A photographer flips the idea of what style and identity means on its head by getting participants to swap clothes.

 

For a series titled “Spring-Autumn”, photographer Qozop snapped photos of hip, 20-somethings with their parent or a grandparent. Then the two family members exchanged outfits and had their photo taken again.

Ageless Online finds out more:

Can you share how you came up with this concept and why? What were your goals?

This idea came about from a notion that though Singapore has become westernised to a large degree, it is still possible to witness its generational and cultural divide through the clothes that we wear. I wanted to flip the idea of what style and identity means on its head by making the participants swap clothes and see themselves, literally, in the shoes of the other.

So how young are you?

Perhaps the correct question is – how old are you? 🙂 But in the spirit of this art project, I believe age should be obsolete, so I would prefer not to share it.

 

What challenges did you have getting your concept into reality? How did you choose the people in the shot? Were the parents and grandparents open to switching clothes?

Some of the subjects I knew personally; the rest were people who were strangers whom I approached on the street. It was a simple task to get the kids to agree to be photographed; the older folks required a little coaxing. But once they were photographed, they were often curious and amused to see themselves in their son’s or grandson’s attire – some were so comfortable in their new getup that they joked that they wanted to remain in that attire for the rest of the day!

 

Any interesting stories of people seeing the photos and their reactions? What lessons did you learn from this concept? What about those you shot?

The reaction has been mostly one of mirth. It also struck everyone – the participants, viewers and myself – how good everyone looked in each other’s clothes. This is a reminder that perhaps too much emphasis has been placed on “dressing your age”, and how clothes can starkly change how we perceive people.

Will you continue shooting more of these pictures and/or are you planning a different concept that deals with intergenerations?

Yes, I plan on expanding this project and feature some other races in addition to the ones that are already featured.

** Qozop is looking for participants for this ongoing project. If you are keen, please e-mail to qozop@mail.com.

 

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