing and appearance, which I would carry. The clothes that made me look slimmer made me more confident.

Anna Akhbari in “FASHIONING POWER Visual Self-Presentation in Social Life” interviewed Oksana, a Russian woman who has lived in the U.S. for several years, is an associate director at a major investment bank in New York City. In which Oksana placed a strong emphasis on confidence: “If I look good, I am more confident and get things done quicker, because people are more open and cooperating. People like well-dressed, good-looking people. It is in nature.” The selfpresentation of a person is not only affected by others but also affects the mental image of ourselves.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Context + Literature

Social comparison theory In this theory, Festinger, author of “A theory of social comparison processes Human Relations,” pointed that humans have the drive to evaluate themselves by comparison to some standard, But to get the maximum information, they would compare to similar others.

During the past few months, I have joined an online dating application, Bumble. In this application, we are asked to put a few pictures and write about ourselves, which is not mandatory. The choices are mostly based on the images and followed by the short bio if there are any. I would usually pass on men with muscular fit bodies, mainly because it makes me more conscious about my body, which is more on the spectrum’s fatter side. I created an illusory comparison with the social standard created by the media on a person’s body type.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Stigma When an individual’s appearance deviates from the normal, like physical abnormality, which is relevant in appearance, it could be socially stigmatized and become a disadvantage for the person.

In a conversation with a friend who is suffering from Atopic Dermatitis disease, a rare skin condition that makes your skin red and itchy and leaves spots on the skin. He has been suffering from the young age of ten. He is based in the capital city of the western state of Rajasthan in India. During his middle school years, his other classmates isolated him from the class and would not sit beside him as they thought it would spread to them. Many kids were told not to be around him by their parents; part of the reason was not enough knowledge about the type of disease. As a young kid, his appearance affected his school life-extending to mental health based on his physical appearance.

Context + Literature

Social identity theory In this theory, Festinger talks about comparing an individual-based on the social group in which they belong. One will derive a positive self-image from those group memberships if one belongs to socially valued groups. To the extent that one belongs to socially devalued groups, group membership will contribute negatively to selfimage.

This phenomenon is observed in many movies where the protagonist has transformed themself to fit in the desired role. Like in The Princess Diaries, the teenage lead Mia, who has curly hair, wears glasses and has crooked teeth, finds out that she is a princess of a small European principality called Genovia. During the film, she is transformed into an elegant woman with straightened hair, a more groomed face, and feminine clothing to suit the title of princess.

The social structure of appearance is gridded and divided to fit in a given system. In The “Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Double Day’’, Goffman says, “In all societies, rules of conduct tend to be organized into codes which guarantee that everyone acts appropriately and receives his due.” Many people alter their bodies, hair, and clothing to align with the social network. This system majorly works because the person knows that he is actively observed, and changing his appearance would change the observer’s interpretation of him.

After makeover in movie Princess diaries

Before makeover in movie Princess diaries

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Visual appearance can be used to tell a story about oneself but can also be used to disguise one’s personality. This phenomenon can be most comprehended in superhero films where a costume separates them from ordinary people. A costume is made to change and attract the viewer’s attention, but it creates a different identity for the person. A person is different with and without a costume, like a layer of clothing ignites the person’s alter ego. In “Raiding the Superhero Wardrobe: A Review of The Superhero Costume – Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction”, author Alke Gröppel-Wegener says, “But the masks also permit superheroes to act as they might not in their civilian guises – it is almost as if this part of the costume gives them permission to act outside of the law, while at the same time giving them the anonymity that protects their circle of friends and family.” The costume gives them the power to act outside civilian law, where masks give superhero costumes that lead to moral ambiguity. 33

Disguise of appearance

Context + Literature

For example, in the superhero film spiderman, an ordinary student, peter parker, after being bitten by a genetically altered spider, gains superhuman strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface. He wears a mask to hide his real personality while using his abilities to fight crime. Over time his costumes evolve from a mere mask to a whole bodysuit. There is an instant switch in his character throughout various films; when he is seen in his costume, he gains confidence, which he fails to carry without the costume. On the other hand, superheroes opt to wear civilian outfits to disguise and remove their superpowers and turn the wearer into an ordinary human. The civilian outfits make the wearer an ordinary person, a layman, and then back to their normal self. Though the normal self can change, depending on what the wearer thinks of being normal is.

