Growing up, I always thought that the Telugu saree was truly iconic. I’ve seen my mother, and my grandmother drape the fabric onto them, and I longed for the day I would be able to wear a saree. It became a symbol of reaching womanhood. When I put on a saree, I imagined a sudden transformation of how I looked at myself. From a girl, to a woman.
Occasionally, I still feel like a little girl. One who still has not figured out who she is, in an ever-changing world. Donning a saree today, makes me feel a little surer of myself, a little more confident.
This feeling of womanhood, displayed through a garment, is my iconic paradise.
After ideating on the medium to represent my thoughts, I decided on making a zine. A zine is an informal publication, with no rules for the size, format or layout. This medium allowed me to create freely, and to incorporate various mediums such as digital art, photo collages and text into one piece of work. I also wanted to involve real people and their points of view on the subject.
I also provided a fun little manual on how to drape a saree. It is informal, and talks about abstract concepts combined with the steps to tie a saree. The end goal is to publish the zine online and make it public for everyone.
Course guide: Dietmar Spoerl
