The Clothes Make the Man is the winner of the Best Urban Diversity award at the 2009 Toronto Urban Film Festival (Canada).

The Clothes Make the Man
Owen Eric Wood (Canada)
performance, 30 min. - 2 hours
video, 2009, 3 min. 50 sec.

The artist uses clothing to change his identity by taking on the role of fashion model. By dressing himself in outfits that represent a wide-range of stereotypes in contemporary society, he points out the mistake in judging a man by the clothing on his back. Still, fashion plays an important part in the way people perceive each other.

In the performance, the artist uses video, sculpture and photographs in a futile attempt to recreate himself in likeness of the images he faces. He cuts out paper dolls of himself while watching a projected video with ever-changing outfits.

More about this project