Costumes are made to stand out from the rest and to make them look unique. It can also declare you to be a part of a larger group, like the Russian feminist protest punk rock and performance art group Pussy Riot’s balaclava mask. They use these masks as a uniform which mold them into a recognizable group. Balaclava masks also carry many connotations as robbers or burglars use them to hide their identities. Outfits/ accessories are not only used to stand out of hiding one’s personality but also change how the person feels after wearing it. A piece of clothing can have the ability to change a person’s attitude, personality, and actions.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Peter Parker as layman in Spider Man

Peter Parker as superhero in Spider Man

Group of women dressed in Pussy Riot’s balaclava mask

Context + Literature

Appearance in professional world

Appearance is assessed by people in every walks of life, social as well as professional life. in “Does Appearance Matter?” author Lucia Klencakova states that “Researchers established in the past that attractiveness can be a foundation for success (Brower, 2013; Cavico, Muffler, & Mujtaba, 2012; James, 2008).” When we walk in for an interview, we want to present our best selves, including our external appearance. The first look marks an impression on the other person. Even though appearance does not speak about professional skills that a person might have, it maintains a large role in many professions. For example, for a lawyer to be perceived as qualified, experienced, and gain the client’s trust, s/he needs to be dressed to a certain standard; otherwise, a client might not even consider his or her services. While this tool can be used as an added strength, but it becomes an unfair disadvantage to others in the hiring process. Someone who might be more deserving would not get the role as s/he was not physically attractive.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Context + Literature

Man’s attire in corporate world

Women’s attire in corporate world

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Concerning appearance in the workplace, there is one more classification of sex that is involved. Essentially men and women are both required to alter their looks in order to land a job. Men in a traditional workplace are required to wear a power suit of a dark, tie, and short hair, preferably no facial hair; this professional look proffers an image of authority, dominance, and power. In “Does Appearance Matter?” author Lucia Klencakova says, “The suit gives an illusion of the male being larger than he is with the shoulder pads worn over the shirt, which adds bulk and size to the male’s body while concealing undesirable imperfections.” It gives an impression of a well-groomed, sophisticated look, which assures the quality of the service.

In “Does Appearance Matter?” author Lucia Klencakova argues that women are judged more severely than men when dressing for the workplace. Women are also required to dress according to the job title, but the appearance in professional settings gets more complicated as sexuality is involved with females. Women are expected not to wear skirts or too much make-up, be not very masculine and not very feminine at the same time. In lawsuit Jespersen v. Harrah, an employer required male employees to be well-groomed, have trimmed nails, short hair, and refrain from wearing make-up. Female employees were required to be “appealing to the eye”— be body toned, wear stockings and nail polish, style their hair, and the employer also hired a make-up artist to tell female employees how to style themselves for work every day. Based on appearance, Bais takes a different form based on physical attractiveness, gender, and self-presentation. In contrast, these go unseen and are legal (mostly) as there will never be any evidence of it.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Appearance is documented majorly through images; however, language is also a powerful tool to describe a person’s presentation. Words describe fictional or real characters in magazines, novels, literature papers, and newspapers; it almost makes us imagine how the person resembles in real life. Roland Barthes begins his investigation in The Fashion System with the observation that Fashion in its written form—what he calls “written clothing”— provides the clearest representation of its meaning in a society. Unlike “real clothing” (that is, actual garments), which is “burdened with practical considerations (protection, modesty, adornment),” written clothing’s only function is signification. Written clothing adds more layers to the character of the person. It not only describes the physical material and characteristics of clothing but how the person wears it. It uses another (or multiple) person’s impression of that appearance. It becomes multilayered with the clothing itself, the writer’s opinion, and the reader’s assumptions. Selfpresentation changes and then exists in various guises according to geographic region, culture, and religion. 41

Written description of appearance

Context + Literature

For example, imagine this character “Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright-green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had got it.” (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) The character Harry potter’s physical appearance almost comes alive through words.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Harry Potter’s physical appearnce

Context + Literature

Identity, form and gender in Art Over time, many artists have used art to examine, question, and criticize their personal and social relationships of gender, identity, age, form with the physical appearance.

