“We weren’t born this way.”
“When did we start living more like machines?”
We were once soft, slow, and untrained. But in a rapidly developing world, we were pushed forward, gradually learning how to make our bodies match the rhythm of order—how to survive in ways that are efficient, composed, and ready to be seen. This project began with a Miao child’s hat from the Goldsmiths Textile Collection. Red tassels were sewn onto the top to disguise the child as a plant, to ward off evil spirits. This quiet gesture of protection reminded us of the cicada—its body wrapped in a shell, growing in silence, waiting for the moment of transformation. We created a garment to carry this process: from softness to domestication, from structure to rupture. The film makes this transformation visible. We are not trying to escape, nor to fix anything—we simply let the shell crack, and allow the body to breathe. In the undefined gaps, we begin to feel again: disguise may not be about avoidance, but perhaps a way the body still tries to speak. Even if the suit remains...
Material: Waxed Cotton, Polyester
Group Member: Zixuan Chen Zhouhang Li Jiayue Song
