I have a pretty low key desk job at school (which is great, because I get to do homework while also researching fashion and feminist stuff while also writing up things for Rookie while also doing things for powderdoom!) and on my surfing in between helping patrons, I stumbled across the work of Upsana Prasad, a London College of Fashion BA student in Womenswear. I was really into Upsana's illustrations, they're reminiscent of Rorschach tests and I'm preoccupied by things related to mental illness at the moment (you'll see health/fashion/feminst themes a lot in my future posts here, I'm just saying).
For more on Upsana and these illustrations, follow the jump.
It's no surprise that I'm reminded of those blots either, as Upsana's illustrations are based on research regarding split personalities. From their portfolio:
My research started with split personalities. Split personality is considered as a lame term used in order to differentiate between those with multiple personality disorders, within which an individual becomes split, and normal changes in behavior of an individual. In hindsight, at times, I think I try to bring out those uncertain stretches when a thing I do is completely different or unreal. There are people as well as with me that, with time, place and situation, adapt their behavior accordingly. In few cases it can be easily visible or can on the contrary be too mild to be observed.
I wanted to take this idea further and express it via illustrations by merging their textures, features and silhouettes together to create new fresh creatures which open up imaginations, intrigue and capture the viewers. Each illustration can be seen to have a personality and by mixing the different types a true individual can be expressed as each side of their character is expressed. Every illustration is unique as each identity is also unique. The way of expressing our behavior and taste can be varied on the basis of clothing, facial expression and body posture.
We're overhauling our attic to be a space just for me so I've been imagining how I'll set it up, decorate, etc, and I keep finding things like this that I want to have on my wall. Did I ever tell you when I was a little girl I used to want to be an interior designer? I still have my sketches of houses from when I was like, 8. Anyway. Talk to you soon.