Self-presentation changes as we grow and evolve with us. It also changes our physical body, which also reflects on how we see ourselves. A British artist, art writer, and curator, John Coplans, addressed masculinity by investigating how societal pressures and mass media inform and shape men’s expectations in Back Torso from below. Coplans took black and white photographs of his naked body when he was sixty years old. He never included his face, and the angle of photographs made his body so abstract that all the lines and curves fade away. He confronts the question of youthful body and issues of aging and deterioration.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Self portrait by Claude Cahun

Untitled by Claude Cahun (Lucy Schwob), Marcel Moore (Suzanne Malherbe)

Context + Literature

The Wigs by Lora Simpson

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Experimenting with material choices can change our self-presentation. Artist Claude Cahun, who changed her name from Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob to have a unisex name, was a French queer photographer, sculptor, and writer who experimented with a variety of personas, including dandy weight lifter, aviator, and doll. She captured images of herself in personas around traditional male and female clothing characters to challenge the idea of static gender. 47

Many artists have been using their bodies in performance as a way to explore their identity. Race has also been a defining factor or identity which has formed many notions around visual representation. Lora Simpson, a photographer and a multimedia artist investigate the history of African American hairstyles and conventions of beauty through her The Wigs. The artwork shows image and text in which Simpson refers to the body without including it, inviting the viewer to create narratives about who might wear these hairpieces.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Identity, gender and creation in mythology Creation of man and women in Mythology Humans’ creation story varies in different cultural groups of how was man and woman born on this planet. In India mythology, the man was considered a god who gives himself the power to reproduce and receive a daughter with whom he made love. Women were born on this planet only for reproduction. In Greek mythology, the man was born as one of the gods, favored by Prometheus (greek god) over Zeus (Greek god). Hence Zeus commanded first women, who were a tool for man’s destruction.

In various mythological archetypes, man’s character has been given god-like form, whereas women form have been made out of man, for man. These formal characteristics have been translated as agents of gender socialization.

Context + Literature

The Other sex Historically gender was not binary to males and females in many cultures. In Native American societies, two-spirit people may be lesbian or gay, live as the other sex, hold sacred or spiritual roles, or perform work typically associated with another sex.

In India, hijras are a separate caste of people who live as neither men nor women. Considered sacred within Hinduism, hijras often play essential roles in religious rites such as births and weddings. The mentions of hijras have been constant in various historical, religious texts, yet they are still not accepted by society and treated as outsiders.

There has always been a third/ other sex presence, yet it is not accepted by society. They have different visual appearances, and their way of expression still remains taboo in many parts of the world, making them an outsider.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Photograph of ‘Hijra’-the third gender from India by photographer Jill Peters

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Questioning through Design

Through my journey in this thesis, I began to question how appearance can interfere and intervene in human life. While reading and researching about the topic, I started asking through making. The questions were broader and helped me develop a visual language for my thesis. The visuals primarily depict the research ideology rather than solving or finding answers.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Can physical presentation affect the hierarchy of power?

This Visual is an exploration of how people can be treated equally based on their physical appearance. It made me think, what happens if everyone wears the same clothes? Will equality be achieved from it?. If we look at the concept of equality through appearance, it can be observed through uniforms in school. Even though uniforms are created to create equality, many people over time transform a small part of it: through body language or a pin, or maybe they wear it to make their own. It may not be expressive as ordinary clothes, but it has the potential to make it it’s own.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

How can the symbolic cultural presentation affect our visual identity?

History and culture are an essential and inevitable part of the human race. With the evolution of humans from the stone age, medieval times, and modern-day, our physical appearance has been changing and evolving. Diversity in culture, geography and religious beliefs have a prominent impact on our visual appearance. Does that diversity in appearance have an impact on our self-presentation? If we look at native groups, it might not have a great impact. For example, wearing indian clothes in India would seem completely normal. Still, if we take the same person with the same clothes to another geographical location like the USA, it would impact a person’s selfpresentation.

