Do you let your magazines pile up? You know–you have a whole stack that you haven’t read and then try to read them all at once when you want to clean your house. I usually do that. But yesterday I received my Surface Design Journal and while flipping through the pages, there seemed to be a bunch of articles I should read. So I did. The overarching topic seemed to be transparency in fashion–uncovering the stories behind fabric and clothing. From Fashion Revolution’s #whomademyclothes project to an article on the use of fabric and fabric substitutes in stop motion animation businesses like Laika Studios, the articles were informative and fun.
But the piece that really grabbed my attention was Stephanie Syjuco‘s Total Transparency Filter (Portrait of N), pictured above. Being a Photoshop person, I immediately knew what Syjuco was saying. Gray and white checks are Photoshop’s way of depicting clear—transparent—not white. Since the article was on transparency in fashion, I assumed it was depicting the invisible garment worker. But when I went to her website, I discovered that Syjuco was making a completely different statement:
Behind the panel, a photographic portrait depicts a female figure under a semi-sheer checkered cloth, obscuring identifying features yet presenting an individual. The printed pattern of the fabric makes tangible Photoshop’s grey and white transparency background, translating a digital tool into a material experience. An undocumented individual who received her college education through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the subject’s status in the United States is now potentially under threat. Under protective anonymity, the former students claim a presence where their individual identities must be absent, occupying a tenuous space between invisibility and visibility.
Wow! I love art that makes you want to learn more. If you want to learn more about Photoshop, including the important gray/white checkerboard, it’s not too late to sign up for our Photoshop Elements classes. We don’t usually teach in the summer, so here’s your excuse to beat the heat by staying inside and playing on your computer. Visit www.pixeladies.com/classes for more details.