Here is one of my favorite sets that I built in terms of creative ambition. All that you see was made and styled by my hand, shot by Jon Christian Ashby.
The beaded armor, consisting of 6 pieces; corset, pauldrons, hip attachments, and the collar/tiara, paired with the earth&bone headdress. The headdress overall is and was meant to be a statement; there are ways of taking inspiration from Native American culture, without disrespect, objectification or commodification of a sacred object- the pains Cree headdress.
Technically, women, let alone a Metis woman from Michel metis descendent, who has never seen a day of combat in her life, should never be wearing the sacred regalia. this however, has no build, nor material, that is illegal, nor looking to close to a cheap knockoff that is mass produced.
The "feathers" are created by plastic ferns from another project, mixed from various mosses, created the overall look, overlaid on top of foam base.
I wanted the headdress to very much replicated the look and form of the traditional war bonnet, then pulling the image apart, and reforming it with different materials, and placed in a non objectifying, story telling manner, brings my years argued point home; you can take inspiration from most anywhere, but it all comes down to how it is done, context in which it is presented, and done so in a respectful manner and tone.
The corset was created at least 3 years prior; started back in 2020; completed in 2022, I believe.
Most of the beads were taken from other pieces from a lot of wholesale costume jewelry I had bought from another local artist before the lockdown occurred.
This was the early stages, wedged up in a tiny east vancouver room above a bakery on Kingsway ave in 2020.
Here is the frame I struggled to put together
So glad I found these old close up shots.
I always made small spaces work, I was surrounded by loved ones and cozy in this tiny apartment during some of the harder years in my life.
Fun fact, that little copper bowl in the top left of the photo was one I made for school, during my forging studies class.