In this visual exploration, the first row of elements depicts the culture. The second row represents a person moving away from it, and the third row describes the newly formed identity that they adapt in the new location. This phenomenon is highly based on contextual reaction and perception of past and current surroundings.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

How does surrounding reflect our selfpresentation?

The surrounding here means the social group a person has, whether it is their family, friends, or co-workers. Self Image arises from how you see yourself as well as how the people around you see you. Other people’s validation or acceptance can play a key role in the perception of self. I have used a mirror as a metaphor for self-image and shot it in three different surroundings in this exploration. The movement on hand depicts how people in that surrounding play a role in understanding one’s self-image. I imagined this as a video piece in the museum with three channels. These visuals’ black and white nature aims to bring please closer to the display as it defamiliarizes the actual surrounding.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

SelfPresentation Probe

This project began with the curiosity of how material choices inform an individual’s personality without discerning the physical body. Here, Material choices can be varied from the clothes or accessories you wear to physical things that you carry, including phone, laptop, sketchbook, etc. For this experiment, I asked a set of users to send me images of 3 things they think are their material extension or what they want another person to notice at their first glance? I also asked them why do they like that object or what makes it stand out from others.

This collection of photos from users varied from clothes, rings, shoes, laptops, purses, and sunglasses. I took these images, formed a collage of images, sent it to a different set of users, and asked them to write 1-2 line interpretation/ assumption about the person from the given photos.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

They think about their material choices: My laptop is my doorway to the world, specially in these times. It is also my digital workspace where i create most of my artworks and earn my bread through. My headphones are my mood control device, i can regulate my mood and focus through the music i put on them, they can pull me into a peaceful secluded mindspace whenever i need. My dunks are my charm of funk. No matter if there a bit older and tattered, that makes them just as much a femilier and integrated part of me, giving me that extra confidence and feeling of standing on familiar terrain no matter what environment im in.

Other people’s perception:

He is a tech savvy person, who loves to listen to rock music. Would call himself an audiophile. He also likes to exercise on a semi-regular basis.

Process + Methodology

They think about their material choices: Shoes because they bring highlight to the whole outfit, even with the most simplest of clothes. A pair of dark sunglasses because when people can’t see your eyes, they get intimidated. Also they look good, RayBans for the win! Solid and simple tshirts, bring out the simplicity and minimalist approach.

Other people’s perception:

The rectangle lines in the middle suggest that this is a guy. He wears Levi’s T-shirt, dark pants, w hite sneakers and a pair of sunglasses. He seems like a person that goes with a very basic c lothing style. It is neither trendy nor unstylish. He likes to drink ice coffee (or tea?) and docu ments his life with photos which makes him someone who cares about lifestyle or at least cares about showing other people his life. There is an illustration on the left. He might be an il lustrator who likes to draw portrait. The colors in these photos are warm and easy to under stand so he seems to be a straightforward person.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

They think about their material choices: I feel it adds beauty to my personality. The cuter the earrings the kinder I look My hand bag if I carry. It makes me look a little smart because I am carrying it for utility and purpose Cause of it’s simple look My dress the day I wear one cause I don’t regularly wear them so if I wear them it’s a special day for me or my mood. And it enhances and expresses it.

Other people’s perception:

I feel like this person is very clean/organized in their personal space. I would assume that this person probably identifies as a woman. I would assume them to talk/walk/move rather slowly.

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Our material possessions have some power to tell a visual story of ourselves. It speaks to the observer before we can. Self-presentation is nearly a design medium, like a poster or brochures that tell a story, but here the story is of ourselves or how we want to be seen in the world. 77

After collecting back and comparing all data, I noticed that some of the second set of user assumptions’ were quite apt regarding the person. I could come to this conclusion as I collected data from people I know or have interacted with in the past. This design probe’s results were quite surprising as many people rightly interpreted people’s personalities from images. Many common assumptions came from pictures of a laptop making a person more tech-savvy, or sports shoes stated they would be athletic during the process. The composition and environment of images played a slight role for other people to form an assumption.

