Folds

Folds is a sculptural, photographic piece that contains a series of self-portraits that address concepts proposed by both W.E.B. DuBois (Double Consciousness) and Laura Mulvay (Male Gaze). The project addresses the clash between the way a woman is viewed and the way she’d like to be viewed, in a societal context. Under a masculine grid, she is held inside a series of delicate and fragile origami viewfinders that are intended to be symbols of beauty but also meant to reference the silencing of women present specifically in Asian cultures. The viewer’s experience is voyeuristic in nature in that the way in which he or she interacts with the piece is by looking at the inherent beauty from afar.
 

Shirin Towfiq, Folds, 2015. Origami Paper, photo transfer 2"x 2"