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Posted by: Josh in Art, Photo, Photoart, tags: England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK
In January 2004, while the French government was debating banning religious and political symbols from schools, Catherine Balet began taking pictures of signs, labels, codes and icons that have social and aesthetic significance in the teenage world. As she extended that project from Paris to London, Berlin, Barcelona and Milan, it quickly became a record of the dress codes in European schools, a reference work on tribal subdivisions there. Teenagers in their struggle for identity and self-esteem, troubled by an urgent desire to be different, usually adopt the codes of a group, often inspired by music trends and always tweaked by circumstance, conscious individuation or both. In each city, Balet discovered the same music, fashion, brands, bands and labels. Only the details differed, reflecting the complexity of the history of each country or the influence of its migrant populations. In London and Barcelona, where the uniform is a school institution, details are all that students have by which to define themselves: Balet captures the way’s in which these students customize their outfits. Her large, richly descriptive portraits, set in the street, combine documentary style with poetic sensibility, capturing the complex mix of youth and age inherent to adolescence, its fragility and determination, and the era’s new mix of global homogenization and local individuation.
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June 29th, 2008 at 11:53
Interesting post indeed, I can relate to this post. Growing up in the Late, late 90’s and graduating in the early 00’s, I can see how govenrnment has tried to change young subculture; by having them all dress in uniform and eliminating them from having their own personal identities. Gone are the days of individualism. I remember my 6th grade teacher talking about individualism, and how our adolescence will play an important role in figuring out who we are as adults, but I doesn’t matter what WE thing as the government DOES for us. Thats total bullshit. I, as a gay boy more than likely won’t have an offspring, but I preach to whats next to my closest to my DNA offspring, my teen nephew, to be himself and never think that government is the decider of all things in life.
thx for reading my rant, and raving. Love you all!
June 29th, 2008 at 20:21
that eton kid rules
June 29th, 2008 at 23:57
yes, the Eton boy looks like he’s posing against the wall used in the Wall game - or perhaps school yard. I used to love wearing those starched collars
July 1st, 2008 at 02:05
They all rule, albeit in different fashions. ^_^
July 2nd, 2008 at 23:25
the kid in top left pic of 4 small ones rules! Love his style of clothes and even more love his super cute face!!