Process + Methodology

Inside of the Outside

I further explored the idea of “what is inside of an outside? “ In the process, my topic evolved from the outside and inside of a home to what is outside of our physical body and inside of it. This project was a quest to look for the potential answer: what is inside? When does it end? How does our inside affect our outside? I started thinking about human nature and how we have different personality layers that we show to different people.

I took that idea and used various materials to explore it visually. My project then started with a white box and multilayer installation made from plastic, cloth, felt, clay, paper, and foam sheet. These materials were mostly chosen because of availability and explored various forms to have an element of surprise as we go through them. These layers of material depict different layers of self. It explores different geographical, cultural, and religious layers that one had adapted over time from their surroundings and how those layers manifest our identity.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

When somebody observes a person for the first time, they see the outer layer, which is our clothes, accessories, and the body itself. Then they perceive the nuances from the outer layer and make assumptions of who the person’s inside. As they begin to talk and share more stories about themself these layers keep opening up. The inside is not a treasure chest that, once open, we get to see everything. It is more than that; it has layers in it like a never-ending game, a level up as we solve one. We shed our layers in front of people as we know them more. Even when we show our full selves to someone, there is something which is only yours on the inside.

For the final presentation, I took a video of the performance of opening the layers, which ended at a white cube, which was looped over to the first frame as I believe that the inside is a never-ending quest. The inside is knowingly or unknowingly formed by how the person belongs in their social environment. The layers keep up building with the growing or changing pace of their surroundings and keep reflecting in their various visual or mental personas.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

The Dark Room

This project is formed by the approach of creating a hypothetical spatial experience. It is designed to amplify the conversation about self-presentations and different personas that we put on around other people. It creates possibilities for emotional resonance.

Space itself is an enormous dark room where you can’t see yourself but is designed to intervene in your thoughts about appearance. It is an abstract and immersive space that invites users to enter a different world and headspace. It makes users think, question, and reevaluate their opinion about how visual appearance plays a role in physical interactions. It allows the participant to look beyond a physical self on themself or others.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

In The Dark Room, there are streaks of light that will help you navigate the space. The visuals in the room are formed by partial words, questions, and concepts would float disembodied in the air as one moved around. These visuals can guide the participant’s thoughts. The floating words consist of question like “Does appearance matter?”, “What defines you?”, “Material extension” and so on. These visuals will be projected from the ceiling of the space and keep changing as one moves in the space. To amplify the visuals, they are accompanied by voices that will overlap, get louder, become a whisper, only be one person speaking, or many. The sounds are a mixture of questions and personal stories.

The questions in sound amplify the concept of floating visuals. Some of those voices are: “What do you want people to think about you at first glance?” “Do your material possessions define you?” “How many personas do I have?”.

The Personal stories in sound are collected from participants at the end of the experience in a phone booth area. This area has a phone booth where participants can share their stories, thoughts, and concepts during the process. It is an anonymous recording that will be guiding sound for other participants.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Reflect your Self Reflection

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

Process + Methodology

Mental Mark

My capstone project ‘Mental Mark’ began with a hypothetical 3D sculpture, one of the initial visual explorations in my thesis journey. This visual exploration was imagined as a part of the Trigger: Gender as a tool and a weapon displayed at the New Museum in 2018. The museum show was based on fluid and inclusive expressions of gendered identity. I created a sculpture with a reflecting surface where you can see yourself as a part of the exhibit itself. When you look into the sculpture, you can have the space to explore the idea of identity and gender and what that means to an individual. This exploration introduced me to look more into how I can invade a physical space, giving people a chance to stop and look at themself in a different context.

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The concept of self-reflection and taking a moment to dissect your self-presentation was at the core of the capstone project. As we are built of various layers; and each part of our physical appearance tells a story about our identity. Thus mirrors were suitable material for this project. The challenge here was how can an everyday object like a mirror be turned into something that could intrigue the observers. As at the core, my thesis was about a self, a human. I chose to go with a relatively recognizable human figure. The abstract nature of the human body was a factor in getting more attention and make people stop and observe.

