Stitching Identity is a participatory workshop that employs arts-based methods to explore garment alteration and wardrobe hacking as a human-centered practice of identity articulation and world-building for queer and disabled individuals. Grounded in theories of enclothed cognition (Adam & Galinsky, 2012) and DIY queer worldmaking (Halberstam, 2011), the workshop positions visible mending and improvisational “wardrobe hacking” not as simple repair, but as a form of embodied, material inquiry challenging normative systems in fashion and identity. Attendees are asked to bring a garment that they are comfortable (through a facilitated process of discussion and hands-on making) physically transforming. Hand stitching needles, and a small selection of materials will be provided but participants are welcome to bring their own. A central prompt, asking how one can visually “stamp” oneself onto an object to better reflect function, symbol, memory, or desire, structures this creative investigation. The majority of the session is dedicated to open studio time, where participants work on their garments, making the process a primary mode of knowledge generation. The workshop aims to establish cooperative, material practice as scholarly research through applying a conceptual prompt to guide the material processes and co-create material artifacts that serve as “proud scars,” documenting alternative narratives. This collaborative making generates non-textual data on adaptation and queer futurity, offering educators and practitioners in disability and/or queer studies and community arts a concrete framework for using craft as scholarly research and a tool for inclusive, creative practice.

Authors:
Simon Flint, University of Guelph, Canada
Aslı Özüak, University of Arts London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Simon Flint is currently a sessional instructor, Ph.D Student and program costume coordinator at the University of Guelph College of Arts.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-flint-33b415224

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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