The location of the installation was also an essential factor, as it needed a physical interaction. With the ongoing covid pandemic, physical activity was limited, making it more difficult to find a location. I then decided to use the Pratt Institute’s campus to my advantage. I proposed the idea to the institute, asking for a space on the outer fence of the institute, where not only Pratt students but also people from the neighborhood could interact with the installation. However, the institute’s policy couldn’t allow me to put something outside of campus as they were to take responsibility for any damage caused by it. So, I permitted a space indoor of Pratt school of design lobby, where they provided a safer space considering the perilous nature of mirrors.

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I had to come up with a new solution on the spot that would elevate the mirror and be stable to carry the mirror’s weight. After brainstorming, I planned to use foam sheets with angled cutouts and command strips(strong double-sided tape) to put them up on the wall. After some trial and error, I figured out how to create an angle with the foam sheet, and it turned out to work perfectly. The installation has been up for over two months and hasn’t fallen or moved out of the place. 107

The crucial point in shifting a 2D visual in 3D is the production techniques. For my base material, the mirror, I decided to skip the common glass mirror as I chose to go ahead with acrylic mirror, as they are lighter in weight and less dangerous to work with. I was using plastic hooks at the back of the mirror and a thin nylon cord to tie it to the fence for my initial plan. After a few tests on the fence and wall, it seemed to work well, so I decided to stick with it. On the day of installation, I faced a challenge as I failed to consider the mirror’s size, and it was becoming a time-consuming and tedious process to put it up on the wall.

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After observing, some people felt confused about what they should do in front of the installation, so the note provides instructions to interact with it. It also links back to Mental Mark’s Instagram account and hashtag, where I have built a profile to promote and collect participant’s stories. The experience concludes with a QR code on the statement, which leads to an online form where I ask them few questions about how they feel about Mental Mark? What does the installation make them think about? How do you think the Mental Mark can be expanded or enhanced? These questions were directed to make them reflect on selfpresentation but were reasonably vague so participants can add their interpretations. 113

Mental Mark invites people to see a fragmented version of self and how these different parts of them play a role in their identity. The artist’s statement accompanies it says- “Clothes were invented to protect the physical body from the surrounding. However, with the evolution of the human race, it gained new meaning and became a part of an individual’s identity. With the expansion of clothing and accessories, new connotations were created, showing a part of who we are through visual appearance. Mental Mark divides these parts of your visual identity in various forms to see how these parts build up your self- identity. As humans, we consciously or unconsciously have various personas of self, which can affect our lives in different situations. How can we use our material extension to alter or develop our identity? “

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As the installation was situated beside an elevator, which most people used in the building, it gained quite a lot of interaction. I received over 25 participation images with the installation. My audiance at school was mostly design student, faculty and staff members.

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To make the experience more coherent, I decided to give Mental Mark an identity of its own. The identity represents the layers of self that have been built through our cultural, religious, and geographical surroundings. The primary colors of the logo mark are black, white, and orange. Orange color stimulates activity and our ability to socialize, which is at the core of my thesis and capstone project. The logo is used in social media as well as the artist’s statement beside the installation.

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With the pandemic and restricted campus accessibility, I wanted to make a digital version for the installation. I designed a filter that people from any geographical location can access through Mental Mark’s Instagram account. This digital installation increased up the participants and gave them a glimpse of the actual structure. Participants used this filter with front and rear cameras, creating more creative visuals and interpretations. I gained over 20 images of participation from various countries.

Process + Methodology

Feedback

Over two months with the installation at Pratt, I received numerous feedback from the observers via the online form. To my surprise, participants made various interpretations while experiencing it. Most of them enjoyed the photo-taking quality of the installation. The distortion effect on some mirrors added more mystery to the experience. To many people, it reminded them of a funny mirror found in carnivals or theme parks. To many, it was a positive experience like this observer said, “It in a way made me look at myself in an objective light, so i didn’t get as self-conscious as i normally would.” However, it also ignited negative feelings from past experiences when they were judges based on their appearance. For example, an observer said, “Entertained but also felt self critical of self.”

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I believe what worked well is the fragmentation of the body and how it forms various layers of self. Here are some interpretations about how spectators feel about it “I somehow feel separated from my body, almost like looking at myself from others’ perspective.” Another observer said, “I mostly see the mirror as a whole, but the installation gave me a chance to think of myself (appearance) more separately.”

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While they also provided me suggestions in which this installation could be expanded or improved in the future. Some recommendations were more technical, like adding, giving them more sense behind the installation’s intent and ideology. There were more suggestions with the installation form like multidimensional, adding more mirrors to form more interpretations, or even introducing some colors or text on the mirrors. These suggestions made me think about pushing and creating multiple installation variations in the future.

During this time, I also approached some industry professionals to get their opinion on Mental Mark. I talked to a total of six industry professionals who primarily work in the exhibition/ experience design space. Most of them were enticed by the concept of identity/ self-presentation and the use of multiple mirrors to reflect someone’s identity back at them. While fragmented mirrors sounded a solid concept for most but Meital Gueta, a senior designer at Thinc Design, felt that mirrors weren’t as strong as they are an everyday object which we see every day. She did agree that fragmentation does bring a new layer of information to the familiar thing. While most of the installation was thought to be a great starting point, they all have similar suggestions to expand the experience.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

These suggestions made me think about experience design in various ways. The aspiration is to guide people around the topic but give them space to create interpretations. Industry Professionals: Karen Vanderbilt, Robert Concepcion, Fletch Park, Vishnu Uppalapati, Meital Gueta, and Vivek Sheth. 125

Robert Concepcion, a creative director in New York, imaged it double the size in an open ground that could create more impact on the viewer. Most of them suggested making it multisensory by adding sound or smell or touch for additional intervention. Karen Vanderbilt, a senior exhibition designer at Local Projects, suggested thinking about the overall experience. How can a room be designed around the installation to create more drama, or how can different lighting affect the viewers. Fletch Park suggested that as the concept talks about altering the identity, why not provide a few props like wigs, makeup, accessories, or clothes that users can use to change their identity at that moment.

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Conclusion

The concept of self-presentation draws from mostly personal taste. In “Asian Wear Clothes on the Internet,” author Minh-Ha Pham quotes Pierre Bourdieu’s famous statement that “the idea of personal taste is an illusion.” she further explains, “what he meant is that our personal tastes are shaped by and reflect our social position and social context. Bourdieu argues that the expression of taste, materialized through our manners, comportment, speech, styles of dress, and other consumer choices, is a practice of selfclassification.” The choices we make to influence our self-presentation are based on how we are as individuals; it reflects the cultural, social, and geographical experiences. It changes and evolves with the experiences that we have everyday. While it also affects how we see and perceive other people.

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Perceiving people based on self-presentation is an involuntary act; either we choose to participate in it or not. Using different tools of visual self-presentation, we can transform our social capital. It opens an opportunity to explore and articulate one’s possible self with how we dress and carry different accessories. As Anna Akhbari in “FASHIONING POWER Visual Self-Presentation in Social Life” concludes, “With consumption as the cornerstone of the modern democratic institution, the individual symbolizes her personal identity, as well as her social relevance, through her consumer habits. Each purchase is a new opportunity for redemption through appearance, but as with all acts of salvation, a socially powerful persona is neither free nor easy.” The lines between self-identity and material possession have been blurred. Instead, they have given the power to inanimate objects to shape our identity. However, on the other hand, it is on us to choose those inmate objects and shape our external appearance, whether we choose to use it as a tool or not, it is an inevitable part of our identity.

Further Direction

For research: In this thesis, I have attempted to touch on various aspects of the effects of appearance and self-presentation on identity. Though moving forward, I would like to interrogate more in the physiological part of the self-presentation developed in human brains over centuries. This phenomenon can help better understand how some stereotype was formed in the first place. For Design: With an exploration of design work, I wish to expand further and incorporate all suggestions that I received for my capstone project, ‘Mental mark’. I enjoyed working with the medium of exhibition design. In the future, I would explore more aspects of it be transformed into a multisensory experience or what other forms the installation can take.

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In the future, I would like to experiment with designing a desired self through selfpresentation, and it would be interesting to observe changes in one’s persona. And investigate how material aesthetics can amplify one’s identity.

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Acknowledgments

My journey of exploring my thesis topic has been influenced and supported by many people in the past two years, and I want to thank all of them for helping me make it possible. First and foremost, I want to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support from 13,568 km away in India. They were always a call away and comforted me in every situation in the past two years. I want to thank my brother Savan and my sister-in-law Helly for comforting me whenever I felt homesick and making me laugh in all situations. Lastly, this journey wouldn’t be possible without my cousin sister Chandni, who stood by me through thick and thin and showing me how to live in New York City. She was my rock in this unknown world and my home away from home.

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I want to show my thankfulness towards my thesis professors, Tom Kinkostien and Janine Toro, whose support, questions, and knowledge pushed my work and research beyond what I could have imagined. This thesis would not be the same without professor Tom Klinkostien. He pushed me, encouraged me with every step at Pratt Institute. His imparting knowledge and use of words opened a new world of design to me.

Material Aesthetic of Self Presentation

I want to thank professors at the Pratt Communication Design program, Karen Dunn, Matt Martin, Joseph Burwell, Amit Kalra, Alisa Zamir, and Frances Pharr, for all the conversations, encouragement, and support throughout my two years at Pratt. Special thanks to professor Eric O’ Toole for guiding me with my capstone project and help me convert my 2D visual into the 3D installation. My gratefulness to my classmates from thesis class at Pratt: Amber Hsuan Lin, Brian Krohnengold, Giulia Privileggio, Johanna Beck, Lizzie Cox, Yuejia Zhu, and Zeynep Kiris- your weekly feedback and ideas helped me push my thesis in prolific directions.

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I want to thank my friends: Shrey Patel, Ritika Shastri, Masoom Agarwal, Siddhant Khilauria, Subhadip Paul, Tanya Kuruvilla, and Samarpita Chowdhury for helping me at various points in the past 24 years of my life. Lastly, to Kuldeep Beniwal for helping me with my 2 am design decisions and always being there with me. I could not have done this without you.

Bibliography

Bibliography Akbari , Anna. FASHIONING POWER Visual SelfPresentation in Social Life, 2008. Doniger, Wendy. Splitting the Difference. Gender and Myth in Ancient Greece and India, 2001, pp. 1–4. Gröppel-Wegener, Alke. “Raiding the Superhero Wardrobe: A Review of The Superhero Costume – Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction.” The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship, vol. 8, no. 1, 2018, doi:10.16995/cg.122. Johnson, Mark Leonard. The Aesthetics of Meaning and Thought: the Bodily Roots of Philosophy, Science, Morality, and Art. The University of Chicago Press, 2018. Klencakova, Lucia. Does Appearance Matter?, 2015, pp. 1–17. Little, Anthony C., et al. “Facial Attractiveness: Evolutionary Based Research.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 366, no. 1571, 2011, pp. 1638–1659., doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0404.

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Maverick, Christopher. “Review of The Superhero Costume.” ImageTexT, vol 9, no. 1, 2017, n. pag. Dept of English, University of Florida. 10 May 2021. Web.

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“MoMA Learning.” MoMA, www.moma.org/learn/ moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity/ the-body-in-art/. Ogdoc-Gascon, Doris. “Gender Socialization in Creation Myths.” International Journal of Culture and History (EJournal), vol. 2, no. 2, 2016, pp. 83–86., doi:10.18178/ijch.2016.2.2.043. Phạm Minh-Hà̀ T. Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet: Race, Gender, and the Work of Personal Style Blogging. Duke University Press, 2015. Rudd, Nancy A., and Sharron J. Lennon. “Body Image: Linking Aesthetics and Social Psychology of Appearance.” Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, vol. 19, no. 3, 2001, pp. 120–133., doi:10.117 7/0887302x0101900303. Rumsey, Nichola, and Diana Harcourt. Open University Press, 2005.

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“Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon.” Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon :: New Museum, www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/ view/trigger-gender-as-a-tool-and-as-a-weapon.

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Articles inside

Bibliography `

Delimitations

Acknowledgments

Introductory Definitions

Context + Literature

Further Directions

Process + Methodology

Conclusion

Capstone